New Zealand Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman has announced a new visa category for overseas visiting academics, who currently require a work visa to visit the Kiwi country for various purposes. With the introduction of the visiting academic visitor visa, the country is all set to waive off the barriers for international academics, like conference speakers and researchers in traveling New Zealand.

However, the new visa will facilitate academics from fifty nations- the nations with whom New Zealand is in visa waiver arrangements. Precisely, these are the countries whose nationals are allowed to enter the Kiwi country for a three-month visit without possessing a visa or visitor permit for that matter.

The visiting academic visitor visa will allow academics to stay in New Zealand for a maximum period of 3 months in any one year, given they make multiple trips to the country. However, the requirement of obtaining a work visa will still considered mandatory if the academics exhaust the 3-month-stay-period.

Reportedly, the current rule that requires academics to possess a visa offshore before traveling New Zealand discourages many in accomplishing their purposes of visiting the country. With the launch of the new visa this particular issue would expectedly be removed in the future, as well as the country will prove itself as a prominent destination for visiting academic talents from across the world.

The visiting academic visitor visa comes into effect today, that April 4, 2011. However, no particular details are available regarding how these visas will be issued to academics.

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