VisaNew Zealand India Skilled Work Visa: check the job, sector cap and paper application before filing
This current application guide follows the route opening on 20 October under the India trade agreement. It distinguishes employer accreditation, occupation requirements and English evidence from a general invitation to work.
Official source date: 2026-10-20 · Change takes effect: 2026-10-20
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
The new employment route is open, with a defined scope
New Zealand opened the India Skilled Work Visa on 20 October 2026 as the India-New Zealand trade agreement entered into force. This is a current application guide following that opening, rather than a fresh announcement of a second launch. Immigration New Zealand's agreement notice distinguishes this skilled category from the separate India Iconic Work Visa. Together they allow up to 5,000 holders at a time; that is not an unrestricted annual invitation for all occupations.
The skilled category is for Indian citizens with a qualifying full-time offer from an accredited New Zealand employer. A first application must be made outside New Zealand. The route page defines full time as at least 30 hours weekly and advertises a stay up to three years. It does not provide a direct residence pathway. Applicants cannot include a partner or dependent children, and the holder cannot support relationship-based visas for them under this category. Family plans therefore need examination before committing to employment or travel.
Match the occupation and credentials to the actual rules
Use operational instructions WI22 to compare the offer with the listed occupations. The sector ceilings are 1,000 for the specified ICT occupations, 1,000 for the listed engineering occupations, 700 for construction and building project managers, 500 for primary and secondary teachers, 900 for registered nurses and 300 for physiotherapists. These total 4,400 skilled holders at any one time. They are sector limits, not an assurance that a particular application will secure a place.
The same instructions set occupation-specific qualifications and experience. For example, the listed software and ICT roles require the relevant bachelor's-level qualification and at least five years' field experience. Teachers require New Zealand registration and a practising certificate; nursing and physiotherapy have registration, qualification and experience requirements. Overseas qualifications may require a New Zealand Qualifications Authority assessment unless a stated exception applies. A matching job title without the specified credentials is therefore insufficient. Applicants should resolve the credential comparison before paying to assemble the remaining file.
Check the employer using identifying information
The accredited-employer search accepts a company's legal or trading name or its thirteen-digit New Zealand Business Number. Enter all digits for a number search, or at least the first three characters when searching a name. This resource is useful for checking the employer behind an offer rather than relying on a recruitment advertisement's branding.
Immigration New Zealand updates the list daily, but some accredited employers choose not to appear publicly. A missing result consequently requires clarification with the employer; it is not conclusive proof of either accreditation or fraud. Ask which employing entity will appear in the agreement and obtain its identifying details. Keep that entity consistent across the offer and application, rather than assuming related businesses share accreditation.
Obtain an accepted English result before applying
The dedicated English-language resource requires an in-person test at a test centre with results no more than two years old when the application is lodged. Remote home tests are not accepted. For the skilled visa, the published minima are IELTS overall 6.5, TOEFL iBT overall 79, PTE Academic overall 58, Cambridge B2 First overall 176, or OET C+ in all four skills.
Use the skilled-visa table on that page: lower component scores shown for certain Iconic occupations do not apply across the skilled category. An illustrative software applicant choosing a test should compare the skilled table and the age of the result, rather than use a yoga-instructor threshold from another category. Booking a future test is not the required completed result.
Use INZ 1402 and its checklist for the submission
The official INZ 1402 form covers both India work categories. Select the correct category and occupation, complete it clearly in English and use Section J to check the evidence. The form directs applicants to submit copies rather than original documents unless originals are specifically requested. It provides postal and courier delivery addresses in New Zealand; applicants should follow those current delivery instructions rather than assume this route uses an unrelated online work-visa form.
Prepare the identity photographs, employment and qualification information and the health and character sections relevant to the intended stay. The form explains when medical evidence and police certificates are needed, including how previous certificates affect the requirements. Police documents, where required, must be less than six months old at submission. The route page advertises charges from NZD 1,355, so check the applicable fee before completing payment. A complete submission, valid job offer and acceptable evidence are required; the published sector ceiling alone does not reserve an individual place.
