Residence Visa
Do you want to call New Zealand your home? New Zealand offers the opportunity to have access to its high standard of living and opens doors to a prosperous life.
There are several pathways to a New Zealand Residence Visa. The process is often complicated and not as straightforward as you would like. Several factors are accounted for which vary on your age, occupation, level of work experience and qualification, whether you have a job offer or not, health, character, level of English language capability (in most cases) and several other factors.
Some of the categories of Residence pathways are:
Business – which starts from the Entrepreneur Work Visa. For the Entrepreneur Work Visa, you must have at least NZ$100,000 to invest, a business plan, and meet the points criteria. If your application is successful, you can stay in New Zealand for up to 3 years. After 2 years, you can apply for an Entrepreneur Resident Visa if your business has been profitable and the approved plan has been carried out.
Family – which includes the partnership category, parent retirement category, parent category, and dependent child category.
Skilled Migrant Category – if you have the skills that New Zealand needs, then you should speak to us. This category will enable you to study, work and live in New Zealand forever. Immigration New Zealand uses a points-based system to assess your eligibility. This process starts with submitting your Expression of Interest (EOI). Once your EOI is selected, Immigration may extend you an Invitation to Apply (ITA). The ITA will contain a list of requirements you need to submit for your Residence application which is the third step of this entire process. If you feel doubtful about meeting the select points, get in touch with your adviser at NZ Immigration Solutions to help you navigate your circumstances, experience, and qualification and help you determine whether you meet SMC or not.
Green List, highly paid and care workforce skilled residence visas – your work MUST be for an accredited employer.
NOTE: You can apply for the Straight to Residence Visa now. You can apply for the Work to Residence Visa, Highly Paid Residence Visa and Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa from 29 September 2023.
Straight to Residence Visa:
- At the time you apply, you must be 55 years or under.
- You can either come to New Zealand on a work visa and apply, or apply from outside of New Zealand.
- Your role must be on Tier 1 of the Green List and meet the requirements set out in the Green List for your role.
- Older dependent children under 24 in your application must be single, without children of their own, and only supported financially by you.
- You must be able to speak English.
- Your partner and children 16 and over must speak English or pay for classes to learn English in New Zealand.
Work to Residence Visa:
- At the time you apply, you must be 55 years or under.
- At the time you apply, you must be working for, or have a job offer from an accredited employer.
- Your employment must be permanent and full-time (at least 30 hours a week), or fixed-term for at least 12 months.
- For 24 months, you must have worked in a Green List Tier 2 role and met your role’s Green List requirements.
- You must be able to speak English.
- Your partner and children 16 and over must speak English or pay for classes to learn English in New Zealand.
Highly Paid 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 $59.32 an hour.
- You must have 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.
Acceptable work in New Zealand:
Acceptable work in New Zealand can be counted towards a Highly Paid Residence Visa if you hold or held:
- an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV)
- another work visa or a Critical Purpose Visitor Visa (with work conditions) and you held it or applied for it before 4 July 2022.
Acceptable work in New Zealand can be counted from 29 September 2021.
There can be small breaks in your employment. But you must still show you worked for the required 24 months within the 30-month period before your visa application date.
You can mix acceptable work criteria, such as working in a role on Tier 2 of the Green List (Work to Residence) and also any work earning 2 times the median wage (Highly Paid Residence).
Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa:
- At the time you apply, you must be 55 years or under.
- At the time you apply, you must be working for, or have a job offer from an accredited employer.
- Your employment must be permanent and full-time (at least 30 hours a week), or fixed-term for at least 12 months.
- For 24 months, you must have worked in a care workforce sector role while being paid the level 4 support workers’ minimum wage rate or above.
- You must be able to speak English.
Your partner and children 16 and over must speak English or pay for classes to learn English in New Zealand.