Immigration New Zealand

Find official information about eligibility, visa conditions and applying for a Working Holiday Visa.

Working Holiday Visa arrivals

Working Holiday Visa numbers continue to fall, although the decline has slowed. The latest figures supplied to BYATA showed a further reduction of 717 arrivals over the five-month period beginning in December.

BYATA will continue advocating for stronger efforts to attract the working holiday visa cohort. However, challenges such as rising unemployment can make this argument difficult from a political perspective, despite studies indicating that working holidaymakers collectively create more jobs than they take.

Understanding the Working Holiday Scheme

The Working Holiday Scheme (WHS) enables young people from eligible countries to travel and work in New Zealand for a limited period, helping them support themselves while experiencing the country. For businesses, it is an important source of flexible labour.

• Flexible workforce: Working holidaymakers help employers respond to short-term and seasonal workforce pressures.
• Key industries: WHS workers are valuable in hospitality, tourism, agriculture and horticulture, where demand can fluctuate and domestic labour supply can be constrained.
• Regional economies: By supporting business continuity, the scheme helps sustain productivity and economic activity, particularly in regional New Zealand.
• Tourism and local spending: Participants contribute to tourism activity and local communities while living and working around the country.
• Age and stay limits: Many schemes are available to people aged 18–30, or up to 35 for some nationalities. Permitted stays vary by country and scheme, and may be longer than 12 months. Extension options may also be available, subject to eligibility.
• Country limits: Some schemes have an annual cap on the number of applicants, while others do not.

Eligibility, age limits, stay durations and application caps differ between countries. Check the official requirements before making decisions based on a particular scheme.

Top five Working Holiday Visa countries

The table below shows the country rankings supplied for 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 year to date.

On mobile, swipe horizontally to view all columns.

Approved Working Holiday Visa applicants by age