New Zealand has working holiday scheme agreements with many countries, allowing people to work in and explore this great country.
Working holiday visas are available to people aged 18 to 30, and in a select few countries, the age cap reaches 35 years.
For 2023, the schemes will be open soon, allowing more than 11,000 young people to apply and spend a year or two working and gaining some overseas work experience while they travel around New Zealand.
2023 reopening dates
The government has announced the 2023 reopening dates for capped Working Holiday Schemes (WHS).
The following table outlines the date each scheme will open, as well as how many places are available in each scheme for 2023. It is important to consider that applications will be open until the quota is filled and then the scheme will close until 2024.
|
Working Holiday Scheme |
2023 Opening Date |
Cap (people per year) |
| Malaysia | 7-Feb-23 | 1,150 |
| Portugal | 21-Feb-23 | 50 |
| Mexico | 28-Feb-23 | 200 |
| Estonia | 9-Mar-23 | 100 |
| Philippines | 16-Mar-23 | 100 |
| Hong Kong | 28-Mar-23 | 400 |
| Slovenia | 6-Apr-23 | 100 |
| Hungary | 27-Apr-23 | 100 |
| Slovakia | 4-May-23 | 100 |
| Austria | 11-May-23 | 100 |
| Korea | 18-May-23 | 3,000 |
| Luxembourg | 1-Jun-23 | 50 |
| Poland | 8-Jun-23 | 100 |
| Latvia | 15-Jun-23 | 100 |
| Czech | 22-Jun-23 | 1,200 |
| Israel | 4-Jul-23 | 200 |
| Singapore | 11-Jul-23 | 300 |
| Taiwan | 18-Jul-23 | 600 |
| China | 1-Aug-23 | 1,000 |
| Malta | 10-Aug-23 | 50 |
| Lithuania | 17-Aug-23 | 100 |
| Thailand | 24-Aug-23 | 100 |
| Turkey | 31-Aug-23 | 100 |
| Argentina | 14-Sep-23 | 1,000 |
| Croatia | 26-Sep-23 | 100 |
| Peru | 3-Oct-23 | 100 |
| Brazil | 10-Oct-23 | 300 |
| Chile | 19-Oct-23 | 940 |
| Uruguay | 2-Nov-23 | 200 |
Spain and Vietnam
In 2022 the Prime Minister of New Zealand and the President of Spain agreed changes to increase the Spain WHS cap from 200 to 2,000 and allow the visa holder to work for the full 12-month duration of the visa. Similarly, the New Zealand Government and the Government of Vietnam agreed changes to increase the Vietnam WHS cap from 100 to 200.
This means that Spanish or Vietnamese visa holders will be able to apply for a working holiday visa as soon as the governments have formal agreements in place and confirms the schemes’ opening dates.
If you are planning to apply for a working holiday visa or have any immigration enquiries, please contact Arno Nothnagel, our NZ Immigration Director, here.