One of the most common questions I get as a Licensed Immigration Adviser is some version of this: "I'm coming to New Zealand on a Visitor Visa — can I attend job interviews and look for work while I'm here?"
The short answer is yes, you can look — but the long answer is far more important. There is a sharp legal line between looking for work and working, and an even sharper line between visiting and being a bona fide visitor. Cross either line and you can be denied entry, have your visa cancelled, or face deportation. Let's unpack the law.
The Legal Starting Point: What a Visitor Visa Actually Lets You Do
A New Zealand Visitor Visa is granted under Immigration Instructions V2. It permits you to enter and stay in New Zealand for one of a limited set of lawful purposes, including:
- Tourism and sightseeing
- Visiting family or friends
- Short business meetings, consultations, or conferences
- Receiving medical treatment
- Studying for up to 3 months in a 12-month period
Critically, the Visitor Visa does not permit you to undertake employment — paid or unpaid — for a New Zealand-based employer. That includes "trial shifts," "just helping out at my cousin's restaurant," or building someone's website on the side.
So Where Does "Looking for a Job" Fit In?
This is where it gets nuanced. Attending a job interview is generally considered a legitimate business activity and is not employment. INZ has historically accepted that visitors may:
- Attend interviews (in person or online) with NZ employers.
- Meet recruiters and attend networking events.
- Tour potential workplaces.
- Sit unpaid skills assessments or registration interviews (e.g., with the Nursing Council or Engineering NZ).
What you cannot do is:
- Start work — even one day, even unpaid, even "just to show what you can do."
- Sign an employment agreement that takes effect while you're on the Visitor Visa.
- Operate as a self-employed contractor for NZ clients.
Reality check: A "working interview," "trial shift," or "let's see how you go for a week" is work under NZ law. Both you and the employer commit an offence — and the employer risks losing their Accredited Employer status.
The Bona Fide Doctrine — The Real Hurdle at the Border
Here is the part most people miss. Section 49 of the Immigration Act 2009 and Immigration Instructions E5.1 require every temporary visa applicant to satisfy INZ that they are a bona fide applicant — meaning your genuine intention matches the visa you're applying for.
If you tell INZ you're coming as a tourist but your real plan is to job-hunt, relocate, or stay long-term, you are not bona fide — regardless of whether you ever actually work.
INZ officers assess bona fides by looking at:
- Your stated purpose — does it match your itinerary, bookings, and finances?
- Your ties to your home country — job, property, family, return flights.
- Your immigration history — previous visas, declines, overstays.
- Your circumstances on arrival — what's in your luggage, your phone messages, your emails. Border officers do check.
- Whether you have a credible reason to leave NZ at the end of your stay.
A person who turns up with a one-way ticket, a CV printed in their suitcase, no accommodation booked, and WhatsApp messages saying "I'll find a job once I land" is going to have a very bad day at Auckland Airport.
The "Lawful Purpose" Trap
Even if you genuinely intend to leave, the moment job-hunting becomes the primary purpose of your trip, your "tourism" purpose collapses. INZ has the power under section 110 of the Act to cancel your visa on arrival if they believe your stated purpose is not your actual purpose.
This is the lawful purpose doctrine — and it's where many honest applicants get caught. They think "I'm allowed to look, so I'll be honest with the officer." They then say "I'm here to find a job" — and are turned around on the next flight because that is not a permitted Visitor Visa purpose.
How to Do It Properly
If your real goal is to relocate to New Zealand and find work, there are legal pathways designed exactly for that:
| Pathway | Who It's For | Right to Work? |
|---|---|---|
| Working Holiday Visa | Citizens of 45+ eligible countries, aged 18–30 (35 for some) | Yes — full work rights for 12–23 months |
| Job Search Visa (post-study) | Recent NZ graduates | Yes — up to 3 years |
| AEWV with Job Offer | Anyone with an offer from an Accredited Employer | Yes — tied to that employer |
| Green List Straight to Residence | Tier 1 occupations | Yes — full work rights from day one |
| Visitor Visa (genuine tourism) | Tourists with no intention to work | No work — but interviews are OK |
A visitor who happens to receive a job offer while in NZ on a genuine holiday can then apply for the appropriate work visa from inside the country — that is perfectly legal, provided their original visitor intentions were genuine.
What to Tell the INZ Officer at the Airport
If you are travelling on a Visitor Visa and an officer asks why you're visiting, be honest, but be precise. Acceptable answers include:
- "I'm here on holiday for 4 weeks. I have return flights to Mumbai on the 15th of June."
- "I'm visiting my sister in Hamilton. She's an NZ resident."
- "I'm attending a 3-day industry conference in Auckland, then doing some sightseeing."
If pressed, and you do plan to attend interviews, you can say:
- "I have a couple of informal meetings with potential employers, but my main purpose is to visit family and explore the country. If anything comes from those meetings, I understand I would need to apply for the correct work visa before starting."
That last sentence is the key — it shows the officer you understand the law.
What Happens If You Get It Wrong?
The consequences of working — or even being believed to be working — on a Visitor Visa are serious:
- Visa cancellation under section 65 of the Immigration Act.
- Deportation liability with a prohibition period of up to 5 years from re-entering NZ.
- Future visa declines for failing the character or bona fide tests — see our guide on why visas get declined.
- If escalated, only a Section 61 request or Ministerial Intervention may save the situation — and neither is guaranteed.
For the employer, the consequences include infringement fees, loss of accreditation, and being publicly named on the INZ non-compliant employer list.
The Bottom Line
You can absolutely come to New Zealand on a Visitor Visa, fall in love with the country, attend a few interviews, and end up moving here — legally. Thousands of migrants do it every year. The secret is:
- Be a genuine visitor first. Tourism, family, or business meetings must be your real primary purpose.
- Never start work on the Visitor Visa — not even unpaid, not even a trial shift.
- Apply for the correct work visa before starting any job, from inside or outside NZ.
- Tell the truth at the border — but frame it correctly, focusing on your legitimate visitor purpose.
How a Licensed Immigration Adviser Can Help
This is one of those areas where a 20-minute conversation can save you years of pain. We can:
- Assess whether your trip plan would pass the bona fide test.
- Help you prepare a clean, honest "arrival pack" of documents.
- Advise on the right work visa pathway before you travel.
- Mitigate your risk of being stopped at the border.
If you're planning to visit New Zealand with even a small hope of finding work, talk to us before you book the flight — not after you've been turned around at Auckland Airport.
Book your free 15-minute confidential consultation with a Licensed Immigration Adviser — let's make sure your journey to Aotearoa starts on the right side of the law.