A shortage of skilled workers in New Zealand means Wellington is looking to entice professionals from abroad to fill the gaps in its thriving tech sector.

A new scheme called LookSee will bring 100 pre-screened IT professionals from around the world to the capital and hopefully persuade them to stay.

Wellington Regional Economic Agency spokesman David Jones said applications are officially open.

"They will then go through a screening process to apply and get selected, all being while they get selected and are invited to actually come to Wellington to see the benefits of living and working here as well as go through a series of interviews with a number of companies."

He said flights and accommodation will all be paid for by co-founders WREDA, WorkHere and Immigration New Zealand.

Jones said one news article in the San Francisco Chronicle has already sparked 400 sign ups.

He said there's just not that sort of talent in New Zealand yet.

"In the long term, what our ambitions are is to create that talent through graduates and people retraining here in Wellington, but the demand is now and the supply isn't there, so we're trying to bridge that gap."