The Peak Seasonal Visa (PSV), Explained
The Peak Seasonal Visa allows a stay of up to 7 months for workers filling New Zealand's seasonal peaks in meat and seafood processing, calf rearing and wool handling. It requires at least one prior season of relevant experience, and you must be outside New Zealand when you are offered the job. Fee from NZ$1,540.
Quick Facts
| Maximum stay | Up to 7 months |
| Experience | At least one prior season of relevant experience |
| Where you must be | Outside New Zealand when offered the job |
| Before another PSV | At least 4 months outside New Zealand after a 7-month PSV stay |
| Sectors | Meat and seafood processing, calf rearing, wool handling |
| Labour market test | Job Check required, with the option of a Work and Income endorsement instead of standard engagement |
| Health insurance | Mandatory for visas over 3 months |
| English test | The 1 June 2026 AEWV English change does not apply to PSV applications |
| Fee | From NZ$1,540 — priced as an AEWV (NZ$480 + NZ$1,060 levy) |
| Opened | December 2025 |
Settings as published by INZ, August 2026. Confirm on the INZ Peak Seasonal Visa page before applying.
What the visa is for
New Zealand's primary industries have short, intense peaks. Meat processing plants, seafood operations, calf-rearing sheds and wool sheds all need large numbers of experienced people for a limited window, then far fewer.
The Peak Seasonal Visa (PSV) was built for exactly that shape of demand. It is the shorter of the two seasonal visas that opened in December 2025, replacing the seasonal pathway of the Specific Purpose Work Visa. Its longer sibling, the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa, spans three years at up to nine months a year for workers with three prior seasons.
The two are not interchangeable, and the difference is not only the length. The PSV requires one prior season; the GWSV requires three. The PSV requires you to be offshore when the offer is made; the GWSV binds you to the same employer in years two and three.
The seven-month, four-month cycle
The rule that governs repeat use of this visa is specific and worth reading twice:
You must have spent at least 4 months outside New Zealand if you have been in New Zealand on a Peak Seasonal Visa for 7 months.
So a full seven-month stay is followed by a minimum four-month absence before another PSV. That is an eleven-month cycle at minimum, which is why the visa fits some seasonal industries and not others.
The other placement rule is that you must be outside New Zealand when you are offered the job. This visa is not a way to convert a stay already underway into seasonal work. Someone already in the country on another visa is, by definition, not offshore when the offer is made.
Sectors and experience
Sectors named by INZ include meat and seafood processing, calf rearing and wool handling.
The experience gate is at least one prior season of relevant experience. That is materially lower than the three-season requirement for the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa, and it is what makes the PSV the more accessible of the two.
As with every seasonal route, the job must be one the visa covers, and the employer must hold current accreditation with a Job Check approved for the right visa type.
The Job Check, and the endorsement option
An employer hiring on a PSV needs a Job Check. What is different is the labour market test inside it.
For ordinary work visa hiring, skill level 4–5 roles require both advertising and good-faith engagement with Work and Income. For the PSV, INZ offers the option of a Work and Income endorsement instead of standard engagement — an alternative route to demonstrating the labour market position.
Two mechanics still apply and still catch people:
- A migrant may only apply for the AEWV type the Job Check was approved for — regular AEWV, Peak Seasonal Visa, or Global Workforce Seasonal Visa. A Job Check approved for one does not support an application for another.
- Job Checks are valid for 6 months, or until accreditation lapses, and unused job tokens expire when accreditation expires.
Verify which visa type the Job Check covers before paying anything. Nothing is refunded once an application is processed. See Job Check explained.
Health insurance is mandatory
Health insurance is compulsory for PSV holders on visas over three months. This is a genuine cost that is easy to miss when comparing visas, and it is a condition rather than a recommendation — a lapse in cover is a lapse in visa compliance.
INZ does not publish a required premium or a named provider, so the cost depends on the policy. Budget for it separately from the visa fee.
English is not required
The English language requirement was extended to AEWV skill level 3 roles from 1 June 2026, at IELTS General 4.0 or equivalent. That change reached around half of all AEWV applications.
Peak Seasonal Visa applications were expressly excluded, as were Global Workforce Seasonal Visa applications. See the AEWV English language change and English language requirements for work visas.
What it costs
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee | NZ$480 |
| Immigration levy | NZ$1,060 |
| Total | From NZ$1,540 |
The PSV is priced identically to the Accredited Employer Work Visa, with no International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy. Health insurance is an additional, mandatory cost.
Employers pay separately: accreditation from NZ$775 (standard, up to five migrants) or NZ$1,280 (high-volume), plus NZ$735 per Job Check.
There has been no general fee or levy increase in 2025 or 2026 — INZ's fee page still states rates as at 1 October 2024. Fees vary by fee band depending on where you apply from.
Note the cost gap against the RSE Limited Visa, which is from NZ$325 and IVL-exempt. The RSE scheme is restricted to citizens of 13 Pacific countries and to fruit, vegetable and wine industry roles, so the two rarely compete for the same worker — but the price difference is nearly five-fold and it is worth knowing which route your industry actually uses.
What is not published
The exact launch date. The PSV opened in December 2025. Sources conflict on the precise day and the visa page does not state one, so we write the month.
Processing times. The PSV does not appear in INZ's published work visa wait-time table. Use INZ's processing times tool rather than assuming it matches the eight-week AEWV figure.
Regional season timing. No authoritative New Zealand government source publishes regional harvest or peak-season months. Anyone publishing a month-by-month table of when work is available in each region is guessing. The employer offering the work is the only reliable source for when the season runs.
Step 1: Confirm you are eligible while still offshore
You must be outside New Zealand when the job is offered, and you need at least one prior season of relevant experience. Both are gate conditions, not preferences.
Step 2: Confirm the employer's accreditation and Job Check type
Current accreditation, plus a Job Check specifically approved for the Peak Seasonal Visa. Check the employer's status yourself — see how to check if an employer is accredited.
Step 3: Arrange health insurance before you travel
Mandatory for stays over three months, and a condition of the visa rather than an optional extra.
Step 4: Plan the four-month gap if you intend to return
A seven-month stay is followed by at least four months outside New Zealand before another PSV. Anyone planning back-to-back seasons needs to build that into the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the Peak Seasonal Visa?
Up to seven months. If you have been in New Zealand on a Peak Seasonal Visa for seven months, you must spend at least four months outside New Zealand before another one.
What jobs does the Peak Seasonal Visa cover?
Sectors named by INZ include meat and seafood processing, calf rearing and wool handling. The role must be covered by a Job Check approved for the Peak Seasonal Visa specifically.
Do I need experience for a Peak Seasonal Visa?
At least one prior season of relevant experience. That is lower than the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa, which requires three seasons in the same or a similar job within the last six years.
Can I apply for a PSV while I am already in New Zealand?
You must be outside New Zealand when you are offered the job. That requirement is part of the visa's design and rules out converting a stay already underway.
Do I need health insurance?
Yes, for visas over three months it is mandatory. Treat it as a visa condition and a real cost, not an optional extra.
Do I need an English test?
The 1 June 2026 change extending English requirements to AEWV skill level 3 roles does not apply to Peak Seasonal Visa applications.
How much does the Peak Seasonal Visa cost?
From NZ$1,540 — a NZ$480 application fee plus a NZ$1,060 immigration levy, priced as an Accredited Employer Work Visa. Health insurance is additional.
What is the difference between the PSV and the GWSV?
Length and experience, mainly. The PSV runs up to seven months and needs one prior season; the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa spans three years at up to nine months a year and needs three prior seasons, with a return to the same employer in years two and three. Seasonal work visas compared sets them out side by side.
