Student and Trainee Work Visa — Support a candidate's visa application
If you are an employer or education provider that offers practical work experience to overseas students or trainees as part of their study or training, you will need to support their Student and Trainee Work Visa application. This includes religious training organisations offering places to religious trainees, New Zealand trainers offering jockey apprenticeships, and hospitals offering practical training work to dental or medical trainees.
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Visa length
Varies
depending on the training
To support your candidate's visa application, you must:
- offer practical work experience that is relevant to the student's study or training
- provide a written employment agreement or letter of offer
- meet any other requirements that relate to specific organisations or types of training.
This option helps you:
- attract students and trainee workers from overseas, including those in specialist fields identified in the Student and Trainee Work Visa.
You do not need to check if there are any New Zealanders who can do the work, before making a job offer.
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.
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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1
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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2
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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3
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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4
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.