Work to Residence Visa

Once you have been in New Zealand for 2 years on a Work to Residence visa, you may be eligible for residence status under the Residence from Work Category. There are 2 main types of Work to Residence visas – both allow you to work in New Zealand temporarily and then to apply for a Residence from Work visa after at least 24 months in the job.

To be eligible for this residence visa you must:

• be employed in a role on Tier 2 of the Green List or hold an offer of employment for one
• meet the specified requirements on the list for the role
• have worked for 24 months in New Zealand in a role (and meet the specified its requirements) on Tier 2 of the Green List.

Your employer must be accredited when you apply for this visa.

Employment criteria

The employment or offer of employment must be full-time (at least 30 hours a week), genuine, and permanent, or be at least a 12-month fixed term contract.

Acceptable work in New Zealand 

Acceptable work in New Zealand can be counted towards a Work to Residence Visa while you hold or held:

• an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV)
• another work visa or a Critical Purpose Visitor Visa (with work conditions) that was held or applied before 4 July 2022.

Acceptable work in New Zealand can be counted from 29 September 2021.

There can be small breaks in your employment. But you must still show you worked for the required 24 months within the 30 month period before your visa application date.

You can mix acceptable work criteria, such as a role on Tier 2 of the Green List and work earning twice the median wage.

You can apply for this visa from September 2023.

Green List roles and qualification requirements

Overview

 Work to Residence: Long Term Skill Shortage work visa

Please Note:- This visa closed to new applicants on 31 October 2021 and will be replaced by the Accredited Employer Work Visa from 4 July 2022

Related: New Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV)

You can only reapply for this visa if you have already held a Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa Work Visa and you either are waiting for a decision on your Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa Resident Visa application, or worked in the role the visa was issued for, were overseas when the border closed on 19 March 2020, and had not returned by 31 October 2021.

You need to wait until you can return to New Zealand before you can reapply. You will only be granted a border exception if you meet the criteria for one — otherwise you need to wait until the border reopens.

Eligibility criteria include:

• you have a current, full-time job offer, and
• Your job offer can be from any accredited employer, the employer who supported your initial work to residence visa application, or an employer whose accreditation expired after 31 March 2021.
• the job is in an occupation on the Long-Term Skill Shortage List, and
• your qualifications and experience match those required, and
• you meet the age, health and character requirements.

Find out more here.

Work to Residence: Talent (Accredited Employer) work visa

Please Note:- This visa closed to new applicants on 31 October 2021 and will be replaced by the Accredited Employer Work Visa from 4 July 2022

Related: New Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV)

You can only reapply for this visa if you have already held a Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa and you either are waiting for a decision on your Talent (Accredited Employer) Resident Visa application, or you worked in the role the visa was issued for, were overseas when the border closed on 19 March 2020, and only returned after 31 October 2021.

You need to wait until you can return to New Zealand before you can reapply. You will only be granted a border exception if you meet the criteria for one — otherwise you need to wait until the border reopens.

Eligibility criteria include:

• you have a current, full-time job offer job offer from an Immigration New Zealand accredited employer (accredited because they frequently employ migrants), and
• Your job offer can be from any accredited employer, the employer who supported your initial work to residence visa application, or an employer whose accreditation expired after 31 March 2021.
• your job offer meets certain requirements, and
• you meet the age, health and character requirements.

Find out more here.

Residence from Work Category

Residence from Work Category will allow you to live in New Zealand for as long as you like and an access most publicly funded service. To apply for the Residence from Work Category, you must have met the requirements of the Work to Residence Visa.

To be eligible for residence status you must:

• have been in New Zealand on a Work to Residence visa for 2 years, and
• meet health and character requirements, and
• meet the requirements of one of the 2 ‘pathways’ to residence.