Religious Worker Work Visa

Many years ago, all religious workers had to apply under a work visa category called "Essential Skills" work instructions when applying for their work visas.

That created difficulties as religious workers were not engaged in employment in the traditional sense, and also because their "employers" relied on donations to keep their organisation running.

That did not sit well with the Essential Skills work instructions and it was like trying to put a square peg through a round hole. Immigration New Zealand recognising this problem updated its instructions in 2010 to create a new category to dedicated for religious workers.

You will need to satisfy each of the following requirements:

• meet general requirements; and
• meet sponsor requirements; and
• meet qualification requirements.

Let's take a look at each of them in turn.

General

General requirements include paying correct application fee, using prescribed Immigration New Zealand form, meeting health/character requirements, and being a 'bona fide' (genuine) applicant. In addition, you must not have held a work visa under this category for four years or more.

Sponsorship

You will need to be sponsored by a religious organisation which is registered as a charity with the Charities Commission. The primary purpose of that charitable organisation must be for advancing of religion. The organisation must also meet certain criteria to be an 'acceptable sponsor', including not being in receivership/liquidation, not having breached sponsorship obligations previously, etc.

Qualification

You need to have had training and/or experience relevant to the religious work you are being sponsored to undertake, of at least two years, in the field of religious work. Religious work is defined as follows:

• teaching or guidance in religious scripture or philosophy;
• leading religious practice, worship or prayer;
• conducting religious initiations, ordination or ritual;
• ministering or pastoral care;
• roles of religious leadership in relation to any of the above.

The application fee payable to Immigration New Zealand for this visa application is $700.

According to the latest figures available from Immigration New Zealand, 90% of all applications lodged under this category are taking about 51 weekdays from lodgement date to decision, and average processing time is about 21 weekdays.

The issue of the visa under this category will be subject to a number of conditions:

• initial visa will be valid for up to two years (maximum four years allowed under this category); and;
• you must undertake religious work for the sponsoring organisation only;
• the sponsoring organisation must meet its obligations throughout the duration of the visa.