China Working Holiday Scheme

Working Holiday Scheme details for those with passports from the People’s Republic of China.

China Working Holiday Scheme

Every year, 1000 spaces are allotted for 18 to 30 year olds holding a passport from the People’s Republic of China. With this visa you can live, work, study, travel and play here for up to 12 months. At this time, no spaces are available. If you’d like to check on availability, contact your nearest authorised Immigration Advisor.

Online application service

Applications must be made online for this scheme. You will need a valid Visa or Mastercard credit card. Manual or paper-based applications which are received by Immigration New Zealand will be returned to the applicant. If your application is accepted in the online system, you will be advised by email and asked to send in further documentation to the appropriate receiving office (either Beijing or Shanghai Branch) within 60 days. If the documentation is not received within 60 days, the branch may determine your application without it.

Qualifying for Acceptance

You must:

• Be ordinarily resident in the People’s Republic of China at the time of applying
• Have a passport that’s valid for at least 3 months after your planned departure from New Zealand
• Be at least 18 and not older than 30 years old
• Meet our health and character requirements
• Not bring children with you
• Hold a return ticket, or sufficient funds to purchase such a ticket
• Hold medical and comprehensive hospitalisation insurance for the length of your stay
• Provide verification of senior high school qualification (gao zhong xue li); the verification must be done by the China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Centre (CDGDC), and
• Have an assessed level of proficiency in English
• Not have previously been approved for a Working Holiday Scheme visa
• Be coming to New Zealand to holiday, with work being the secondary intention for your visit

Note: An applicant’s proficiency in English is deemed to be at least functional if you can prove:

• Proficiency in English by providing a certificate from the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), showing you achieved an average level of 5.5 over the four components of the test. This will be the only way to prove English proficiency.

The verification from the CDGDC and the IELTS certificate must be provided with all the other documentation requested by the INZ branch (Beijing or Shanghai) processing the visa application.

Questions? A few answers...

How much money do I need to bring?

A total of NZ$350 a month, or NZ$4200 for 12 months is the minimum needed to meet your living costs while you are here. A copy of your current bank statement may suffice as evidence of available funds.

Do I need to pay tax if I take up work?

Yes. If you do accept temporary employment under this visa, you’ll need an IRD number so that your employer can deduct tax from your earnings at the correct rate. For more information see Inland Revenue's Travelling to New Zealand webpage.

Can I take up permanent work and/or study while in New Zealand on a Working Holiday?

• You cannot take up permanent employment (unless you apply for and are granted an ordinary work visa while you’re here)
• You must not work for the same employer for more than three months
• You can enrol in one or more courses of training or study of up to three months’ duration in total during your visit.

How do I find out the complete eligibility and requirements for passport holders from China?

Head directly to Immigration New Zealand to find out more.

Hopefully, we’ll see you here soon!