Working holiday Visa
Immigration New Zealand
The latest Working Holiday Visa numbers are still stubbornly falling, although the decline has slowed. We recently received the data for the five-month period beginning last December, and we have seen a further fall of 717 arrivals over that period. As of the end of March, we had 37,645 arrivals in the previous 12 months - well short of our ideal number of 60,000. Further, these numbers don't yet show the effect of the conflict in Iran.
We will keep pushing for more to be done to attract the WHV cohort. However, headwinds such as rising unemployment make this argument difficult from a political perspective, despite studies showing that WHV makers collectively create more jobs than they take.
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, allowing them to support themselves while experiencing the country. For businesses, the scheme is an important source of flexible labour, helping employers respond to short‑term and seasonal workforce pressures.
- WHS workers play a particularly valuable role in sectors such as hospitality, tourism, agriculture and horticulture, where demand can fluctuate and domestic labour supply can be constrained.
- By supporting business continuity, the scheme helps sustain productivity and economic activity, especially in regional New Zealand.
- The scheme also supports the wider economy by underpinning tourism and local spending, with participants contributing to communities while they live and work across the country.
- Most participants, typically aged 18 to 30, or up to 35 for some nationalities, can stay for up to 12 months. However, certain nationalities are eligible for longer stays, such as up to 23 months for Canadian citizens and up to 36 months for those from the United Kingdom, or individuals may apply for a Working Holidaymaker Extension, depending on the conditions of their specific scheme.
- Some schemes have a cap on the number of people who can visit New Zealand each year while other schemes have no cap.
The full list of eligible countries is on the INZ website:Who can apply for a working holiday visa :: Immigration New Zealand
|
Top 6 countries |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
2026 YTD |
|
1 |
Great Britain |
Great Britain |
Great Britain |
Great Britain |
|
2 |
Germany |
France |
France |
France |
|
3 |
France |
Germany |
Germany |
Malaysia |
|
4 |
USA |
Japan |
Japan |
Germany |
|
5 |
Japan |
USA |
USA |
Japan |
|
6 |
Canada |
Canada |
Spain |
USA |
|
Key statistic – approved WHV applicants |
Most popular Age |
|
2023 |
28 years old |
|
2024 |
27 years old |
|
2025 |
25 years old |
|
2026 YTD |
25 years old |