New Zealand liberalises mobility norms, opens longer work visas for Indian students; 5,000 professionals to benefit

New Delhi: New Zealand has liberalised mobility provisions under the concluded trade pact, enabling Indian students to access longer post-study work visas and allowing 5,000 Indian professionals, including yoga instructors and chefs, to work in the Oceania country.

The two countries on Monday announced closure of the FTA negotiations. It is expected to be signed and implemented in about 7-8 months from now.

The Union Cabinet approved the pact last week. The pact also needs approval from the New Zealand parliament.

As per the pact, New Zealand has, for the first time, signed an annexure on student mobility and post-study work visas with any country, offering no numerical caps and locking in 20 hours a week of work rights for Indian students.

"In terms of mobility, students who go to New Zealand to study will now be eligible for a two-year work visa if they take degree course, three-year work visa if they take bachelors degree with honors or are graduate in STEM disciplines and a four-year work visa if they do postgraduate studies in New Zealand," Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal told reporters here.

He also said that almost 5,000 of India professionals such as yoga instructors, chefs, Ayush professionals, IT, education teachers, nurses, caregivers, will get professional visas for serving the New Zealand economy.

At present, an estimated 12,000 Indian students are enrolled in various courses in New Zealand.

The pact provides for a Skilled Employment Pathways through a new Temporary Employment Entry Visa pathway for Indian professionals in skilled occupations, with a quota of 5,000 visas at any given time and a stay of up to three years.

It is in addition to the existing visa pathways; "therefore, professionals and skilled workers can continue to apply to go to New Zealand under the existing visa regime (e.g. Accredited Employer Work Visa, Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa, etc)," the Commerce Ministry said.

It does not replace or dilute current visa categories available to Indian nationals; rather, it expands the overall mobility framework by providing a preferential, FTA-linked channel for temporary employment, the ministry added.

Further, under the Working Holiday Visa, New Zealand will allow multiple-entry visas for 1,000 young Indians each year for a period of 12 months.

There is also an annexure in the pact on health and traditional medicine services to facilitate trade in health-related services and traditional medicine services.

"New Zealand signed such an Annex for the first time with any country in the world," it said.

"For pharmaceutical profits, there will be a fast track mechanism for approval of Indian pharmaceutical products which will open up doors in the New Zealand market and help us capture a larger share of their imports of medicines and pharmaceuticals," Goyal said.

New Zealand has offered its 118 services sectors/ sub-sectors such as telecom and audio-visual. On the other hand, India has offered 106 services sectors/sub-sectors in the agreement.