Visa allows Pinoys to study, work in NZ for 1 year

MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos and New Zealanders between 18 and 30 can now go to New Zealand and the Philippines and stay for a year through a Working Holiday Scheme (WHS) visa that allows them to work and stay for holiday and leisure, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported on Monday.

Starting Feb. 5, Filipinos and New Zealanders can apply for the special visa, which allows both citizens to train or study for a maximum period of three months, or work for one year with a limit of three months per employer. Visa holders will have to leave the host country after 12 months and only 100 visas per year per country will be issued to successful applicants, DFA said.

The arrangement on the special visa was signed between Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert Del Rosario and Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully and witnessed by President Benigno S. Aquino III and Prime Minister John Key in Wellington last October 23.

Implementation of the WHS is expected to foster closer understanding between citizens of both nations through tourism, cultural and educational exchanges and short-term employment.

Interested applicants from the Philippines may contact the Embassy of New Zealand in Makati (http://www.nzembassy.com/philippines) while those from New Zealand can get in touch with the Embassy of the Philippines in Wellington (http://www.philembassy.org.nz/) for the requirements and relevant details of the WHS arrangement.