New Zealand Care Work to Residence
New Zealand
Residency
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See if you're a match →New Zealand's Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa is for people aged 55 or younger who have completed qualifying New Zealand care-sector work and have a current care workforce job or offer from an accredited employer.
- Type
- Care workforce residence
- Work history
- Usually 24 months in qualifying New Zealand care roles
- Employer
- Accredited New Zealand employer
- What to know
- Role list, wage rate, and timing rules are specific
Summary
New Zealand's Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa is a residence route for people who have already built qualifying care-sector work history in New Zealand.
It is not a general healthcare visa. The route depends on the exact care workforce role, pay rate, accredited employer, and usually 24 months of qualifying New Zealand work.
Eligibility
You may be a fit if:
- You are 55 or younger.
- You have a current job or job offer in a listed care workforce role.
- The job is with an accredited New Zealand employer.
- The job is permanent or fixed-term for at least 12 months.
- You have completed at least 24 months of qualifying care workforce work, usually in the 30 months before applying.
- You meet the current wage, English, health, and character requirements.
Duration, Renewal, and Long-Term Path
- Duration: Resident visa from approval.
- Renewal: Can support permanent resident status after residence conditions are met.
- Citizenship: May support citizenship by grant after the required residence and presence period.
What This Route Allows
If approved, this visa lets you live, work, and study in New Zealand indefinitely. Eligible partners and dependent children may be included when they meet the family, health, and character requirements.
What This Route Is Not
This is not a first-step work visa. Most people need to get to New Zealand through another work route first, build the required care-sector work history, and then apply for residence.
It is also not enough to work in a broadly similar role. The role must match the current Immigration New Zealand care workforce list and pay rules.
Next Steps
- Confirm your role is on the current care workforce list.
- Check the current wage threshold for that role.
- Confirm the employer is accredited.
- Gather evidence of your 24 months of qualifying work.
- Prepare English, health, police, identity, job, and family documents.
- Apply once your work history and current job evidence line up.