How I Got A Working Holiday Visa: New Zealand

Saying goodbye at Heathrow Airport

Back in 2017, I participated in my first Working Holiday Visa (WHV) in New Zealand. Prior to this, I had never even heard of these visas. I was just about to turn 23 and had spent the last two years living way beyond my means in London. Although I can’t deny I was having a lot of fun, I couldn’t quite believe this was really ‘it’ for the rest of my life. I know this is crazy to believe because of how popular moving abroad now is, especially with the rise of social media influencing, but I didn’t know a single person who had done or was doing a WHV. I had friends who had worked abroad through their university programmeS, but that was about it.

I vividly remember waking up one morning and googling ‘can I live and work in New Zealand?’. New Zealand had easily been the highlight of my backpacking trip 2 years earlier, and it had left me yearning for me. It is bizarre to think now how this one little google search changed and shaped my life to what it is now. Within minutes I was on the New Zealand Immigration website learning about this magical visa that would allow me to live and work there for up to 23 months. It seemed too good to be true. In July 2023, 7 days before my 23rd birthday, I applied for the visa, and it was granted immediately. I was sat alone in my London flat overwhelmed with excitement. I hadn’t really told anyone that I had been looking into it because I never really believed it was real. But when I got that email through telling me all I had to do now was book a flight, it hit me, I was moving to New Zealand.

My time in New Zealand was nothing short of magical and it opened my eyes to all these other paths I could go down. I made friends with people from all over the world, and suddenly I was surrounded by people who were devoting their lives to living and working abroad, and I no longer felt like the minority. I’m certainly not saying it’s all sunshine and roses, there are so many difficult times as well, but if there is something tingling inside of you, pulling you to do something like this, all I can say is go for it.

Back in 2017, you could only get a maximum of 23-months. However, there have been recent changes to the agreements. Below, I will delve into what is required to get a WHV now for UK citizens and how it differed from when I went.

Contents:

1. Are you eligible?

2. How long can you stay?

3. How I extended my stay.

4. Useful pages

5. Want to know more?

Aoraki Mount Cook National Park

Are you eligible?

To be eligible for a New Zealand WHV you must hold a British passport between the ages of 18-35 (recently changed from 18-30), have an onward ticket or enough money to buy one and have NZD350 per month for your intended stay. You do not need to be 35 or under for the entire stay, if your visa is granted on the last day of your 35th year, you will still be eligible for the maximum 36-month period.

On the day of my flight out in November 2017, I was told at Heathrow airport I could not go without proof of onward travel. I had only booked a one-way flight because I was unsure about my intended length of stay, but I also had researched the visa inside out, so I was adamant this was okay.  After a bit of rebuttal with the check-in staff, they eventually agreed I could fly. It clearly states on the immigration website you either need an onward ticket or enough money to buy one, because I could clearly show them my funds and where it said this on the website, they backed down. Just bear this in mind when you go, it’s always best to know the ins and outs of your visa because the check-in staff might not!

How long can you stay?

As previously mentioned, when I applied you could only stay for a maximum of 23-months. This has now been increased along with the age requirement, to 36-months. You can choose whether you want to apply for 12, 23 or 36-months upfront. If you apply for 23-months or over, you will need to provide a medical certificate and chest x-ray. If you intend to stay for over 24-months, you will need to provide police certificates. If you choose to apply for initially only 12 or 23-months, you can apply for the balance if you:

·       Are in New Zealand on a valid WHV.

·       Have sufficient money to live on while in New Zealand.

·       Provide a medical certificate and chest x-ray if you haven’t already.

·       Send a completed application form, immigration fee and immigration levy.

I chose to only apply for the 12-months initially because I didn’t want to do a medical exam unnecessarily if I wasn’t going to stay for more than 12 months. I would personally recommend this if its your first WHV or first time away from home, as I know many people who have gone home within the first year. Also, unlike the Australian WHV, you have to be in New Zealand on a valid visa to apply for the balance. In Australia, you can do your first year, head home or elsewhere for a bit, and then apply for your second as long as you meet the requirements. When this change from 23-months max to 36 was announced, I was hoping this would mean I could apply for the balance of my expired visa. Unfortunately, the immigration website states you must be on a valid visa to apply, so that rules it out for me.

How I extended my stay.

I knew pretty much 2 weeks into being in New Zealand I would be extending my stay to the full 23-months. Therefore, I knew I would be needing to get a medical exam and chest x-ray done. To do this, you need to book in with a Medical and Radiology Centre which I decided to do in Auckland whilst I was on my road-trip with my family at the beginning of November. I had the examinations done on the 16th November and my visa was due to expire on 25th November, so I was cutting it fine. I think I chose to do this because the centre in Auckland was the cheapest, but from looking online it appears there are centres across New Zealand. The examination centre will provide you with a reference number to put on your application form, and you can send this off along with your passport. My new visa was granted on the 18th December, but I was put on an interim visa in between which allowed me to stay living and working in New Zealand.

If you decide when you’re applying that you want to apply for the 23 or 36-month visa upfront, you will need to get your medical done before your visa is granted. You will apply online first and then Immigration New Zealand will contact you advising you what you need to do. Additionally, you may need to get police checks from any country you have visited for longer than 6 months. Bare this in mind, it is always handy to get these in advance as they are relatively cheap and useful to have.

Useful pages

·       The New Zealand Immigration website will tell you more in-depth information including current costs and any other visa conditions that will affect you. This blog is specifically for UK citizens but check the above website as your country may be included too!

·       The ‘New Zealand Working Holiday’ page on Facebook has over 37k members and will be incredibly useful for interacting with others before you arrive and asking any questions you may have.

Want to know more?

My inbox is always open if you have any questions regarding my personal experience in New Zealand, any tips or recommendations I may have or any suggestions for future blog posts. I have written a post on Setting Yourself Up In New Zealand and plan to write more on finding work and accommodation. Make sure to subscribe and follow along on Instagram and Tiktok, where overtime I will post more details on road trips and things to do!