The India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement entered into force on October 20, creating two new work-visa categories reserved for Indian nationals and cutting New Zealand tariffs on nearly all Indian exports, according to New Zealand’s immigration authority and Indian business media.
What Happened
Immigration New Zealand said the agreement creates two new Temporary Employment Entry (TEE) visa categories — the India Skilled Work Visa and the India Iconic Work Visa — open only to Indian nationals. The pathways cover highly skilled occupations, most already on New Zealand’s Green List of in-demand jobs, plus a small number of professions the agreement specifically names as “iconic to India.” They allow up to 5,000 TEE visa holders to be in New Zealand at any one time — a cap on how many such visa holders can be in the country at once, not an annual arrival quota — and the visas are valid for three years with no pathway to residence, Immigration New Zealand said.
To qualify, applicants must already hold a job offer from a New Zealand-accredited employer and meet the country’s standard qualification, English-language, health, character and identity requirements, Immigration New Zealand said.
Who It Affects
The 5,000-visa allowance is reserved exclusively for Indian passport holders; it does not create a general work-visa quota open to other nationalities. Within that, it is further narrowed to people who already have a qualifying skilled job offer from an accredited New Zealand employer, mostly in Green List occupations. It is not a pathway a non-Indian reader, or an Indian national without an existing job offer in hand, can use on its own.
The agreement also expands post-study work rights: from November 16, Indian graduates who complete a PhD in New Zealand become eligible for post-study work visas of up to four years, up from three, Immigration New Zealand said. Indian students already enrolled in New Zealand can currently work up to 25 hours a week, a right open to students of any nationality; the FTA separately locks in a floor of 20 hours a week specifically for Indian students should New Zealand’s general work-hour settings change in future.
Background So Far
The FTA was signed in New Delhi on April 27 by India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and New Zealand’s Minister for Trade and Investment Todd McClay; New Zealand’s Parliament passed the implementing legislation on September 16, Business Today reported. It removes New Zealand tariffs of up to 10% on 100% of India’s exports, covering sectors including textiles and apparel, leather and footwear, gems and jewellery, engineering goods and processed food, while New Zealand has committed to facilitate $20 billion in investment into India across agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure and startups, Business Today reported.
India has kept sensitive agricultural products — including dairy, most meat, sugar and edible oils — outside the tariff cuts. Concessional import quotas for New Zealand apples and kiwifruit take effect from 2027 rather than immediately: 35,000 tonnes of apples a year at a 25% duty, rising to 45,000 tonnes by 2031, and kiwifruit entering duty-free starting at 8,000 tonnes and rising to 15,000 tonnes by 2031, while Manuka honey and albumin quotas start from the first year, Motilal Oswal reported.
Separately from this trade agreement, New Zealand has also been revising its general, nationality-neutral skilled-migration settings this year, including an August 24 reform of the Skilled Migrant Category residence pathway and earlier changes to the Accredited Employer Work Visa. The new India-specific TEE categories sit alongside those existing routes rather than replacing them.
Outlook
Immigration New Zealand said a new working holiday scheme for Indian nationals aged 18 to 30 will be introduced within two years of the FTA entering into force, capped at 1,000 places a year and allowing successful applicants to stay in New Zealand for up to 12 months; it is not yet open to applicants. Business Today reported that India and New Zealand have also set an aspirational target of doubling two-way trade in goods and services to NZ$7 billion (about ₹35,000 crore) by 2030.
References
Immigration New Zealand – India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement Brings New Visa Commitments / Business Today – 100% Duty-Free Exports, 5,000 Work Visas & ₹35,000 Crore Investment: India-New Zealand FTA Takes Effect Today. Here’s What Changes / Motilal Oswal – India Cuts Kiwi Import Duty to Zero but Keeps 25% Tax on New Zealand Apples
