How to apply for an NZ Green List Role

September 9, 2022

What is the Green List

The Green List is a list of a limited number of highly skilled roles that are in shortage in New Zealand. The list makes it easier for NZ employers to attract & hire migrants in highly skilled & hard to fill roles.

How to apply for NZ Green List Roles

To be eligible and apply, you must be employed by, or hold the offer of a Green List role from, an accredited employer in New Zealand. Once eligible, you can apply in New Zealand or come on a work visa and apply. You can also apply from outside of New Zealand.

Eligible migrants working in Green List occupations will have clear pathways to residence, either through a direct-to-residence application or after working in New Zealand, depending on the role. Their partners will have open work rights. Both residence pathways will be limited to migrants 55 years or younger, which is aligned with the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) requirements.

The details of eligibility criteria that you must know before you apply for the straight to residence, work to residence and highly paid skilled residence categories are as under:

Fast-Tracked ‘Straight to Residence’ Pathway

To be eligible for this residence visa, you must be employed by, or hold a job offer from, an accredited employer.

• Your role must be on Tier 1 of the Green List
• You must meet the specified requirements on the list for your role
• Your role must be full-time (at least 30 hours a week), genuine, and permanent, or be at least a 12-month fixed-term contract.

Under certain circumstances, independent contractors are also eligible. To be eligible under the Straight to Residence pathway as a contractor, you must meet requirements such as our contract or contracts for services totaling at least six months. Shorter contracts must be consecutive without any breaks between them.

Work to Residence Pathway

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
• 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 requirements) on Tier 2 of the Green List.
• Your employer must be accredited when you apply for this visa.

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

Highly Paid Residence Visa

To be eligible for this residence visa, you must have:

• Employment or an offer of employment in a role that is paid at least twice the median wage (currently NZD 55.52 an hour)
• Been working for 24 months in New Zealand in a role that paid at least twice the median wage.
• Your employer must also be accredited when you apply for this visa.

General Requirements

There are some general application requirements too. These are that on the date you apply for your residence visa:

• you are aged 55 or younger
• you, and if applicable, your partner, and dependent children aged 16 or over, meet the English language requirements
• You, your partner, and the dependent children in your application meet health and character requirements for residence.

Suppose you hold an Accredited Employer Work Visa or another type of work visa. In that case, you (and any family, if applicable) still need to meet the health and character requirements for residence. These are different from the requirements for temporary work visas. In addition, at the time you apply, you must be working for an accredited employer.

Get in touch with Immigration Advisors New Zealand Ltd, which provides up-to-date immigration information so you can consider opportunities and prepare yourself for the future. To know all the required procedures, contact us at [email protected]  or call on +64 09 3790219.