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Pathway

New Zealand Work to Residence Visa

New Zealand Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

The Tier 2 Green List route is for people who have already completed 24 months of qualifying work in New Zealand within the previous 30 months. You also need a current eligible job or offer and must meet the occupation’s requirements.

Work history
24 months of qualifying full-time New Zealand work in the previous 30 months
Current job
An eligible Tier 2 job or offer with an INZ-approved employer
Maximum age
55

Summary

New Zealand’s Green List Tier 2 route offers residence after 24 months of qualifying local work, assessed against the wage and visa rules that applied during that employment. A current eligible job or offer from an approved employer is also required at the residence stage.

The earlier work may take place on a suitable work-authorized visa. There is no separate initial visa called a Work to Residence work visa, and an overseas job offer alone does not complete the required history.

Could this pathway work for you?

Eligibility

The main applicant must be 55 or younger, speak and understand English, and meet health and character requirements. They must have held a qualifying work visa or immigration status that allowed the work for the relevant 24 months.

At least 24 months of full-time eligible work must fall within the 30 months immediately before applying. The periods can be interrupted and can combine different Tier 2 roles. Work in a job paid at least twice the median wage can sometimes fill part of the period. If an occupation is removed after the person begins qualifying work, the rules for people already doing that work may allow the time to keep counting.

For every period claimed, the worker must have met the Green List registration, qualification, experience, and wage requirements for the job. For roles without a separate rate, the latest threshold is NZD 35 an hour, but the rules may let you use the earlier rate that applied when your qualifying work began. A small number of roles, such as telecommunications technician, have a different listed threshold.

At application, the person must work in or hold an offer for an acceptable Tier 2 job with an accredited employer, meaning one approved by Immigration New Zealand (INZ). The job must be full-time and permanent or fixed-term for at least 12 months, and it must meet the applicable current Green List requirements.

Pay rules

The required pay generally stays at the threshold that applied when you started counting qualifying work, even if you change employers. A five-month grace period can sometimes let you use the rate in place when the visa was granted, if work starts after a wage increase. The work must still fit within the 30-month counting window; changing the occupation or visa can change the required rate.

Moving from Tier 2 work to residence
  1. Check the work and visa history Identify 24 qualifying months within the previous 30 months.
  2. Confirm the current job and occupation requirements Check the employer, hours, term, skills, and wage rules for your dates.
  3. Apply with records for the periods claimed Include employment, tax, registration, English, and personal evidence.

A plan to work for two years is different from completing the required New Zealand work.

What This Route Allows

The resident visa permits indefinite residence, work, and study. A partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger can be included if the relationship and other family eligibility requirements are met.

The visa normally allows you to leave and return as a resident for 2 years. Check these travel conditions before leaving New Zealand. After holding residence for 2 years, the holder may apply for a Permanent Resident Visa if eligible.

What This Route Is Not

It is not enough to be “willing to work for 2 years” or to be pursuing a job. The residence application requires completed qualifying work plus a current qualifying job or offer.

An occupation name by itself is not proof. INZ can compare job duties, hours, pay, visa status, registration, qualifications, and tax records for each month claimed.

Next Steps

  1. Confirm the exact occupation and Tier 2 requirements on the live Green List.
  2. Build a month-by-month 30-month record of visa status, occupation, employer, hours, pay, and qualifying leave.
  3. Obtain agreements, job descriptions, payslips, tax summaries, bank records, and registration or qualification evidence.
  4. Verify the current employer's accreditation and the current job's duration and pay.
  5. Prepare English, health, police, identity, and family evidence.
  6. Check which wage rate applies to your work history.

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Similar skilled worker pathways in other destinations.

Sources