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India-New Zealand deal brings visa bonanza — are you eligible?

A Free Trade Agreement between India and New Zealand has been signed, which has lowered import tariffs and issued 5,000 employment permits according to reports from Mint.

By Agniv Chowdhury

Apr 29, 2026 13:28 IST

The fresh trade pact between India and New Zealand has created some openings for Indians. This includes an annual quota of 5,000 employment visas and 1,000 Working Holiday Visas for Indians.

Working holiday visa: Meaning and eligibility criteria

As per the official New Zealand Immigration site, citizens between 18 and 30 years of age (or up to 35 years from certain countries) who hail from countries having a working holiday arrangement with New Zealand are eligible to apply for this visa.

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Typically, you may spend one year here under this visa and will be allowed to work temporarily. However, taking up a permanent job position is not allowed.

Benefits of the working holiday visa

There are several benefits of holding the Working Holiday Visa. You will be able to:

Stay for a longer period than the regular visitor visa.

Begin employment immediately.

Enter and exit New Zealand without any restrictions multiple times during the validity of the visa.

Conditions for employment differ according to your nationality. Please verify your nationality's Working Holiday Visa program information.

Also a temporary work visa

Temporary work visas are available in New Zealand for foreign workers. The Working Holiday Visa is one of them.

All you need to know about India-New Zealand FTA

On Monday, April 27, India and New Zealand have signed an FTA (free trade agreement), where they reduced tariffs on major fruit exports like kiwi fruit and apples, which gives more opportunities to India in exporting and provides visa facilities, as both countries grow economically closer.

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Signed in December, after almost nine months of negotiations, the FTA between India and New Zealand is one of the quickest trade agreements of South Asia. The deal reduces or removes customs duties from 95% of the exports from New Zealand to India, like seafood, iron, steel, and aluminium scrap.

"Benefits from the FTA are wide-ranging," said New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in a press release. "This agreement opens the door of opportunities for the 1.4 billion consumer base in India."

The Indian Minister of Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal, stated at the signing ceremony of the agreement with his New Zealand counterpart Todd McClay, "New Zealand is also pledging $20 billion investment."

The signing of the FTA was also appreciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who stated that the FTA will help India’s farmers, youth, women, MSMEs, artists, startups, students, and innovators. As per Prime Minister Modi, the FTA will "bring about new avenues of growth, create opportunities, and synergies

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