Work to Residence Visa

At a Glance

Item	Details
Visa name	Work to Residence Visa
Purpose	Residence through Tier 2 work
Stay	Indefinitely
Cost	From NZD $6,450
Age limit	55 or younger
Eligibility timing	24 months within 30 months
Work rights	Any job, any employer
Study	Any course, any duration
Medicare	Not stated in the source
Travel facility	Multiple travel until two-year expiry
Permanent residence	Apply after two consecutive years
Citizenship	May be possible after five years
Family sponsorship	Include partner and dependent children
Visa record	Conditions recorded in eVisa
Applications	Open
Processing time	Not stated in the source

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Purpose

This resident visa is for people who have worked in New Zealand for 24 months in an eligible Green List Tier 2 job and have a qualifying job or job offer from an accredited employer.

Eligibility

You must:

• Be 55 or younger when applying.
• Have held an eligible work visa, or a Critical Purpose Visitor Visa allowing work, for at least 24 months before applying. An eligible Interim Visa may also count in specified circumstances.
• Have completed 24 months of eligible New Zealand work within the 30 months immediately before applying.
• Be currently working in, or have an offer for, a qualifying Green List Tier 2 job.
• Have a full-time job that is permanent, or fixed-term for at least 12 months from application.
• Work for an employer accredited under the Accredited Employer Work Visa policy when applying or when the visa is decided.
• Meet the required wage rate and all requirements for the Green List role.
• Meet health, character and English-language requirements.

Eligible work experience

Eligible work must have been:

• Full-time.
• In a Green List Tier 2 job, or a job paid twice the median wage.
• Paid at or above the required wage rate.

Work may be completed in separate periods within the 30-month period. Statutory leave, including annual, bereavement and parental leave, counts as work experience.

Work experience starts only when you hold an eligible visa, work in an eligible job and receive the required pay. It stops if your visa ends, your job ceases to qualify, or your pay drops below the applicable wage rate.

If your job is removed from the Green List after you start, time already worked in that job still counts.

Green List and wage requirements

You must meet the specific qualification, registration and pay requirements for your Green List Tier 2 role.

The required wage rate is generally:

• The hourly rate specified for the role when eligible work started; or
• The median wage at that time, if no hourly rate was specified.

Later median-wage increases do not stop previously qualifying work from counting, provided you continue meeting the rate applicable when your qualifying work began.

A five-month grace period may apply where a required pay rate increases before you start work.

If you change jobs, time may continue to count if the new job is another qualifying Green List job and meets its required wage rate.

Green List roles
Work to residence wage rates

English, health and character

English

You must show that you speak and understand English through citizenship, study and qualifications, or an approved English-language test.

English test results must meet the required score and be no more than two years old when you apply.

Health

You and included family members must be in good health.

• Applicants aged 15 or older must complete a medical examination and chest X-ray.
• Children aged 10 or younger need a medical examination; an X-ray is required only if requested.
• Children aged 11 to 14 need a medical examination and chest X-ray; blood testing may be requested.
• Medical and X-ray evidence must be less than three months old when received.
• Previously supplied medical certificates issued within the past three years may not be needed again.

Character

You and included family members must be of good character.

Applicants aged 17 or older must provide police certificates less than six months old when applying. Certificates are required from:

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

The certificates must disclose criminal records from any time in those countries.

Family provisions

You may 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 are applying for, a temporary visa based on their relationship to you, they must be included in the residence application.

Partners and dependent children aged 16 or older must show English ability or pay for English-language lessons in New Zealand.

Documents

Provide:

• Passport or certificate of identity.
• One acceptable photo.
• Medical examination and chest X-ray evidence.
• Police certificates.
• English-language evidence.
• Evidence of 24 months’ qualifying work and pay.
• Evidence of a current qualifying job or job offer.
• Evidence that you meet Green List role requirements.
• Certified English translations and copies of documents not in English.

Work and job evidence

Evidence should show:

• Work performed.
• Pay received.
• Dates worked.
• Average weekly hours.
• Work locations.
• Employer contact details.

Useful documents include:

• Employment agreements and job descriptions.
• Job-offer letter or fixed-term contract.
• Payslips.
• Inland Revenue summary of earnings confirming 24 months’ work.
• Employer letter confirming role, hours, duration and pay.

Employment agreements must include clauses required by New Zealand employment law.

If you supplied documents with your most recent work-visa application, resubmit them only if pay or conditions have changed.

Qualification evidence

If your role requires an overseas qualification, you may need an International Qualification Assessment from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. Some qualifications are exempt from assessment.

International Qualification Assessment

How to apply

1. Gather identity, health, character, English, work and Green List evidence.
2. Obtain certified English translations where required.
3. Apply online through Immigration New Zealand.
4. Upload documents and pay applicable fees.
5. Respond to any request for further information.
6. Check application status online; Immigration New Zealand will email its decision.

Apply online

If approved, you receive an eVisa.

Rights and travel

Living, working and studying

You may live in New Zealand indefinitely.

You may:

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

Travel conditions

You may travel in and out of New Zealand as often as you like until your travel conditions expire.

Travel conditions expire two years after:

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

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

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

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

Staying longer

After holding this visa for two consecutive years, you may apply for a Permanent Resident Visa. This allows indefinite travel in and out of New Zealand while the visa remains in a valid passport.

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