"Having only one contact was great! I talked to one person that I knew and knew me all the time." Ethan
Working Holiday Visa

How to extend your Working Holiday Visa

How to extend your Working Holiday Visa

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. Please consult Immigration New Zealand for up to date fees.

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

Licensed immigration adviser

Your will be charged

Lawyer

You will be charged

Family and friends

Free

Community law centre

You will be charged

Citizen advice bureau

Free

Member of parliament

Free