Student and Trainee Work Visa — Support a candidate's visa application
This visa is for employers and education providers that want to offer practical work experience to overseas students or trainees who need it as part of their study or training. It is also for religious training organisations that want to offer places to religious trainees, New Zealand trainers who want to offer jockey apprenticeships, and hospitals that want to offer practical training work to dental or medical trainees.
What an employer needs to do
Employers and education providers
You must offer relevant practical work experience.
You must provide a written employment agreement or letter of offer. Your offer must be for work that is relevant to the student’s study or training.
Religious training organisations
You must offer a formal place on a religious training programme and your sponsorship.
You must provide:
- written confirmation of a place on a formal religious training programme in New Zealand
- a completed 'Sponsorship Form for Religious Workers' agreeing to provide sponsorship.
To be eligible to sponsor religious trainees, your organisation must:
- be registered as a charity with Charities Services
- show us that its main purpose is to advance religion
- have been providing religious training for 5 years or more
- be able to meet the requirements for acceptable sponsors, including having the ability to provide accommodation, financial support and help for your trainees to return home, if they need it.
While a visa holder you sponsor is in New Zealand you must make sure they have: You must also pay the cost of their return travel to their home country, if they do not intend to pay for it themselves. If they are to be
Alert Who can sponsor a visa applicant You can also sponsor the partner and dependent children of someone you are sponsoring. If you do this, you must cover the same costs for them. Including family in your visa application If the person you sponsor has a visa with
Your responsibilities as a sponsor begin from the date the person you sponsor arrives in New Zealand. If they are already in New Zealand, your sponsorship begins on the date their visa is granted. Your sponsorship responsibilities end on the date the person you are sponsoring: Alert The person you sponsor can be
If you have not paid the costs you are responsible for, and they are paid by a third party or the New Zealand Government, that amount becomes your debt. If you do not pay, we can take you to court to recover the debt even if the person you are sponsoring:
Your responsibilities as a sponsor
If you sponsor a visa holder, you are responsible for them while they are in New Zealand on that visa.
Support you must provide
Even if the person you sponsor has agreed to pay for some or all their expenses, you are still legally responsible for those expensesSponsoring a visa applicant's family members
If the person you sponsor travels in and out of NZ
When your sponsorship begins and ends
You cannot withdraw your sponsorship. It continues even if the person you sponsor stays in New Zealand without a valid visa.
If you do not meet your obligations
Note
You cannot sponsor someone who is an 'officer' or a 'nominated person' of your religious organisation.
Hospitals
You must provide practical training work.
You must provide a written offer of practical dental or medical training work at a New Zealand hospital that your medical or dental trainee is qualified to do.
Note
Dental and medical trainees who already have a student or visitor visa are not eligible for a Student and Trainee Work Visa.
New Zealand trainers
You must provide a job offer and a guarantee.
You must provide your apprentice with:
- a written job offer
- a written guarantee you will cover the cost of their return home, if they do not complete the apprenticeship and they are unable to meet the cost themselves.
Note
To be granted a visa, your apprentice will also need a written guarantee from New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Incorporated that they will cover your apprentice's accommodation and living costs while in New Zealand.
What happens next
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Step 1: Provide a job offer
To bring someone to New Zealand under this visa, you will first have to provide a job offer. Your candidate will need to provide this to support their visa application.
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Step 2: Candidate applies for a work visa
Your student, trainee or apprentice will need to apply for a work visa.
For us to process their visa application, they must send us information about the work they will be doing for you. For example, an employment agreement or an offer of a place.
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Step 3: Wait for a decision
We make a decision about your candidate's application as soon as we can. You can view our historic visa timeframes below.
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Step 4: Candidate starts work experience or training
Your student, trainee or apprentice must be granted a visa before they can start their work experience or training.
They will only be able to work or train with you, doing the work or training that was the basis of their visa application.
Apprentice jockeys may be able to change trainers, if they apply for a variation of conditions.