Eligibility requirements and costs
Is the Green List a suitable route for you?
If you have professional qualifications, relevant experience and plans to work in New Zealand, start by checking your occupation. The Green List is an employment-based residence route. The role, employer and your evidence matter more than an attractive job title or a migration package.
Tier 1: Straight to Residence
A qualifying Tier 1 job or offer from an accredited employer can support a Straight to Residence application. You still need to meet the occupation's qualification, registration and pay requirements, along with age, English, health and character requirements. Eligible applicants may apply from overseas; this does not remove the need for a genuine qualifying job.
Tier 2: Work to Residence
Tier 2 normally requires qualifying work in New Zealand before a residence application. The current route includes 24 months of eligible Tier 2 work within the 30 months before applying, together with the applicable visa, pay and current accredited-employer job requirements. Two years passing does not itself establish eligibility.
No New Zealand job offer yet?
Check your duties, qualifications and registration first, then plan your job search. Without an eligible job or offer, do not treat yourself as ready to apply for skilled residence. PremierVisa does not promise an employer or sell a job offer as an immigration entitlement.
Eligibility requirements
Age, health and character
The principal applicant must be 55 or younger when applying. Applicable health, character and identity requirements also apply to included family. Discuss refusals, overstays and criminal history at the initial assessment.
Occupation and employer
Check the current occupation entry and tier. Duties, hours, location and employment history should be consistent. The employer must hold the required accreditation. Tier 1 normally involves permanent employment or a fixed term of at least 12 months; contractor arrangements have separate conditions.
Pay and employment evidence
Check the occupation-specific pay rate. For Tier 1 roles without a specified rate, the official page currently lists NZD 35 an hour; this is not a universal threshold for every role. Tier 2 requires review of qualifying periods, applicable wage rates and evidence such as payslips and tax records.
Qualifications and registration
An overseas qualification may need an NZQA International Qualification Assessment, unless an exemption applies. Qualification assessment, professional registration and visa approval are separate decisions. Establish which is needed before paying for a service.
English and family
The principal applicant can use qualifying background evidence or an approved test. IELTS Academic or General requires an overall 6.5, with results no more than two years old when applying. Partners and dependent children aged 16 or over have separate requirements and may have an English tuition option; the principal applicant cannot use that option.
A qualifying partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger may be included. Review dependency and relationship evidence before making family arrangements.
Application process and PremierVisa services
How PremierVisa helps you prepare
Compare your occupation and residence options
We organise your age, qualifications, actual duties, registration, English and employer information to identify the route worth reviewing and the evidence gaps. Establish the next steps before committing to exams, assessments or application costs.
Prepare an evidence checklist
Organise your offer, duties, qualifications, employment and pay records, family documents and visa history. Inconsistent duties, missing hours, insufficient pay and incomplete employment evidence should be addressed before submission.
Confirm the service scope in writing
Before an engagement, clarify the responsible provider, services, third-party costs, payment stages and exclusions. Where New Zealand immigration advice or representation is required, confirm the relevant licence or statutory exemption and responsible party. An Australian migration qualification is not a New Zealand licence.
Plan the sequence and follow-up
Coordinate qualifications, registration, English and document validity. A work visa, where needed, is a separate stage from residence. Application preparation and any additional-information support are subject to the agreed scope; Immigration New Zealand decides the outcome.
What to discuss in your initial consultation
Share your occupation, highest qualification, age, English result and whether you have a New Zealand offer. We can discuss the route to review, missing information, next steps and service scope. An initial consultation is not an official eligibility determination.
Costs, documents and questions
What costs should you plan for?
The official pages currently show fees from NZD 6,450 for both Straight to Residence and Work to Residence. Check the applicable fee before payment. This is not a PremierVisa package price. Plan separately for advisory services, NZQA, registration, English tests, medicals, police certificates, translation, temporary visas and relocation. Tier 2 also involves living costs while completing qualifying work.
What should you prepare for a consultation?
A CV, degree and transcript, registration, English result and offer summary. If already working in New Zealand, also organise contracts, payslips and tax records. An initial summary is sufficient to start a conversation; provide identity documents after confirming the service and data-handling arrangements.
What if my occupation is not on the Green List?
Compare the SMC six-point pathway or another applicable route. Green List eligibility is not an award of six SMC points.
Does a resident visa mean permanent residence or citizenship?
Resident Visa, Permanent Resident Visa and citizenship have separate requirements. Later permanent residence needs its own assessment. A New Zealand passport or Australian immigration status is not automatically included.
Does a job offer guarantee approval?
No. Accreditation, genuine employment, duties, pay and personal evidence must be assessed. Avoid purchased positions, false contracts or relabelling an ineligible role.
How long will the process take?
Allow for job search, qualifications, registration, documents and visa processing. Tier 2 work periods are additional. Published processing statistics are not an individual approval deadline.
Request an initial Green List assessment with your occupation and offer summary to understand the conditions you still need to address.