New Zealand’s India Work Visas: Eligible Jobs, Costs and How to Apply

Opportunities Alert
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October 23, 2026
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New Zealand’s trade agreement with India took effect on 20 October 2026, opening two new work visa routes for Indian citizens: the India Skilled Work Visa and the India Iconic Work Visa. They are now accepting applications, but they are not general job-seeker visas. Applicants need a qualifying full-time job offer from an accredited New Zealand employer before applying.

The routes cover up to 5,000 visa holders at a time across a defined set of occupations. A successful applicant may stay for up to three years in the role, with no automatic residence pathway. This guide explains the job lists, caps, evidence, costs and application steps, and separates the routes that are open now from other changes that are still to come.

Who can use the new work visas?

Both visas are restricted to citizens of India. For a first application, applicants must be outside New Zealand. A full-time job offer is required from an employer accredited under New Zealand’s Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) policy, and the job must be one of the listed occupations. The offer must be current and provide at least 30 hours of work a week.

The visas are temporary and employer-specific. They allow work only for the employer, in the job and location named on the visa, and study for up to three months. Applicants cannot include a partner or dependent children on these applications, and family members are not eligible for visas based on their relationship to the applicant. The routes do not lead directly to residence, and work on them does not count towards the work-experience requirement for a New Zealand skilled residence visa.

Which jobs are covered, and how many places are there?

The caps are the number of people who can hold each visa at one time, not annual recruitment quotas. Immigration New Zealand said all places were available on 20 October 2026; capacity can change, so check the visa page before applying. If no place is available, INZ says it will not accept the application and will refund the application fee.

India Skilled Work Visa: 4,400 places

1,000 places: software engineers, software and applications programmers, and ICT project managers.
1,000 places: civil, mechanical, structural and environmental engineers.
700 places: construction project managers and building project managers.
500 places: primary and secondary school teachers.
900 places: registered nurses.
300 places: physiotherapists.

The job title alone is not enough. INZ sets specific qualification, experience or registration tests. For example, software roles require a relevant bachelor’s degree and at least five years’ experience. Nurses need New Zealand nursing registration, a Bachelor of Nursing or equivalent, and at least three years’ experience. Teachers need New Zealand registration and a practising certificate. Engineers and project managers must meet the relevant qualification or professional-status requirements. Check the full job-by-job requirements before paying for assessments or preparing an application.

India Iconic Work Visa: 600 places

100 yoga instructors.
250 Indian chefs.
50 music teachers.
200 AYUSH practitioners in listed traditional medicine fields.

These roles also have detailed qualifications and experience requirements. Examples include a recognised bachelor’s degree in yoga for yoga instructors; a recognised Indian-cuisine qualification with at least two years of study plus two years’ relevant post-qualification experience for chefs; and a music degree or equivalent three-year qualification plus two years’ relevant post-qualification teaching experience for music teachers. AYUSH practitioners need a recognised bachelor’s degree with at least three years of successful study and at least four years’ relevant experience. Read the occupation rules for the Iconic Work Visa.

English, health, character and documents

Both routes require an in-person English test taken within two years of applying. For the Skilled Work Visa, accepted minimums include IELTS 6.5 overall, TOEFL iBT 79, PTE Academic 58, Cambridge B2 First 176, or OET C+ in all four skills. Scores differ for the Iconic route: yoga instructors and chefs have lower listening-and-speaking thresholds, while music teachers and AYUSH practitioners need higher overall scores. Check the official test and score table for your occupation.

Applicants should also plan for health and character checks, identity documents, certified English translations where needed, and proof of qualifications, experience and occupational registration. Some overseas qualifications need a New Zealand Qualifications Authority International Qualification Assessment; exemptions apply to some qualifications. Medical and X-ray evidence has timing rules, so follow the visa checklist before booking. Do not submit original documents unless INZ asks for them.

How much do the visas cost?

INZ lists the application cost from NZD $1,355 for each visa. The actual fee and any immigration levy can depend on the application details. The October 2026 INZ 1402 application form says INZ contacts applicants to obtain payment after receiving the form; an application is not complete until applicable fees are paid. Check the current INZ fees, processing times and receiving-centre details before sending anything. Budget separately for English tests, qualification assessments, medical checks, translations and police certificates if required; these costs vary by provider and applicant, so there is no single verified total cost.

How to apply

Check that your occupation is eligible. Compare your qualifications, experience and any New Zealand registration with the Skilled Work Visa occupation requirements or the Iconic Work Visa requirements.
Secure a qualifying job offer. These visas do not provide a government job placement service. Find vacancies through employers’ own recruitment pages, then use the official accredited-employer search to check the employer. The list is updated daily, but some employers choose not to appear; INZ advises checking directly if a result is missing. Never pay an employer or its representative for a job offer. See our New Zealand work-visa scam warning signs.
Prepare your evidence. Use the visa page’s document checklist and the English-test requirements. Check whether your qualification needs an IQA and whether your profession requires New Zealand registration.
Complete and send the current application form. Download INZ form 1402 for the India Iconic and India Skilled Work Visas. The form gives the postal and courier addresses. Follow its checklist, send copies rather than originals, and confirm the current fee and processing information with INZ’s fees and receiving-centre page.

INZ’s official visa pages and form are the application route. Do not treat a job listing, recruiter, or general information page as a visa application portal.

Other India–New Zealand changes are not all open yet

The agreement also changes some post-study work rights from 16 November 2026: Indian graduates with a New Zealand PhD will be eligible for a post-study work visa of up to four years, rather than three. This is a future effective date and is limited to that group. Students of all nationalities can currently work up to 25 hours a week during study under New Zealand rules; the agreement makes a commitment to a minimum of 20 hours for Indian students if those policy settings change later. That commitment is not a current increase in work hours.

A separate working-holiday scheme for Indian citizens aged 18 to 30 is due to be introduced within two years of the agreement taking effect, with up to 1,000 places a year and stays of up to 12 months. It is not open for applications yet: India is not on INZ’s current list of working-holiday countries. Check that page for an official opening and do not apply through an unrelated scheme.

What to do next

If you are an Indian citizen in one of the listed occupations, first verify the exact qualification and registration rules, then pursue a genuine full-time offer from an accredited employer. If you are not an Indian citizen or your occupation is outside the lists, these two new visas are not available to you; compare other New Zealand work visa options instead. The free-trade agreement does not itself guarantee a job, visa approval or residence.