New Zealand opens two three-year work routes for Indian citizens
The routes permit 5,000 people in New Zealand at a time, with family and residence-pathway restrictions.
Immigration New Zealand announced on 20 October that the India Skilled Work Visa and India Iconic Work Visa opened that day for stays of up to three years. Their respective caps are 4,400 and 600 people in New Zealand at any one time, totalling 5,000, rather than annual visa allocations.[1][2][3]
Applicants must be Indian citizens with an eligible full-time job offer from an accredited employer and meet occupational and English-language requirements. First applications must be made from outside New Zealand. Partners and children cannot be included or obtain visas based solely on their relationship to the holder.[2][3]
Combined time on the two routes is limited to three years, followed by three years outside New Zealand before another application. Neither offers a direct residence pathway. Work on these visas cannot count as skilled work experience for Skilled Migrant Category, Work to Residence, Transport Work to Residence or Care Workforce Work to Residence visas.[1][2][3]
Official sources
This article provides general information. Individual applications are subject to the applicable rules and the competent authority’s assessment.