Overseas Trained Technicians & Pharmacists
Overseas qualified pharmacy staff, either technicians or pharmacists, can seek and may obtain work as pharmacy technicians or trainee pharmacy technicians in NZ provided they meet the criteria set out in the NZ Medicines Regulations and qualify for a work visa under Immigration New Zealand (INZ) requirements.
The NZ Medicines Regulations require that a person working as a Pharmacy Technician or Trainee Pharmacy Technician either already hold the NZ technician qualification or are in a training programme to achieve it.
INZ requires that a person holding an Essential Skills work visa has the appropriate skills and qualifications.
To hold a work visa as a Pharmacy Technician you must have the required NZ qualification. To hold a work visa as a Trainee Pharmacy Technician you must be enrolled in a course of study for the required NZ qualification. If applying for a resident visa under the Skilled Migrant Category as a Pharmacy Technician, you must have the required NZ qualification in order to meet skilled employment requirements.
Visa applicants must meet all other visa criteria such as health and character requirements. For more information on these requirements please visit the INZ website: www.immigration.govt.nz/
Overseas trained staff can enrol into a full time training programme to complete the required qualification prior to seeking full time employment. Programmes are offered by Kauri Academy and NZMA. Please refer to their websites for programme entry and other information.
Overseas trained personnel who intend to go directly into employment and enrol in part time study must ensure they hold an appropriate work visa. It is important that you confirm with Immigration NZ what options are available to you.