New Zealand Working Holiday Visa Update

New Zealand Working Holiday Visa Update:

As promised, I am giving you an update on the process of being a US citizen applying for a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa while living in South Korea, and the biggest thing to share is that my visa was granted! I’m off to New Zealand after my contract is up and I’m going to share all the details with you. So first things first:

How Long Did It Take?

I was approved for my visa with 48 hours of my chest X-Ray being sent to New Zealand. As I discussed in a previous post, if you have lived in a country considered a TB risk (South Korea for example) you have to get a chest X-Ray done and sent to New Zealand within fifteen days of sending in your application. I got it done, the person handling my case reviewed it, and then my visa was granted the next day!

The whole process was very quick and painless and I had to pay for nothing except getting my chest X-ray done. This means if you don’t apply from a Hight TB-Risk country as I did, the entire process will be free for you.

How Does It Work?

The visa grants the ability to live and work in New Zealand for a year. The best thing about it is that I have up to a year to make the big move. This is important to know because if you get your visa too early and then decide you won’t be able to move within a year, you will lose it and won’t be able to apply again. So as soon as you hit apply, make sure you are confident you will be ready to go when you’re accepted.

The beauty of the visa is that it is an eVisa so you get it sent right to your email address and print it out. It’s nothing like when  I applied for my South Korean visa and had to send my precious passport through the mail to have the visa put it in. I was so nervous every day we were apart.

What’s Next?

What’s next for me is buying the plane ticket and looking for a furnished apartment. I haven’t yet decided what city I will live in but I do know that I want my own place as opposed to renting a room and having roommates. Which is good news for you because there isn’t much information on the process of getting your own place while living on a working holiday visa, so I’m happy to share all the steps I will go through.

Till Next Time!

So keep checking back because if you’re another solo female traveler looking to live and work on the New Zealand working holiday visa, I’ve got all the information you need coming your way. I’m so excited for this move and the chance to see the beauty of the country for myself. I plan to spend all my weekends exploring the North and South islands and, of course, Hobbiton is on my list!