June 2025 INZ 1144

Guide to Working for a

Recognised Seasonal Employer
A guide to applying for an RSE limited visa

Who can obtain an RSE limited visa?

Information about this guide
Anyone can obtain an RSE limited visa who:
You should read this guide before completing your • has an offer of employment to plant, maintain, harvest or
Application to Work for a Recognised Seasonal pack crops, from an employer who has RSE status, and
Employer (INZ 1142). The guide gives you important holds an Agreement to Recruit (ATR) workers from offshore
information that we recommend you use during the
RSE limited visa application process, if you have your • is 18 years or older
RSE limited visa approved, and after you arrive in • meets Immigration New Zealand (INZ) health and
New Zealand. character requirements
• is a bona fide applicant, and
• holds, or is approved for, acceptable medical insurance.
Kia Ora – Welcome
New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme What is an RSE limited visa?
allows for a set number of overseas workers to work for
Recognised Seasonal Employers in New Zealand in the An RSE limited visa allows you to travel to New Zealand to
horticulture and viticulture industries in the following types work for a particular employer, or employers, with RSE status
of jobs: who have agreed to hire you under joint ATRs. RSE limited
• planting visas are granted offshore, before you travel to New Zealand.
• maintaining Your limited visa, and approval letter, will include an expiry
• harvesting, and date and your employment conditions, such as what your
job is, the name of the business/es that you can work for,
• packing.
and the location in New Zealand that you can work.
One of the aims of the RSE scheme to encourage economic
All successful applicants under RSE instructions require
development in the Pacific, and therefore allow preferential
a valid RSE limited visa to work in New Zealand.
access to workers who are citizens of eligible Pacific
countries.
Limited visa restrictions
Limited visa There are several restrictions on people who hold limited visas.
All applications under Recognised Seasonal Employer • You must leave New Zealand no later than the date that
instructions to work for a Recognised Seasonal Employer your visa expires.
(RSE) must be made as a limited visa application for an • You may not apply for a different kind of visa while you
‘express purpose’ (in this case to work for an RSE). are in New Zealand. You can apply for a further limited
visa, but it must be for the same express purpose.
If you apply for, and are subsequently granted a limited
visa, your stay in New Zealand is restricted to fulfilling the • You may not request a special direction or a visa under
express purpose for which the visa was granted. section 61 of the Immigration Act 2009 while you are in
New Zealand.
• You do not have any of the appeal rights that holders of
other kinds of visas have, such as the right to appeal to
the Immigration and Protection Tribunal.
If you are in New Zealand unlawfully after your limited visa
expires, you will be liable for immediate deportation from
New Zealand.

immigration.govt.nz
 What businesses in New Zealand Minimum remuneration
can offer me employment? Employers must guarantee a minimum payment
to workers regardless of the availability of work.
Only recognised New Zealand horticulture and
If your employment agreement is for a period of
viticulture businesses are eligible to recruit
six weeks or longer, the minimum amount you
under the RSE instructions.
must be paid is the greater of the following:
Employers must have: • 240 hours at the ‘per hour’ rate, or
• Recognised Seasonal Employer status – we • payment for an average of 30 hours per week
will only recognise employers who meet our at the ‘per hour’ rate for each four-week
requirements, and period of employment.
• an Agreement to Recruit which is an approval
If your employment agreement is for a period of
to employ a number of overseas workers.
less than six weeks, the minimum amount you
If you want to find out more about this process, or must be paid is 40 hours per week, at the ‘per
you are an employer, see the Guide to Becoming a hour’ rate, over the period of work offered in the
Recognised Seasonal Employer (INZ 1145). employment agreement.

Airfares
Requirements your employer
Employers must pay for half of the return airfare
must meet from your home country (or from Nadi (Fiji) if
you are from Tuvalu or Kiribati) to New Zealand.
As part of the process to be allowed to employ
overseas workers, the employer must have Pastoral care
complied with New Zealand’s immigration,
health and safety, and employment laws. INZ Employers must also ensure workers are well looked
must also be satisfied that the employer will after (we call this ‘pastoral care’) by providing:
continue to comply with these laws. Employers • transportation to and from the port of arrival
must also meet specific requirements and departure
regarding employment agreements, minimum
• an induction programme
remuneration, airfares and pastoral care.
• suitable accommodation
Employment agreements • transportation to and from the worksite(s)
When you apply for a limited visa under these • access to acceptable medical insurance
instructions we will ask to see your employment • access to personal banking
agreement, and we will want to know that
• personal protective equipment
it meets our requirements for employment
agreements. Employment agreements must: • onsite facilities (toilets, hand washing, first
aid, shelter, fresh drinking water)
• specify a ‘per hour’ rate* for the work to
be performed • necessary language translation (eg for health
and safety purposes), and
• where piece rates* apply, also specify the
piece rate(s) • opportunities for recreation and religious
observance.
• comply with the minimum remuneration
requirements Compliance with all relevant
• comply with minimum sick leave requirements employment and immigration law
• comply with permissible pay deductions, and
Your employer must comply with all relevant
• comply with all relevant employment law in employment and immigration law in force in
force in New Zealand. New Zealand. Your application will normally
If you have been employed to work for different be declined if your employer is included on a
employers for consecutive periods (e.g. three list of non-compliant employers maintained
months for the first employer and four months by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and
for the second employer), you must have an Employment www.employment.govt.nz/
employment agreement from each employer. starting-employment/hiring/employers-on-
stand-down.
* All payment rates must be consistent with the
typical rate a New Zealand citizen or residence
class visa holder worker is paid for the equivalent
work, in the same period and region.

2 – Guide to Working for a Recognised Seasonal Employer – June 2025

Recruitment agents You do not have to provide a new Chest X-ray
Certificate (INZ 1096) if:
You may decide to use an agent based in • you have previously provided this certificate
New Zealand or in your own country to help with an earlier visa application; and
you find a job in New Zealand. If an employer
• the certificate was issued less than 36 months
in New Zealand uses a recruitment agent to
ago; and
help you find a job in New Zealand, you are not
required to pay that agent a fee. • you have not spent six consecutive months
since the certificate was completed, in a
country, area or territory not listed as having
I have been offered employment a low incidence of TB.
by an RSE. What happens next?
RSE medical insurance
If you have an offer of employment from an
RSE, you are required to submit a completed requirements
Application to Work for a Recognised Seasonal
You will need to provide evidence that you
Employer (NZIS 1142) to your nearest INZ branch
have been approved for acceptable medical
that accepts RSE limited visa applications.
insurance, such as an insurance certificate or
You must also provide the following documents.
letter of approval from an insurance company.
• Your passport*.
Your insurance must cover the full costs of:
• One recent passport-sized photograph
of yourself. • all medical expenses including diagnosis and
treatment, prescribed medicines, ambulance,
• The application fee and immigration levy
hospital and post-hospital discharge care,
(the application fee may be provided
home nursing care
separately by the employer if they have
agreed to this in advance). • emergency dental care, including the provision
of antibiotics and treatment for the relief of
• A copy of your signed employment
sudden and acute pain
agreement, or agreements for each employer
if you will be working for more than one • evacuation/return home in the event of
employer. serious illness or disability, and
• A completed X-ray Certificate for Temporary • the return of remains to your country of origin
Entry (INZ 1096), if required (see RSE health in the event of death.
requirements below). Despite the above, your medical insurance
• Evidence you have been approved for may exclude costs related to:
acceptable medical insurance. • suicide or attempted suicide
*While you can provide a certified copy of • sexually transmitted disease
your passport with your application, we highly
recommend you provide your original passport. • any situation or action when under the
This will enable us to process your application faster influence of alcohol or non-prescribed drugs
and it may be needed to complete your application. • human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and/or
Please note during the processing of an application HIV-related illness including Acquired Immune
an immigration officer may request any document,
Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
including your original passport.
• childbirth or pregnancy unless they arise from
medical complications that occur before the
RSE health requirements end of the 24th week of pregnancy, or
You will need to provide a Chest X-ray Certificate • pre-existing conditions.
(INZ 1096) if you have a passport issued by
a country not listed in table one on page 8,
or you have lived in a country for more than
three months in the previous five years that is
not listed in table one on page 8 as a country
with a low incidence rate of TB.
If you are required to provide a Chest X-ray
Certificate (INZ 1096), it must be less than three
months old when you lodge your application.

Guide to Working for a Recognised Seasonal Employer – June 2025 – 3

 Where do I submit my limited Will my application for an RSE
visa application? limited visa be processed more
Listed below is the nearest processing office
quickly if I use an agent or adviser?
for your RSE limited visa application if you are No, your application will not be processed more
in the Pacific. quickly if you use an agent or adviser to find
you employment or to submit your limited visa
Your country of Processing Processing office application. INZ does not process applications
residence office address
more quickly if they are submitted by an agent
Federated States Suva New Zealand Visa
of Micronesia, Fiji, Application Centre
or an adviser.
Kiribati, Nauru, (in Suva)
Tuvalu, Palau, Level 1, Midcity
Papua New Guinea, Renwick Road Assessing your application:
Republic of Marshall
Islands, Solomon
Suva, FIJI
bona fides
Or
Islands, Vanuatu,
Timor-Leste New Zealand Visa When we assess your application and the
Application Centre
(in Lautoka) information you provide, we ensure that it
Suite 2, meets all the requirements of the visa you are
Jay Lai & Co. Complex applying for. This includes the requirement to be
21 Tui Street ‘bona fide’, which means you intend a genuine
Marine Drive, Lautoka
temporary stay to work.
Samoa Apia New Zealand Visa
Application Centre When we assess if you are a bona fide worker,
Unit 12, Le Sanalele we consider all of the information that we have.
Complex
Phase II, Taufasi Road
For example, we will consider:
Apia, Samoa • your personal circumstances, such as:
Tonga Nuku’alofa Immigration – your family ties in your home country and
New Zealand
New Zealand;
1st Floor, Kupu House
Fatafehi Road – personal, financial, employment or other
PO Box 830, Nuku’alofa commitments in your home country and
New Zealand;
If you are applying from another country, you
– any circumstances that might mean you may
will need to contact your nearest Immigration
not want to return to your home country
New Zealand office for advice on where to
when any visa expires,
send your application, or check our website
www.immigration.govt.nz/fees. • information that we have about previous
applications, such as whether you have
previously overstayed or breached visa
How much does an RSE limited conditions,
visa cost? • whether you have dependants who are
unlawfully in New Zealand, and
For up to date information about fees, payment • your ability to leave or be deported from
methods and the immigration levy: New Zealand to your country of citizenship.
• see our Fees Guide (INZ 1028)
INZ will consider all of the information
• see our website www.immigration.govt.nz/fees you provide in support of your application
• contact your nearest Immigration New Zealand but is not obliged to ask you for more.
office. So, with evidence that you meet the particular
Where Immigration New Zealand has engaged requirements for the type of visa you are
a third party provider to receive applications on applying for, you should provide any evidence
their behalf (via a Visa Application Centre), you that you think demonstrates that you are a
will be charged a visa facilitation fee. bona fide applicant.

Your prospective employer may provide the

application fee directly to INZ if they have
agreed to this in advance.

4 – Guide to Working for a Recognised Seasonal Employer – June 2025

Could I be refused a limited visa How do I meet my tax
to work in New Zealand? obligations?
Yes, your application could be declined if: To meet New Zealand tax obligations you will
• your standard of health or your character need an IRD number for Inland Revenue to
are not acceptable correctly assess the amount of tax you need
to pay. This means if you work in New Zealand
• an immigration officer thinks that you do without an IRD number, you will be taxed at a
not genuinely intend to stay temporarily or no notification rate, which is higher than the
that you are entering New Zealand for an normal rate.
unlawful purpose
• an immigration officer thinks you might stay If you tick ‘Yes’ in ‘Section D: Tax obligations’
in New Zealand unlawfully or are likely to of the Application to Work for a Recognised
breach the conditions of your visa, or Seasonal Employer (INZ 1142), you will give
permission for INZ to share information
• you are a person to whom sections 15 and 16 from your application with Inland Revenue
of the Immigration Act 2009 apply and you for the purpose of issuing you with an IRD
have not been given a special direction number. Such information will be retained by
authorising entry. Inland Revenue in accordance with the Tax
Sections 15 and 16 apply to people who: Administration Act 1994.
• have been convicted and sentenced to An IRD number will not be issued if your
imprisonment for five years or more application is declined. Any queries regarding
(this applies even if any of your offences your IRD number should be directed to Inland
have later been taken off the record) Revenue, not INZ.
• in the past 10 years were convicted and You will receive a letter from Inland Revenue
sentenced to imprisonment for 12 months confirming issuance of your IRD number. This will
or more be sent to your New Zealand employer’s address.
• are the subject of a current New Zealand
You may need to complete additional forms for
prohibition order
your employer upon arrival in New Zealand.
• have been deported from any country,
Please go to www.ird.govt.nz or call
• are suspected of being likely to constitute
0800 227 774 from within New Zealand or
a danger to New Zealand’s security or
+64 4 978 0779 from overseas for more
public order
information about meeting your tax obligations
• are believed to be associated with an in New Zealand.
organisation or group with criminal
objectives and, for that or any other reason,
are considered to be a threat to the public Who can I work for once I am in
interest or public order, or New Zealand?
• are considered likely to commit an offence
against the Crimes Act 1961 or Misuse of Drugs You can only work for the employer/s and in the
Act 1975. job/s specified in your RSE limited visa. If you
work for another employer or in another job
with your RSE (without INZ knowing) you will
My RSE limited visa application be breaching the conditions of your limited
has been approved. visa. If this happens, you may be liable for
What happens now? deportation. Also, your employer may lose
their RSE status.
If your RSE limited visa application has been
approved, you must travel to New Zealand
within the time period that is on the limited visa
label that is in your passport. If you are from
Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa,
Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu or Vanuatu,
you will be invited to attend a pre-departure
settlement seminar.

Guide to Working for a Recognised Seasonal Employer – June 2025 – 5

 What can I expect from I am in New Zealand with an RSE
my employer? work or limited visa and want to
Your employer must make sure your pastoral
apply for another visa that is not
care needs are met (see previous section in the RSE Category. Can I do this?
‘Requirements your employer must meet’
on page 2). While in New Zealand, any application that you
submit for a temporary or residence class visa
With your permission, your employer may (other than under the RSE instructions) will
make deductions from your pay for certain costs be declined.
(such as for accommodation or food). They can
only take money if the deductions have been
specified in the employment agreement which Can I return to New Zealand
was approved by INZ. under the RSE Scheme?
Your employer must pay you at least the RSE
minimum hourly pay rate. The current rate can Yes, if you and your employer followed
be found on our website at www.immigration. immigration and employment rules while you
govt.nz/wages were in New Zealand you may be able to return
to work for an RSE in the next season. There is
no limit to the number of times you can come to
How long can I stay in New Zealand as a worker under the RSE Scheme
New Zealand? providing INZ’s requirements are met.

This will depend on how long your employment

agreement is for, but your total time in
How do I resolve a disagreement
New Zealand on an RSE limited visa can not I might have with my employer?
exceed seven months in an 11-month period
(unless you are a citizen and resident of Tuvalu In your employment agreement there is a
or Kiribati, in which case you are eligible for plan to resolve disagreements (this section is
a maximum of nine months in an 11-month commonly referred to as ‘disputes resolution’)
period). You must leave New Zealand before you may have with your employer. Please refer
your RSE limited visa expires. to your employment agreement.
If this does not solve the disagreement, you can
I am in New Zealand with an RSE get further information about what to do next,
from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and
limited visa and have been offered Employment (MBIE) (contact details below), and
more seasonal employment. contact your nearest INZ branch to advise them
of your situation.
Can I do this new work?
If you have been offered more seasonal work Who can I go to for further
with the same RSE or another RSE, you may be
granted another RSE limited visa if you have
information and assistance?
not yet met the maximum time allowed in
For information about your immigration
New Zealand. If you are changing employers,
status you can visit the INZ website at
your first RSE must provide a written agreement
www.immigration.govt.nz. If you are in
to you working for the new RSE. It is very
New Zealand, you can call INZ on 0508 55 88 55
important that the new RSE obtains prior
(free call).
approval to you working for them.
For information about employment
Applications for a new RSE limited visa can be
conditions and rights as an employee in
made at your nearest INZ branch.
New Zealand, you can visit MBIE’s website
If you were granted your RSE limited visa to www.employment.govt.nz, or if you are in
work for more than one employer, you do not New Zealand you can call 0800 20 90 20
need a new visa. However, you will need to keep (free call).
a copy of your approval letter, which states
which employers you will work for and when.

6 – Guide to Working for a Recognised Seasonal Employer – June 2025

VisaView
It is an offence to employ a person who is not
entitled to work in New Zealand. One way for
employers to avoid committing this offence is
to check a person’s entitlement to work with
Immigration New Zealand’s online VisaView
system. The sharing of information through
VisaView is authorised by legislation.

If you believe that an employer has been

given the wrong entitlement information
via VisaView you may contact the Immigration
Contact Centre (0508 558 855) to request
correction of that information.

New Zealand Business Number

Where you enter the details of an organisation
or business, the form will have a field for a
New Zealand Business Number (NZBN). The
NZBN should have 13 numbers and always
begins with 94. An NZBN is a unique identifier
for all organisations operating in New Zealand.
You do not have to fill in the NZBN if you do
not know what it is or if the organisation you
are providing details about is based outside
New Zealand. You can find more information
about the NZBN, including finding an NZBN
for a specific organisation, by going to
www.nzbn.govt.nz.

Guide to Working for a Recognised Seasonal Employer – June 2025 – 7

 Table one: Countries, areas and territories with a low incidence of tuberculosis (TB)

Aland Islands France Occupied Palestinian Territory

Albania French Guiana Oman
American Samoa French Polynesia Panama
Andorra Germany Pitcairn Islands
Anguilla Gibraltar Poland
Antarctica Greece Portugal
Antigua and Barbuda Grenada Puerto Rico
Argentina Guadeloupe Qatar
Armenia Guam Reunion
Aruba Guatemala Saint Barthelemy
Australia Guernsey Saint Eustatius & Saba
Austria Heard and McDonald Islands Saint Helena, Ascension and
Tristan da Cunha
Bahamas Honduras Saint Kitts and Nevis
Bahrain Hungary Saint Lucia
Barbados Iceland Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Belarus Iran (Islamic Republic of) Samoa
Belgium Iraq San Marino
Belize Ireland Saudi Arabia
Bermuda Isle of Man Serbia
Bonaire Israel Seychelles
Bosnia and Herzegovina Italy Sint Maarten
Bouvet Island Jamaica Slovakia
British Indian Ocean Territory Japan Slovenia
British Virgin Islands Jersey South Georgia and the
South Sandwich Islands
Bulgaria Jordan Spain
Cabo Verde Kuwait Suriname
Canada Latvia Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Cayman Islands Lebanon Sweden
Chile Liechtenstein Switzerland
Christmas Island Lithuania Syrian Arab Republic
Cocos (Keeling) Islands Luxembourg Togo
Colombia Maldives Tonga
Comoros Malta Trinidad and Tobago
Cook Islands Martinique Tunisia
Costa Rica Mauritius Turkey
Croatia Mayotte Turks and Caicos
Cuba Mexico United Arab Emirates
Curacao Monaco United Kingdom
Cyprus Montenegro United States of America
Czech Republic Montserrat Uruguay
Denmark Netherlands United States Virgin Islands
Egypt New Caledonia Vanuatu
Estonia (New Zealand) Vatican City
Falkland Islands Norfolk Island Wallis and Futuna Islands
Faroe Islands North Macedonia
Finland Norway

8 – Guide to Working for a Recognised Seasonal Employer – June 2025