Long Term Skill Shortage List Resident Visa

At a Glance

Item	Details
Visa name	Long Term Skill Shortage List Resident Visa
Purpose	Residence after skilled work
Stay	Indefinitely
Cost	From NZD $6,490
Processing time	8 months
Eligibility timing	Work visa held 24 months
Location to apply	Must be in New Zealand
Work rights	Any employer and occupation
Study	Any study permitted
Medicare	Not stated in the source
Travel facility	Normally 2 years
Citizenship	Not stated in the source
Family sponsorship	Partner and dependent children included
Visa record	Not stated in the source
Minimum salary	NZD $45,000 base salary
English requirement	Family members aged 16+

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Purpose

This resident visa is for holders of a Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa who have worked in New Zealand for more than 2 years.

It lets you live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely.

Eligibility

You must:

• Be in New Zealand when applying.
• Hold a current Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa.
• Have held that work visa for at least 24 months.
• Have worked in New Zealand for 24 months.
• Have ongoing, full-time employment in New Zealand.
• Work in an occupation on the Long Term Skill Shortage List when applying, or one that was listed when your work visa was granted.
• Earn at least NZD $45,000 base salary.
• Hold required New Zealand occupational registration, if applicable.
• Meet identity, health and character requirements.

Your employer must not be on the Labour Inspectorate list of non-compliant employers.

Employment and Income Evidence

Provide:

• An employer letter stating your role, salary, hours and whether the role is ongoing.
• An employment agreement complying with New Zealand employment law.
• A New Zealand Inland Revenue Summary of Earnings covering your work visa period.
• Occupational registration evidence, where required.

The employer letter must be no more than 1 month old when you apply.

The NZD $45,000 minimum excludes allowances, including overtime, tool or uniform allowances, medical insurance and accommodation.

Identity, Health and Character

Provide:

• A passport or certificate of identity original or certified copy.
• A full birth certificate original or certified copy.
• One photo for online applications, or two for paper applications.
• A chest X-ray and medical examination.
• Police certificates, if aged 17 or over.

Police certificates are required from:

• Your country of citizenship.
• Countries where you lived for 12 months or more during the last 10 years.

Police certificates must be less than 6 months old when you apply. Non-English certificates, including those showing no convictions, require an English translation.

Applicants applying within Hong Kong or Macao must also provide an identity card copy.

Family Provisions

You may include your partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger in your residence application.

Provide evidence of:

• Your relationship with your partner and children.
• Their identity, character and health.
• Their English-language eligibility, where required.

Your partner and dependent children aged 16 or older must meet a minimum English standard through:

• An acceptable English test result.
• An English-speaking background.
• Other evidence they are competent English speakers.

English test results must be no more than 2 years old.

Family members who do not meet English requirements may still be included, but you must pay for English classes before residence can be approved.

If your partner or dependent children hold, or applied for, a temporary New Zealand visa based on their relationship with you, you must include them in your residence application.

Rights After Grant

Work

You can work for any employer and in any occupation.

Study

You can undertake any study.

Travel

You can travel in and out of New Zealand as often as you like until your travel conditions expire. This is normally 2 years from your first arrival in New Zealand as a resident.

If you are outside New Zealand when travel conditions expire, your visa will also expire.

After travel conditions expire, apply for either:

• A variation of travel conditions, or
• A Permanent Resident Visa.

Obligations and Important Warnings

Keep your visa in a valid passport when travelling.

If your passport expires, transfer the visa to a new passport before travelling. To transfer it, you must:

• Send your old and new passports.
• Complete Application for Transfer or Confirmation of a Visa (INZ 1023).
• Pay a transfer fee.