A woman who has struggled to find seasonal work in the horticulture sector says the Supplementary Seasonal Employment Work Visa is no longer fit for purpose. Photo: 123RF
A woman who has been trying to find seasonal work for months says her visa is no longer fit for purpose.
The woman, who does not want to be named, is growing increasingly frustrated because after paying $700 for the Supplementary Seasonal Employment Work Visa (SSE) she cannot find work - and she says she is not the only one.
The six-month visa, which can be applied for by people who currently hold a visitor or student visa, is to help fill labour gaps in the horticulture sector.
But new figures show Immigration New Zealand is dishing out more visas than there are jobs.
The number of SSE visas approved to April was 5973, but there were only 1454 jobs available through the 29 accredited employers.
The SSE visa-holder said the whole situation was incredibly frustrating.
"At the start of the year, Immigration [New Zealand] changed the rules so now you can only get work through approved employers, there's only 29 companies and many of them don't have work.
"I've been calling around since January but [have] had no luck."
She said if there was work available, employers often wanted face-to-face interviews, meaning visa holders had to travel all around the country to try and get a job.
"I've called other companies who have been crying out for workers but they can't hire SSE visa holders.
"It's upsetting because a lot of people are in a similar situation and we all thought that paying for this visa we would be able to secure work but we haven't."
She said the SSE visa was no longer fit for purpose so the government either needed to change the settings or to stop issuing them.
"I'm going to have to try [to] work for accommodation or leave the country, but I've heard a lot of people are resorting to doing cash jobs," she said.
"Everyone knows it's not legal but people need to pay their rent."
Immigration Minister Michael Wood said prior to December 2022, applicants were required to have evidence of a job offer from an eligible employer.
"To increase labour mobility and support our horticulture and viticulture industries, this was amended to simply having the intention to work for an eligible employer at the request of the industry.
"The SSE plays an important role in supporting our primary industries to access additional labour during seasonal peaks."
RNZ has asked the minister if he will review the visa's settings.