New Zealand has opened two new work visa categories exclusively for Indian citizens, offering up to 5,000 places across occupations ranging from software engineering and nursing to Indian cooking, yoga instruction and traditional medicine.

The visas, introduced under the India–New Zealand free trade agreement that came into force on October 20, allow successful applicants to work in New Zealand for up to three years. But they come with restrictions on bringing family members, staying longer and using New Zealand work experience towards residence.

The India Skilled Work Visa covers 4,400 places across six occupational groups, while the India Iconic Work Visaprovides another 600 places in four categories.

Immigration New Zealand said all places were available when applications opened on Tuesday.

The 5,000 places represent the maximum number of people who can hold the two visas at any one time, rather than an annual allocation. Applicants must also meet specific employment, qualification and English-language requirements.

Which occupations qualify?

The India Skilled Work Visa allocates 1,000 places to software engineers, software and applications programmers, and ICT project managers. Another 1,000 places are reserved for civil, mechanical, structural and environmental engineers.

Construction and building project managers have been allocated 700 places, registered nurses 900, primary and secondary school teachers 500, and physiotherapists 300.

The India Iconic Work Visa covers occupations associated with Indian cuisine, culture and traditional practices.

Of its 600 places, 250 are for Indian chefs, 200 for practitioners of AYUSH traditional medicine, 100 for yoga instructors and 50 for music teachers.

AYUSH includes Ayurveda, naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and homeopathy.

Each occupational group has its own allocation. For example, the 1,000 engineering places are shared between four engineering professions, rather than being available separately to each.

Who can apply?

Applicants must be Indian citizens and have a genuine offer of full-time employment from a New Zealand employer accredited to hire migrant workers.

The employment must be for at least 30 hours a week and in an eligible occupation. Applicants must be outside New Zealand when applying for their first visa under either category.

They must also meet occupation-specific qualification, experience or professional registration requirements, demonstrate English-language proficiency through an accepted test and satisfy health and character requirements.

Some occupations have particularly detailed requirements. Indian chefs, for example, must have completed at least two years of recognised tertiary study in Indian cuisine and gained at least two years of relevant work experience after qualifying.

Yoga instructors must hold at least a bachelor's degree in yoga from an institution recognised by the Indian government. AYUSH practitioners need a recognised degree and at least four years of relevant experience.

For skilled occupations such as nursing, engineering and teaching, applicants must meet the applicable qualification, experience and registration requirements.

Visa applications cost from NZ$1,355. Applicants must provide supporting documents, including their employment agreement, evidence of qualifications and experience, and English-language test results.

Can workers bring their families?

Neither visa allows holders to sponsor a partner or dependent children for visas based on their relationship. Family members would need to qualify independently for another visa category if they wished to come to New Zealand.

Both visas are also tied to the occupation, employer and location specified in the visa. Workers who want to change these conditions must apply for approval.

Can the visas lead to residence?

Time spent working on either visa cannot be counted as skilled New Zealand work experience for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa or specified Work to Residence pathways.

That does not necessarily prevent someone from qualifying for residence through another route, but the new visas do not themselves provide a pathway to permanent settlement.

The maximum stay is three years, including time accumulated across both India-specific categories. After completing three years, workers must spend at least three years outside New Zealand before they can obtain another visa under either scheme.

Time spent on these visas can also count towards the maximum stay allowed under certain other temporary work visas, including the Accredited Employer Work Visa.

The restrictions are significant in the context of the political debate surrounding the trade agreement. As an earlier examination of the FTA's immigration provisions noted, the announced visa numbers do not necessarily translate into equivalent numbers of new migrants settling permanently in New Zealand.

How to apply

Applicants must first secure an eligible job offer from an accredited New Zealand employer. They can then submit the prescribed application form, supporting documents and visa fees to Immigration New Zealand.

The immigration agency has warned applicants about job-offer scams in India and South Asia. Applications will be declined if an applicant or their agent has offered or promised money to an employer or intermediary in exchange for a job offer.

Applicants can check the detailed requirements and application procedures on Immigration New Zealand's official pages for the India Skilled Work Visa and India Iconic Work Visa.