Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on Monday that Indian students going to New Zealand to study will now be eligible for work visas depending on their course of study, under the provisions of the new Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
Those who complete an undergraduate course or an honors bachelor’s degree will be eligible for a three-year work visa, while those who complete a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) or graduate degree will be eligible for a four-year work visa, Goyal said.
AYUSH, forestry and other sectors to benefit from the new FTA
Goyal also said that cooperation in AYUSH, culture, fisheries, audiovisual sector, tourism, forestry, horticulture and traditional knowledge systems were agreed upon.
The India-New Zealand FTA also outlines the following:
– Around 5,000 professionals – including yoga instructors, chefs, AYUSH practitioners and nurses – will be eligible for professional work visas.
— The agreement also opens up 118 sectors for participation, Goyal said.
— These industries include tourism, IT, telecommunications, audiovisual and other services.
Apart from providing better educational and employment opportunities to students and professionals, Goyal said the FTA is “comprehensive” and “forward-looking”.
“This is an FTA with New Zealand that is comprehensive and forward-looking and reflects the vision of our leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, to take the relationship to a much higher strategic level, much more comprehensive, which will not only include trade, education, research and development and innovation, services sector, tourism, sports,” Piyush Goyal said, according to ANI.
India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement
The trade minister also highlighted that the India-New Zealand FTA is expected to significantly boost Indian exports, with New Zealand offering zero duty market access to 100% of its tariff lines covering all Indian exports from the date of entry into force.
Labour-intensive industries will benefit the most from the deal. Indian textile and apparel exporters will now enjoy zero access to 1,057 tariff items due to scrapping of scrap duties in New Zealand, which had earlier risen to 10%.
India’s textile and apparel exports will reach $36.9 billion in 2024–25, with shipments to New Zealand reaching $103 million. This number is expected to grow further, considering that New Zealand imports nearly $1.9 billion worth of textiles from around the world each year.
