Green List Tier 2: how to document parental leave or ACC leave in your 24 months
Immigration New Zealand allows certain leave taken during qualifying Tier 2 employment to count towards the 24 months for Work to Residence. Its operational instructions refer to leave consistent with section 16 of the Holidays Act 2003 and expressly include parental leave and ACC leave. Start by confirming how your employer recorded the absence, the dates and whether the underlying job was qualifying employment.
Explain why payroll changed during the leave
Ask your employer for a letter showing your role, employment dates and the type and dates of leave. Where pay records show a gap or a different payer, put the employer letter beside the payslips and income records. If you have relevant parental-leave or ACC correspondence, keep it with the same date range so the absence can be explained. These records help explain the timeline. Check the visa instructions for the evidence INZ asks you to supply.
For example, if your payslips stop showing ordinary wages during parental leave, identify the last ordinary pay period, the start and end of the leave and the date you resumed work. If your job changed after you returned, record the new duties, hours and pay separately.
Check any period your employer calls unpaid leave
Ask your employer to identify the basis for the absence, especially if payroll uses the same label for statutory leave and a separate period of discretionary time off. If it is unclear whether a period qualifies, ask INZ using the actual dates and employer records before relying on it in your calculation. Map the confirmed periods against the 30-month window before you apply.
Policy checked on 12 November 2026.
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