Citizeo
Pathway

New Zealand Straight to Residence Visa

New Zealand Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

New Zealand's Straight to Residence Visa is for someone with a current job or offer in a Tier 1 Green List occupation. The job must be with an accredited employer, and the applicant must meet the pay, registration, qualification, or experience rules listed for that occupation.

Type
Skilled-worker residence
Job or skills fit
A current Tier 1 Green List job or offer with an accredited employer
Core requirements
Age 55 or younger, English, and the exact pay, registration, qualification, or experience rules for the job
What to know
A job title alone is not enough; the current Green List requirements for that occupation control
Duration
Resident visa from approval.
Renewal / path
Can support permanent resident status and later citizenship if New Zealand rules are met.

Summary

The Straight to Residence Visa is the residence route for a person with a current job or job offer in a Tier 1 Green List occupation. It does not require 2 years of prior New Zealand work, but the job, employer, pay, and occupation-specific registration, qualification, or experience requirements must all be met.

The Green List changes over time. A job title alone is not enough; the applicant must use the live INZ list and match the occupation's exact requirements on the application date.

Pathway fit check

Eligibility

The principal 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, particular experience, membership, or a higher wage. Some contract-for-services 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 principal applicant can include a partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger if they meet relationship, identity, health, character, and family English requirements.

Travel conditions normally last 2 years from first arrival as a resident, or from grant if already in New Zealand. 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.

It is not an AEWV and does not require the employer's job-check link used for an AEWV application. Employer accreditation is still mandatory. A residence application also does not automatically preserve temporary status 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.
Compare your options

Similar skilled worker pathways in other destinations.

Sources