New Zealand opened two new work visas for Indian citizens on 20 October 2026. The India Skilled Work Visa and the India Iconic Work Visa started on the same day the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) entered into force. Together, the two visas allow up to 5,000 Indian workers in New Zealand at any one time. Each visa lasts up to three years. Neither visa leads to residence.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) confirmed the launch on 20 October 2026 and listed every place on both visas as available. If you are an Indian professional with a New Zealand job offer, you now have a visa with a quota reserved for your nationality.
What the FTA changed on 20 October
New Zealand and India signed the FTA in New Delhi on 27 April 2026. Both countries completed ratification on 21 September 2026, according to the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). The agreement entered into force on 20 October 2026.
The FTA carries four visa commitments for Indian nationals:
- Two Temporary Employment Entry (TEE) visas, open from 20 October 2026 and capped at 5,000 holders at any one time.
- Longer post-study work for PhD graduates from 16 November 2026. Indian graduates with a New Zealand PhD become eligible for a post-study work visa of up to four years, up from three years.
- A floor on in-study work rights. Students of all nationalities currently work up to 25 hours a week while studying. If New Zealand changes this setting in future, the FTA commits to at least 20 hours a week for Indian students.
- A new working holiday scheme for Indian nationals aged 18 to 30, due within two years of entry into force. The scheme will offer 1,000 places a year and stays of up to 12 months.
Only the two TEE visas are open for applications today.
The India Skilled Work Visa
The India Skilled Work Visa covers 12 jobs, with 4,400 places in total. INZ groups the jobs into sectors. Places belong to the whole sector, not to each job.
- 1,000 places: Software Engineer, Software and Applications Programmers, ICT Project Manager
- 1,000 places: Civil Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Structural Engineer, Environmental Engineer
- 700 places: Construction Project Manager, Building Project Manager
- 500 places: Primary and Secondary School teacher
- 900 places: Registered Nurse
- 300 places: Physiotherapist
INZ says most TEE places go to skilled occupations already identified on the New Zealand Green List. You must meet the qualification, work experience and registration rules for your job before you apply. If your job needs New Zealand registration, you must provide a certified copy of your full or provisional registration, or confirmation from the registration body showing your job is eligible for registration.
Engineers with a degree accredited under the Washington Accord or the Sydney Accord do not need an International Qualifications Assessment (IQA) from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). The same applies to qualifications on the List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment. Other overseas qualifications might need an IQA when your job requires a qualification.
The India Iconic Work Visa
The India Iconic Work Visa has 600 places for four occupations INZ treats as iconic to India:
- Yoga instructor (100 places): at least a bachelor's degree in yoga from an institution recognised by the Indian Federal Government.
- Indian chef (250 places): a tertiary qualification in Indian cuisine with at least two years of study, plus at least two years of relevant work experience after the qualification.
- Music teacher (50 places): a bachelor's degree or an equivalent three-year tertiary qualification in music, plus at least two years of teaching experience after the qualification. An overseas music qualification also needs an NZQA IQA.
- AYUSH practitioner (200 places): a bachelor's degree recognised by the Indian Ministry of Ayush, with at least three years of study, plus at least four years of practice.
AYUSH covers Ayurveda, naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and homeopathy. You apply under one field only. A yoga and naturopathy practitioner must choose either the yoga instructor route or the naturopathy route.
Your Indian qualification must come from a recognised source. Degrees need University Grants Commission recognition. Technical and diploma qualifications need recognition from the National Council for Vocational Education and Training. AYUSH qualifications need recognition from the University Grants Commission or the Ministry of Ayush. Work experience does not need to be continuous or full-time, but the total must add up to the required number of full-time years.
Rules shared by both visas
Both visas follow the same core rules:
- You must hold Indian citizenship and a valid Indian passport.
- You must be outside New Zealand when you apply for your first visa.
- You need a current offer of full-time work, at least 30 hours a week, from an employer accredited under the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) policy.
- You need an English test taken in person at an approved test centre. Your results must meet the INZ minimum score and be no more than two years old when you apply.
- You need a chest X-ray and a medical examination completed within the three months before you apply.
- You need police certificates if you are 17 or older and your total time in New Zealand will reach 24 months or more.
- You must show a genuine intention to meet your visa conditions.
Fees start from NZD 1,355 for each visa, according to the INZ visa pages. You apply with form INZ 1402, together with your supporting documents, the application fee and the immigration levy.
Limits you should plan around
Read these limits before you sign a job offer.
- No family on the visa. Your partner and dependent children are not eligible for a visa based on their relationship to you.
- One employer, one job, one location. You work only in the job, for the employer and in the location stated on your visa. Any change needs a variation of conditions.
- Three years in total. Time on either visa counts toward one shared three-year limit. If your first visa runs for less than three years, you apply for another visa to cover the remaining time, and INZ allows this further application from inside New Zealand.
- A three-year stand-down. After three years, you must leave and spend at least three years outside New Zealand before you hold either visa again.
- No residence pathway. INZ states the TEE visas do not provide a pathway to residence.
- Short study only. You study for up to three months in any 12-month period. Longer study needs a student visa.
- A six-month entry window. You must travel to New Zealand within six months of the visa issue date, or the visa expires.
If a sector runs out of places, INZ will not accept your application and will refund your application fee. Check the availability note on each visa page before you lodge.
Watch for job offer scams
INZ warns job offer scams are common in India and South Asia. INZ will decline your application if you or your agent offered or promised money to an employer, or to the employer's agent, in exchange for a job offer.
- Check the employer on the INZ accredited employer list.
- Confirm the job title matches one of the 16 approved occupations.
- Ask for a signed job offer, an employment agreement and a job description. The agreement must show the employer's contact details, your job title, pay, hours, work address and duties.
- Refuse any request for payment in return for a job. A payment for a job offer puts your whole application at risk.
Documents to prepare now
- A passport valid for at least three months after your planned departure from New Zealand, plus one acceptable photo. INZ will not accept a photo altered with AI or other editing tools.
- Your signed job offer, employment agreement and job description.
- Copies of your qualifications, plus an IQA where your job requires one.
- Independent evidence of work experience, such as employment certificates on official letterhead, pay slips or tax certificates.
- Your eMedical reference number, or copies of your medical and chest X-ray certificates.
- Certified English translations of any document not in English.
Which route fits you
If you work in software, engineering, construction management, teaching, nursing or physiotherapy, compare the India Skilled Work Visa with the AEWV before you choose. The TEE visa gives you a quota reserved for Indian citizens. The AEWV follows separate rules on family and on later residence options, so compare both routes with your employer before you lodge.
INZ says every new FTA pathway operates within the existing New Zealand immigration framework. You still need to pass every standard health, character and identity check. Start with a genuine job offer from an accredited employer, then build your file around the job requirements listed on the INZ visa page.
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