Yes. A New Zealand citizen can work in Australia without applying for a visa first: on arrival, Home Affairs grants a Special Category visa (subclass 444) to citizens who meet the criteria, and it lets you visit, study, stay and work for as long as you remain a New Zealand citizen. When you leave Australia the visa ceases, and you apply for a new Special Category visa each time you enter Australia again.
By CrossNation Editorial Team. Updated 1 November 2026. Sources read 1 November 2026. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
These facts come from Home Affairs, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ahpra, the NDIS Commission and state government pages, first read on 14 October 2026 and read again on 1 November 2026. Rules and charges change, so use the linked page before you act. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
New Zealand citizens with a valid New Zealand passport do not need to apply for a visa before coming to Australia. On entry, those who meet the criteria are granted a Special Category visa (subclass 444).
Source: Home Affairs: New Zealand citizens (retrieved 1 November 2026)
You can enter and stay in Australia for as long as you are a New Zealand citizen, and you can visit, work and study. You must remain a New Zealand citizen and continue to meet the character requirements.
Source: Home Affairs: Special Category visa (subclass 444) (retrieved 1 November 2026)
The visa lasts from the time it is granted until you leave Australia. When you leave, it ceases, and you apply for a new Special Category visa each time you enter Australia again.
Source: Home Affairs: Special Category visa (subclass 444) (retrieved 1 November 2026)
The SCV is a temporary visa, so you do not have the same rights and benefits as an Australian citizen or a permanent visa holder.
Source: Home Affairs: Entitlements for New Zealand citizens (retrieved 1 November 2026)
From 1 July 2023, New Zealand citizens holding an SCV can apply for citizenship by conferral without first getting a permanent visa. The general residence requirement is four years lawfully present, including 12 months as a permanent resident, and time on an SCV counts as permanent residence for citizenship from 1 July 2023.
Source: Home Affairs: Pathways for New Zealand citizens (retrieved 1 November 2026)
If you hold practising registration in New Zealand you can apply to Ahpra for registration in Australia under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act. It covers professions including nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, and registration is granted in the same category as your New Zealand registration.
Source: Ahpra: International practitioners (including the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act) (retrieved 1 November 2026)
A current New Zealand electrical work licence holder can apply for a Queensland licence under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition (Queensland) Act 2003. An application fee applies.
Source: WorkSafe Queensland: Interstate and New Zealand electrical work licence holders (retrieved 1 November 2026)
A nationally recognised check that is valid for up to 5 years, so it is not repeated when you move between states. Apply to the worker screening unit where you live.
Source: NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission: Worker screening (retrieved 1 November 2026)
Home Affairs says a New Zealand citizen with a valid New Zealand passport does not need to apply for a visa before coming to Australia. When you arrive you can apply for the Special Category visa (subclass 444), known as the SCV, and Home Affairs grants it if you meet the criteria. The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) says citizens who meet the security, character and health requirements receive the visa when they arrive, and that this happens automatically. Home Affairs says the visa lasts until you leave Australia, and that you apply for a new SCV each time you enter again, usually at the airport or seaport.
The SCV lets you visit, study, stay and work for as long as you remain a New Zealand citizen and keep meeting the character requirements, so you can start looking for work as soon as you land. To see your visa details and conditions, Home Affairs points to its online VEVO service, which needs a reference number. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
Home Affairs describes the SCV as a temporary visa, and says holders do not have the same rights and benefits as an Australian citizen or permanent visa holder. It lists things an SCV may entitle you to, including Medicare, family assistance payments, rent assistance, student loans and joining the Australian Defence Force, and says some New Zealand citizens, called protected SCV holders, may be entitled to more.
Temporary visa holders are not entitled to vote in an election or referendum, or to undertake ongoing work with the Australian Government. What you can claim depends on your own circumstances. Services Australia delivers Medicare and Centrelink, so ask it about your situation before you rely on a payment. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
Nurses, midwives and some other health professionals apply to Ahpra under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act. Ahpra says you must hold a current practising certificate in New Zealand, that registration is granted in the same category as your New Zealand registration, and that any conditions, limitations or endorsements that apply in New Zealand may apply in Australia too. You apply online through the Ahpra practitioner portal, pay the fee by card and upload documents such as your passport and evidence of your current New Zealand registration.
Electricians, plumbers and other licensed trades deal with the state or territory regulator, because each state issues its own licences. WorkSafe Queensland says a current New Zealand electrical work licence holder can apply for a Queensland licence under mutual recognition law, and an application fee applies. South Australia and Western Australia also publish mutual recognition steps for New Zealand licence holders, and the steps differ by state. Check with the regulator in the state where you will work before you start licensed work.
A few practical jobs come before your first shift. Apply for a tax file number with the Australian Taxation Office: the ATO says how you apply depends on your circumstances and residency status, and that it is free to apply. Open an Australian bank account so an employer can pay you, and read the ATO's super pages so you understand superannuation. Keep your photo identification and your New Zealand registration or licence papers together, because regulators ask for them.
For Medicare and Centrelink, go to Services Australia. MFAT's SafeTravel page advises people moving to Australia to apply for a Medicare card when they arrive, and Home Affairs says an SCV may entitle you to Medicare. This page does not set out who is eligible for Medicare or Centrelink payments, because Services Australia is the source for those rules.
MFAT says New Zealand citizens do not receive automatic permanent residence in Australia, and that those who have lived in Australia for four years or more can apply for citizenship without applying for permanent residency first. Home Affairs says the process is the same for every New Zealand citizen holding an SCV and does not depend on when you first arrived. The general residence requirement is four years lawfully present in Australia, including 12 months as a permanent resident, and time on your SCV counts as permanent residence for citizenship purposes from 1 July 2023. Check the Home Affairs eligibility rules before you apply. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
Create a candidate profile and upload your CV. Tell us the sector you work in, the state or city you are moving to, and whether your registration or licence is current, in progress or yet to start. We match profiles against the roles employers ask us to fill and speak to you when there is a fit. You can register before you move, but employers decide whom to interview, and we cannot promise an interview, an offer or a start date.
The Special Category visa is for New Zealand citizens, and Home Affairs says you must remain a New Zealand citizen to keep it. If you live in New Zealand but hold another country's passport, the SCV does not apply to you and your options depend on your own nationality. Start with our overview for workers coming from overseas, then speak to a registered migration agent about your situation. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
Each block links to the sector job page, a role guide and city or pay pages. A listing is not a job offer, and CrossNation recruits for employers across Australia.
Aged care providers hire personal care workers, enrolled and registered nurses and support staff. Tell us your qualifications, whether you hold New Zealand nurse registration, and the shifts and regions you would consider.
A New Zealand registered nurse or midwife applies to Ahpra under mutual recognition, as set out above. Tell us where your application is up to so we can discuss roles in hospitals, aged care and community settings that suit your timing.
Support workers help people with disability at home and in the community. The NDIS Commission says a worker screening check is needed in risk-assessed roles with registered providers. It is nationally recognised, so a check from one state is not repeated when you move, and your employer tells you whether the role needs one.
Working with children checks are state and territory schemes, and the name differs by state. Victoria's Working with Children Check is applied for online through Service Victoria, and Queensland says you need a blue card to work in an education and care service premises. Use the scheme for the state where you will work.
Mining and fly-in fly-out employers recruit operators, tradespeople and site support staff on rostered work. Read each advertisement for the roster, the site location and any site requirements, and ask the recruiter about them before you accept.
Hotels, restaurants and venues hire chefs, cooks, kitchen hands and managers. Minimum pay for most roles is set by a modern award or an enterprise agreement, and our pay guide shows award rates with the date they were read from Fair Work.
Electricians, plumbers, carpenters and welders need the right licence for the work and the state. Mutual recognition is the route for New Zealand licence holders, as set out above, and the regulator in the state where you work issues the Australian licence.
These counts are live from the CrossNation job board. A listing is not a job offer, and it does not mean the employer sponsors visas. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
A recruiter reviews profiles against roles as employers brief us. Listings are not job offers.
You do not apply for a visa before you travel. On arrival, Home Affairs grants the Special Category visa (subclass 444) to citizens who meet the criteria, and the visa lets you work. You must remain a New Zealand citizen and keep meeting the character requirements. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
Apply for a tax file number with the ATO, open a bank account, and look at Medicare and Centrelink on the Services Australia website. If you are a nurse, midwife or licensed tradesperson, start the registration or licence application with the Australian regulator early.
A nurse must be registered in Australia before working as a nurse. Ahpra says nurses and midwives who hold practising registration in New Zealand can apply under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act. You need a current New Zealand practising certificate, and registration is granted in the same category as your New Zealand registration.
Licensed electrical and plumbing work needs a licence from the regulator in the state where you work. Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia publish a mutual recognition route for New Zealand licence holders. Apply to the regulator before you start licensed work.
Home Affairs says an SCV may entitle you to Medicare and some payments, and that you do not have the same rights as an Australian citizen or a permanent visa holder. Entitlements depend on your circumstances, so ask Services Australia. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
Yes, if you meet the eligibility rules. From 1 July 2023 New Zealand citizens holding an SCV can apply directly for citizenship by conferral. The general residence requirement is four years lawfully present, including 12 months as a permanent resident, and time on an SCV counts. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
CrossNation recruits for employers in aged care, nursing, allied health, hospitality, trades, disability support, childcare, mining and other sectors across Australia. Search the open roles on our job board or register your CV. A listing is not a job offer, and we cannot promise an interview or an offer.
No. CrossNation is a recruitment agency, not a registered migration agent, and registration is decided by the regulator in your profession. We introduce candidates to employers who ask us to recruit. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
