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Pathway

New Zealand Straight to Residence Visa

New Zealand Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

A qualifying Tier 1 Green List job can let you apply directly for New Zealand residence without first working there for two years. You must be 55 or younger and meet the exact employer, occupation, pay, and personal requirements.

Job offer required?
Yes, or a current eligible job with an INZ-approved employer
Occupation
Must meet the exact Tier 1 Green List requirements
Maximum age
55

Summary

New Zealand’s Straight to Residence route lets eligible people seek residence through a Green List Tier 1 job. The exact occupation has its own qualifications, registration, experience, and pay rules. The approved employer and contract terms must also fit. Unlike Tier 2, this route does not require two earlier years of qualifying New Zealand work, but a job title alone cannot establish eligibility.

Applying directly through a Tier 1 Green List job
  1. Check the exact Tier 1 role Confirm its pay, qualification, registration, and experience requirements.
  2. Verify the employer and employment terms Check approved-employer status, hours, contract length, and duties.
  3. Apply for residence with the required records Maintain any temporary visa while waiting for the decision.

A job title or Green List listing alone does not establish eligibility.

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Eligibility

The main applicant must be 55 or younger, speak and understand English, and meet health and character requirements. The current job or offer must:

The worker must also satisfy the role's detailed Green List standard. Depending on the occupation, that may require New Zealand professional registration, a named qualification, an International Qualification Assessment to check an overseas qualification, particular experience, membership, or a higher wage. Some independent-contractor cases require 10 years of relevant experience and a separate contract rate.

Teaching roles newly placed in Tier 1 are intended for experienced teachers in roles paid at least the applicable median-wage setting; a new graduate who has not reached the specified rate may need a temporary work route first.

What This Route Allows

The resident visa allows indefinite residence, work in any lawful job, and study. The main applicant can include a partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger if they meet relationship, identity, health, character, and family English requirements.

The visa normally lets you leave and return as a resident for 2 years from first arrival, or from approval if you are already in New Zealand. Those dates are called the travel conditions. After holding the resident visa for 2 years, the holder can apply for a Permanent Resident Visa if the requirements are met.

What This Route Is Not

It is not available merely because an occupation appears somewhere on the Green List. Tier 2 occupations use the separate Work to Residence route, and every role's registration, qualification, pay, and employment terms must be checked.

This is different from an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). You do not use the employer’s AEWV job-check application link for this residence application. Employer accreditation is still mandatory. A residence application also does not automatically extend a temporary visa while a person already in New Zealand waits for a decision.

Next Steps

  1. Search the live Green List by exact occupation and confirm it is Tier 1.
  2. Check employer accreditation and compare the offer with the required hours, term, duties, and pay.
  3. Obtain registration, qualification assessment, professional membership, or experience evidence listed for the occupation.
  4. Prepare English, medical, police, identity, and family records.
  5. If already in New Zealand, keep a valid temporary visa until residence is decided.
  6. Apply online and retain the offer, agreement, job description, payslips, and accreditation evidence.

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Discussed in these reports

Similar skilled worker pathways in other destinations.

Sources