Each year, New Zealand offers 100 slots for young people in the Philippines to stay in New Zealand for up to 12 months.
2016/17 quota
The 2016/17 quota opened on 5 February 2016 and is now full. Places under 2017/18 will become available in February 2017.
Online application
Applications for this scheme must be made online. You will need a valid Visa or MasterCard credit card. This is the only way to pay for your online application.
However, before you apply, please read the following important information.
To be eligible
You must:
- be a citizen of the Republic of the Philippines and have a passport from the Philippines that is valid for at least three months after your planned departure from New Zealand
- be at least 18 and not more than 30 years old
- not bring children with you
- hold a return ticket, or sufficient funds to purchase such a ticket*
- have a minimum of NZ$4,200 available funds to meet your living costs while you are here
- meet our health and character requirements
- hold medical and comprehensive hospitalisation insurance for the length of your stay
- have a tertiary qualification granted in respect of a minimum of three years’ full-time university study
- have a level of proficiency in English that is assessed as at least functional (see note below)
- be coming to New Zealand to holiday, with work or study being secondary intentions for your visit, and
- not have been approved a visa under a working holiday scheme before.
AND
If you are already in New Zealand, you must hold a valid temporary visa.
Level of proficiency in English
An applicant’s proficiency in English is deemed to be at least functional if they:
- provide evidence that their tertiary qualification was gained from an institution where all tuition was in English, or
- produce a certificate from the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) showing they achieved an average level of 4.5 over the four components of the test. The IELTS certificate must be no more than two years old at the time the application is lodged.
*You are required to hold sufficient funds for the duration of your visit and for the purchase of an outward ticket from New Zealand. Such evidence may be requested on arrival at the border.
Health requirements
You will need to meet our health requirements for temporary entry to New Zealand.
Our Working Holiday Schemes online system will tell you whether you need to send us a completed medical and/or Chest X-ray certificate. This is based on the maximum length of stay that you are allowed under your country’s working holiday scheme (not your intended stay), along with your responses to our health requirements questions.
You will receive full instructions on how to submit the certificate(s) in an automated email shortly after submitting your application. Depending on your scheme, the certificate must be received by Immigration New Zealand within 15 or 20 consecutive days from the date your application is submitted. The email will also advise you of this so it is important that you read it thoroughly.
Character requirements
You will need to meet our character requirements for temporary entry to New Zealand.
Note: If we have concerns about your character and require additional information, such as a police certificate, the processing of your application may be delayed.
When you are here
- You must not take up permanent employment (unless you apply for and are granted an ordinary work visa while you are 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 six months’ duration in total during your visit.
Note: New Zealand law prohibits any person on a temporary visa including a Working Holiday Scheme work visa, from providing commercial sexual services, or operating or investing in a business which provides such services.
Tax
Like all New Zealand workers, you will need an IRD number so that your employer can deduct tax from your earnings at the correct rate. In New Zealand, you pay tax on a pay as you earn (PAYE) basis. This means that there should not be a large refund or an amount to pay when you leave.
