File photo. Photo: 123RF
Longer-term working holiday visas with the United Kingdom, with wider eligibility, is coming into force earlier than expected.
The scheme allowing New Zealanders aged 18 to 30 to work in the UK for a year and live there for two - and vice versa for UK citizens in New Zealand, with a slightly lower 23-month stay - had been set to expand under the NZ-UK Free Trade Agreement negotiated last year.
It was set to increase eligibility to age 35, with living and work rights extending to three years for both countries by the end of 2024, but Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced in a statement this morning it had been brought forward to mid-2023.
The UK will move to its enhanced scheme from 29 June 2023, with New Zealand's coming into force from 1 July. Current visa holders would be able to apply for an extension from those dates.
Hipkins said the change reflected the depth of the New Zealand-UK relationship.
"It is great to provide young people in both our countries with more opportunities to work and live alongside one another," Hipkins said.
It would also help with labour shortages, he said, with about 4200 visa holders able to extend their stay a further year.
"Securing an implementation date for this new scheme sooner than expected means those who are already in country will now be eligible to remain here longer, adding to the pool of labour available to businesses."
New Zealand is also expanding the annual cap on the visa it grants - up to 15,000 visas year - although British nationals wanting to stay for two years or more would need to provide character and health certificates.
Former RNZ journalist Jake McKee went to the UK on his own overseas experience last year, and told Morning Report the news had come as a pleasant surprise.
"A lot of us we kind of have been itching so long to get here, a lot of us [were] prevented by the pandemic from coming," he said.
"We thought they might do something but there was no guarantee at all, and after it's come out social media has blown up. A lot of people have been messaging ... saying 'I'm so stoked this is actually happening'."
"Knowing we have that extra bit of time is quite nice" - Jake McKee
He said there had been a lot of job ads in recent months.
"Leading up to Christmas, even just after Christmas ... there's been a lot of a push, you're seeing lots of ads especially in Kiwi groups of people just want staff, lots of jobs available even if it's not necessarily in your profession.
"You will be fine if you come here and do something and get work. I think that's part of it, is you know, gets our foot in the door to get something going over here."
He said in reality the move was just bringing the New Zealand-UK visas in line with similar arrangements with other jurisdictions, although the UK might need to rename its scheme in light of the new eligibility rules.
"Our version of the visa to come to the UK is actually termed the 'youth mobility visa' - so it is quite funny to think you can be 35 and still be on a youth visa - but this is just catching us up with Australia - theirs went up to 35 a couple of years ago."