Straight to Residence Visa

At a Glance

Item	Details
Visa name	Straight to Residence Visa
Purpose	Residence through Tier 1 employment
Stay	Indefinitely
Cost	From NZD $6,450
Processing	80% within 3 months
Age limit	55 or younger
Eligibility timing	Age assessed when applying
Work rights	Any job, any employer
Study	Any course, any duration
Medicare	Not stated in the source
Travel facility	Multiple entry for two years
Citizenship	May qualify after five years
Family inclusion	Partner and dependent children to 24
Visa record	eVisa
Permanent residence	Apply after two consecutive years

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Purpose

This resident visa is for people with a full-time Green List Tier 1 job or job offer from an accredited employer in New Zealand.

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

Eligibility

You must:

• Be 55 or younger when applying.
• Be in good health and of good character.
• Speak and understand English.
• Have a Green List Tier 1 job offer, or already work in one.
• Work for an accredited employer.
• Meet the Green List requirements for your specific role.
• Meet relationship requirements for any included family members.

Job requirements

Your job must be:

• On the Green List Tier 1.
• Full-time.
• With an accredited employer.
• Permanent or fixed-term for at least 12 months from application; or
• A contract or continuous contracts totalling at least 6 months.

You must be paid at least:

• The rate specified for your Green List role; or
• NZD $35.00 per hour if no role-specific rate applies.

Some roles require a qualification, registration, professional membership or other Green List criteria.

Contractors may have additional pay or skill requirements. Where a contract-for-services wage threshold applies, evidence may be required of:

• At least 10 years of relevant experience.
• Pay at or above the applicable threshold.

An International Qualification Assessment may be required for overseas qualifications.

English language

You can show English ability through:

• Citizenship, study history and qualifications; or
• An approved English language test.

Test results must meet the required score and be no more than 2 years old when applying.

Partners and dependent children aged 16 or older must speak English or pay for English language lessons.

Family provisions

You can include your partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger.

You must provide evidence of genuine relationships, such as marriage and birth certificates.

If your partner or dependent children already hold, or have applied for, a temporary visa based on their relationship to you, they must be included in the residence application.

Health and character

All applicants must meet health and character requirements.

Medical evidence

Applicants aged 15 or older must complete a medical examination and chest X-ray.

For included dependent children:

• Age 10 or younger: medical examination required; chest X-ray only if requested.
• Ages 11 to 14: medical examination and chest X-ray required.

Medical and X-ray evidence must be less than 3 months old when received.

Police certificates

Applicants aged 17 or older must provide police certificates less than 6 months old when applying.

Certificates are required from:

• Countries of citizenship; and
• Countries where you spent 12 months or more during the past 10 years.

This includes time spent across multiple stays. Certificates must show criminal records at any time, not only during the past 10 years.

A criminal conviction or security risk may prevent visa approval.

Required documents

Provide:

• Passport or certificate of identity copy.
• One acceptable photo.
• Medical examination and chest X-ray evidence.
• Police certificates, if required.
• English language evidence.
• Job offer, employment agreement or contract evidence.
• Evidence you meet Green List role requirements.
• Certified English translations and original-document copies where documents are not in English.

Employment evidence should show:

• Hours.
• Employment duration.
• Position.
• Pay.

Additional documents may be requested, including original identity documents, bank statements, payslips or further English-language evidence.

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

How to apply

1. Gather identity, health, character, English and employment evidence.
2. Obtain certified English translations where required.
3. Apply online through Immigration New Zealand.
4. Upload documents and pay the applicable fee.
5. Check application status online.
6. Respond to any requests for further information.

Ensure identity details exactly match your passport or certificate of identity. Errors may delay processing, lead to refusal, or result in refused entry.

If you are in New Zealand while the application is pending, maintain a valid visa. You may need to apply for a temporary visa if your current visa will expire.

After approval

If applying from outside New Zealand, you must travel to New Zealand within 12 months of visa grant.

You will receive an eVisa.

All travellers must complete a New Zealand Traveller Declaration:

• By air: from 24 hours before travel begins.
• By sea: from 24 hours before departure from the last overseas port.

You may be refused entry if you no longer meet character requirements, your circumstances have changed, or you refuse biometric collection.

Rights and travel

Work and study

You may:

• Work in any job for any employer.
• Study anywhere in New Zealand for any length of time.
• Live in New Zealand indefinitely.

Travel conditions

You can travel in and out of New Zealand until travel conditions expire, generally 2 years from:

• Your first arrival in New Zealand as a resident; or
• Visa grant, if you were already in New Zealand.

After travel conditions expire, obtain a Permanent Resident Visa or extend travel conditions before travelling.

Warning: If you are outside New Zealand when travel conditions expire, your resident visa also expires.

If your passport expires, transfer the visa to your new passport before travelling.

Permanent residence and citizenship

After holding this visa for 2 consecutive years, you can apply for a Permanent Resident Visa.

A Permanent Resident Visa allows indefinite travel in and out of New Zealand while held in a valid passport.

For most people, New Zealand citizenship may be available after 5 years living in New Zealand as a resident. A Permanent Resident Visa is not required first.