New Zealand's Two New Seasonal Work Visas
New Zealand opened two seasonal work visas in December 2025: the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa for experienced returning workers, and the Peak Seasonal Visa for shorter high-season roles. The seasonal strand of the Specific Purpose Work Visa closed to new applications at the same time. Both new visas cost from NZ$1,540.
Quick Facts
| Announced | 10 August 2025 |
| Opened | December 2025 — both are open now |
| Closed at the same time | The seasonal strand of the Specific Purpose Work Visa |
| Global Workforce Seasonal Visa (GWSV) | Valid 3 years, permitting up to 9 months in New Zealand a year across multiple seasons |
| GWSV experience test | At least 3 seasons in the same or a similar job in the last 6 years |
| Peak Seasonal Visa (PSV) | Up to 7 months |
| PSV experience test | At least 1 prior season of relevant experience |
| PSV re-entry rule | After 7 months in New Zealand on a PSV, at least 4 months outside the country before returning |
| Cost | From NZ$1,540 each — NZ$480 application fee plus NZ$1,060 immigration levy |
| English requirement | Neither visa is affected by the June 2026 English language change for skill level 3 roles |
What was closed
New Zealand's seasonal industries had been using a strand of the Specific Purpose Work Visa for "seasonal activity". It worked, but it was a general-purpose product being asked to do a specialised job.
That strand closed to new applications in December 2025. Two research sources in our own files give different days for the closure, so we are publishing the month without a day rather than a date we cannot stand behind. Existing holders may stay for the duration of their contract, up to nine months.
The Specific Purpose Work Visa itself is not closed. It continues for other purposes — short-term secondments of senior or specialist business people, for example. See the Specific Purpose Work Visa, explained.
The Global Workforce Seasonal Visa
This is the visa for people who come back year after year.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Visa validity | 3 years |
| Time permitted in New Zealand | Up to 9 months a year, across multiple seasons |
| Experience required | At least 3 seasons in the same or a similar job in the last 6 years |
| Job requirement | The job must be on the GWSV job list |
| Sectors named | Rural contracting, sheep scanning, winemaking, snow instruction |
| Labour market test | Not required |
| English test | Not required |
| Cost | From NZ$1,540 |
Read the duration carefully. This is a visa that spans three years and permits up to nine months of presence in each of them. It is not a three-year continuous stay, and describing it as "a three-year seasonal work visa" without that qualification is the most common error made about it.
The design point is that it removes the annual reapplication. An experienced worker who has done three seasons already gets one application covering three years of returns. Detail is at the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa, explained.
The Peak Seasonal Visa
This is the shorter one, for the high-season surge.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Duration | Up to 7 months |
| Experience required | At least 1 prior season of relevant experience |
| Where you must be | Outside New Zealand when you are offered the job |
| Re-entry rule | After 7 months in New Zealand on this visa, at least 4 months outside before returning |
| Sectors named | Meat and seafood processing, calf-rearing, wool handling |
| Health insurance | Mandatory for visas longer than 3 months |
| Cost | From NZ$1,540 |
The four-month stand-down is the rule that shapes how this visa is used. Seven months in and four months out is an eleven-month cycle, which does not fit inside a calendar year — so a Peak Seasonal Visa cannot be run back to back indefinitely. See the Peak Seasonal Visa, explained.
The two compared
| Global Workforce Seasonal Visa | Peak Seasonal Visa | |
|---|---|---|
| Visa validity | 3 years | Single grant |
| Time in New Zealand | Up to 9 months a year | Up to 7 months |
| Prior seasons required | 3, within the last 6 years | 1 |
| Job list | Must be on the GWSV job list | Sector-based |
| Must be offshore when offered the job | — | Yes |
| Time out before returning | — | 4 months after a 7-month stay |
| Cost | From NZ$1,540 | From NZ$1,540 |
A wider comparison, including the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme, is at seasonal work visas in New Zealand compared.
What has not changed
- The Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme is separate and continues. It covers citizens of 13 Pacific countries, has an annual cap of 20,750, and is the horticulture and viticulture scheme most people mean by "seasonal work in New Zealand". Its own modernisation package is staged from 2027 — see the RSE scheme modernisation and the RSE Limited Visa, explained.
- Neither new visa is affected by the June 2026 English language change that brought skill level 3 roles into scope for the Accredited Employer Work Visa. See the English requirement widened to skill level 3.
- Fees are unchanged. Both are priced at NZ$1,540, the same as the Accredited Employer Work Visa: an NZ$480 application fee plus an NZ$1,060 immigration levy. There has been no general fee or levy increase in 2025 or 2026.
- Neither is a residence pathway. These are temporary, purpose-limited work visas.
- Seasonal work under a working holiday visa is a different thing entirely, with its own rules and its own three-month qualifying-work requirement.
What to do differently now
- Do not apply for a seasonal Specific Purpose Work Visa. That strand has been closed to new applicants since December 2025.
- Count your seasons before anything else. Three seasons in six years opens the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa; one prior season opens the Peak Seasonal Visa. This is the first gate on both.
- Check the GWSV job list, not just your job title. The Global Workforce Seasonal Visa is list-based.
- If you are applying for a Peak Seasonal Visa, you must be outside New Zealand when the job is offered. That is a positional requirement, not paperwork, and it cannot be fixed later.
- Employers: neither new visa requires a labour market test in the way the general work visa route does, but the job and the sector conditions still have to fit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa?
A work visa valid for three years that permits up to nine months in New Zealand each year across multiple seasons. It requires at least three seasons in the same or a similar job within the last six years, and the job must be on the GWSV job list. It opened in December 2025. See what the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa is.
What is the Peak Seasonal Visa?
A work visa of up to seven months for high-season roles, requiring at least one prior season of relevant experience. Applicants must be outside New Zealand when offered the job, and after seven months in the country on this visa they must spend at least four months outside before returning. See what the Peak Seasonal Visa is.
When did the new seasonal work visas open?
Both opened in December 2025. They were announced on 10 August 2025.
Is the seasonal Specific Purpose Work Visa still available?
No. The seasonal strand closed to new applications in December 2025. Existing holders may stay for the duration of their contract, up to nine months. The Specific Purpose Work Visa continues for non-seasonal purposes.
How much do the new seasonal visas cost?
From NZ$1,540 each — an NZ$480 application fee plus an NZ$1,060 immigration levy. That is the same price as the Accredited Employer Work Visa.
Do the new seasonal visas require an English test?
No. Neither carries an English language requirement, and neither was brought into scope by the June 2026 change for skill level 3 roles.
Is the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa a three-year stay?
No. It is valid for three years but permits up to nine months of presence in New Zealand per year. The distinction matters for planning and for tax residence.
Do these visas lead to residence?
No. Both are temporary work visas tied to seasonal work.
This page is general information, not immigration advice. New Zealand regulates immigration advice under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, and we do not assess anyone's individual circumstances. For advice about your own case, use a licensed immigration adviser or a New Zealand lawyer, and check the licence on the Immigration Advisers Authority register.
