The Government will extend Working Holiday visas and Supplementary Seasonal Employment (SSE) work visas for six months.

Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi said “this offers employers and visa holders the certainty they’ve been asking for going into this summer’s harvest season.”

More than 8,500 people on Working Holiday visas and SSE work visas due to expire between 21 December 2021 and 30 June 2022 will benefit from the six month extension.

They will also continue to have open work rights, allowing them to work in any sector to help meet labour market demands where they exist.

“We remain committed to our long-term vision for New Zealand’s immigration system, which involves sectors moving away from a reliance on low-paid and low-skilled migrant workers and transitioning to new ways of attracting, training and upskilling Kiwis into jobs and investing in productivity measures that will support New Zealand’s COVID-19 recovery.”

Immigration New Zealand will contact all visa holders eligible for the Working Holiday or SSE visa extension by the end of November.