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How to extend your Working Holiday Visa

Cook Helper, Taranaki

Working Holiday Visa extension

You can apply for a 3-month extension visa if you are able to show you have undertaken 3 months or more of seasonal work in the horticulture and viticulture industries during your working holiday. Successful applicants will be granted a visa valid for 3 months from the date of approval.

If you think you are eligible, and want to apply for it you should:

  • Fill in the SSE Work Visa Application (INZ 1153) PDF
  • Pay the correct fee
  • Attach evidence of your employment in the horticulture and viticulture industries, such as letters from your employers and Inland Revenue Department statements
  • Provide evidence you have an outward ticket, or sufficient funds to buy one
  • Send the application to the nearest Immigration New Zealand branch

This type of visa cannot be applied for online. For more information on extending the New Zealand working holiday visa, check out WorkingHolidayNewZealand.com.

Other Working Holiday visa extensions in New Zealand

To get any other extension to your Working Holiday Visa, such as student visa, work visa, etc, you will have to deal more extensively with Immigration New Zealand. You can seek assistance from an immigration adviser, a lawyer or friends. Just so you know, it is illegal for your friend of family to charge you for advice on immigration.

For the rest of the professions, the fees are extremely different from one adviser to another and the complexity of your case, so feel free to shop around. A licensed immigration adviser must provide an invoice describing what they did for each time they ask you for your money. Here is the average fee charged by advisers between 2011 and 2012:

Type of application Details Average cost
Student Temporary NZ$744
Visitor Temporary NZ$629
Work Temporary NZ$1318
Skilled Migrant Residence NZ$3810
Residence from work Residence NZ$2914

Those fees do not include the Immigration New Zealand fees for each application.

If you seek a professional's help, make sure that they are licensed by the IAA (Immigration Advisers Authority). There are 3 types of license: Full, Provisional and Limited.

Here is a quick guide of where to go for help:

Who's helping Cost Website
Immigration New Zealand Free Website
Licensed Immigration Adviser You will be charged Website
Lawyer You will be charged Website
Family and Friends Free  
Community Law Centre You will be charged Website
Citizens Advice Bureau Free Website
Member of Parliament Free Website
 
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