NZ Straight to Residence Visa (2026): Apply for a NZ Resident Visa Without Waiting Two Years

If your job is on the NZ Green List Tier 1, you may be able to apply for a New Zealand Resident Visa directly from offshore, without first living or working here. Here is exactly how it works, who qualifies, and what to expect.

Quick answer: The Straight to Residence Visa is a New Zealand Resident Visa for people in Green List Tier 1 occupations. Unlike most other pathways, you can apply directly for the Resident Visa with a job offer in hand, without needing to move to New Zealand first and wait two years. You must be 55 or younger, have a job offer from an INZ-accredited employer, meet the wage rate INZ has set for your specific Green List occupation (or NZD $35.00/hour, the 2025 median wage, if INZ has not declared a specific rate for your role), and meet health, character, and English requirements. The visa allows you to live, work, and study in New Zealand indefinitely. After holding it for 2 continuous years, you can apply for a Permanent Resident Visa.

Source: Immigration New Zealand. Rules and wage rates change. Verify your specific role at immigration.govt.nz wage rates and immigration.govt.nz Straight to Residence Visa before applying.

What Is the Straight to Residence Visa?

The Straight to Residence Visa is one of two Resident Visas that sit at the end of New Zealand's Green List pathway. The other is the Work to Residence Visa. The key difference is timing.

With a Tier 2 job, you must work in New Zealand for 24 months before you can apply for a Resident Visa. With a Tier 1 job, you skip that waiting period entirely. You apply for the Resident Visa straight away, from anywhere in the world, as soon as you have a qualifying job offer.

This makes the Straight to Residence Visa one of the most direct immigration pathways into New Zealand for skilled migrants. There is no points test, no annual ballot, and no two-year probation period before you can call New Zealand home long-term.

The visa is part of the broader Green List system, which New Zealand introduced in 2022 to fast-track residence for people in occupations with critical shortages. See our full Green List pathway guide for a complete explanation of how the two tiers compare.

Who Qualifies? Tier 1 Occupations

To apply for this visa, your job must be on the Green List under Tier 1. Tier 1 is reserved for occupations with the most acute, persistent shortages and typically the highest skill levels. The list includes roles across healthcare, engineering, ICT, construction, education, and business.

Representative Tier 1 occupations include (this is not an exhaustive list):

Sector	Example Occupations
Healthcare	General Practitioner, Registered Nurse, Midwife, Surgeon (various specialties), Anaesthetist, Psychiatrist, Paediatrician, Cardiologist, Radiologist, Pathologist, Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist, Clinical Psychologist, Dentist, Pharmacist, and many other medical and allied health roles
Engineering	Civil Engineer, Structural Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Chemical Engineer, Aeronautical Engineer, Environmental Engineer, and other engineering disciplines
ICT	Software Engineer, ICT Security Specialist, Database Administrator, Systems Administrator, Telecommunications Network Engineer
Construction	Construction Project Manager, Project Builder, Quantity Surveyor, Land Surveyor
Education	Secondary School Teacher; Primary and Intermediate School Teacher (added to Tier 1 from 26 March 2025)
Business	External Auditor, Internal Auditor
Science	Environmental Research Scientist, Food Technologist, Other Spatial Scientist

This table is illustrative only. The official list is maintained at immigration.govt.nz and is updated periodically. Always check the current list before applying.

The critical step is matching your role to the correct ANZSCO code based on actual job duties, not just job title. A mismatch between your title and your code is one of the most common reasons Green List applications are delayed or declined.

Note on teacher roles: From 26 March 2025, primary and intermediate school teachers were moved from Tier 2 to Tier 1. To qualify on this pathway, teachers must be paid at least Step 5 of the teacher pay scale (approximately NZD $78,000 to $80,000 per year as of 2026). If you are a qualified teacher who previously understood yourself to be on the Work to Residence pathway, you may now be eligible to apply directly for the Resident Visa. Verify the current pay scale step requirement at immigration.govt.nz.

Full Eligibility Requirements

You must meet all of the following to be granted the Straight to Residence Visa:

Requirement	Detail
Age	55 or younger at the time you apply
Occupation	Your job must be on the Green List under Tier 1, matched to the correct ANZSCO code
Job offer	A job offer or current employment with an INZ-accredited employer, for a permanent or fixed-term role of at least 12 months (or at least 6 months if contractor-based)
Salary	The wage rate INZ has set for your specific Green List occupation. Where INZ has not declared a specific wage rate, the floor is NZD $35.00/hour (the 2025 median wage, in effect from 9 March 2026). Some occupations carry their own higher specific rates. Check your role at immigration.govt.nz wage rates.
Qualifications and registration	You must meet the qualifications, registration, or experience requirements listed for your specific occupation on the Green List. Regulated roles (nursing, medicine, engineering, teaching) require current NZ registration with the relevant body
Health	Chest X-ray and medical examination (results must be less than 3 months old when INZ receives them). Required for applicants aged 15 and over
Character	Police certificates from all countries where you hold citizenship or have lived for 12 or more months in the past 10 years. Must be less than 6 months old when you apply
English language	Must speak and understand English, demonstrated through citizenship, education background, or a language test. Test results must be no more than 2 years old when you apply
Family members	Your partner can be included with their own work rights. Dependent children aged 24 or younger can be included if they are financially dependent on you, single, and have no children of their own. All included family members must meet health, character, and English requirements (or pay for English lessons).

Source: Immigration New Zealand. Requirements change. Verify current eligibility criteria at immigration.govt.nz before applying.

How to Apply: Step by Step

Confirm your ANZSCO code and Green List tier. Use your actual job duties, not just your job title. Check the result against the current Green List at immigration.govt.nz.
Check the occupation-specific requirements. Each role on the Green List has qualification, registration, and pay rate requirements attached. Confirm yours before taking any other steps.
Register with any required professional body. If your role is regulated (for example, nursing, medicine, engineering, or teaching), you must hold current NZ registration before applying. Processing times vary by profession: allow 3 to 12 months for healthcare roles, and 1 to 3 months for engineering roles.
Secure a job offer from an INZ-accredited employer. Confirm that your employer holds current accreditation. Your offer or employment agreement must show the role, pay rate, hours, and duration.
Gather your documents. You will need: passport copy, medical examination and chest X-ray (completed within the last 3 months), police certificates from all required countries (within the last 6 months), proof of qualifications and registration, employment documents, and English language evidence. Non-English documents need certified translations.
Apply online at online.immigration.govt.nz. Create or log in to your INZ account, complete the application form, upload documents, and pay the visa fee.
Wait for a decision. INZ may request additional information during processing. Keep your visa status current if you are already in New Zealand.
Receive your Resident Visa. If approved, you receive an eVisa. You must arrive in New Zealand within 12 months of the visa issue date.

Processing times and document requirements change. Verify the current checklist at immigration.govt.nz.

Costs and Processing Time

Item	Detail
Visa application fee	From NZD $6,450 (for the primary applicant). Family members included in the application attract additional fees.
Processing time	80% of applications are decided within 5 months. Complex or incomplete applications take longer.
Medical exam costs	Paid separately to an INZ-approved panel physician. Costs vary by country.
Police certificate costs	Varies by country of issue.
Professional registration fees	Paid separately to the relevant NZ registration body (e.g. MCNZ, Nursing Council, Engineering NZ). Varies by profession.

Fees are set by INZ and change periodically. Verify current fees at immigration.govt.nz.

Budget NZD $8,000 to $12,000+ for the full process including medical, police, translation, and professional registration costs, depending on your profession, country of origin, and family size. This is a rough estimate only.

What the Visa Allows

The Straight to Residence Visa grants residence from day one. Once issued, it lets you:

Live in New Zealand indefinitely with no requirement to maintain employment in your original occupation
Work in any job for any employer in New Zealand, without conditions or restrictions
Study anywhere in New Zealand for any length of time
Travel in and out of New Zealand freely for 2 years from your first arrival date
Include your partner and dependent children (aged 24 or younger, financially dependent, single, and with no children of their own) on the same visa

Your partner also receives the right to work in any role for any employer. Your dependent children aged under 19 can attend New Zealand schools as domestic students (not international fee-paying students), saving substantial school fees compared to a temporary visa.

Travel Conditions and the Path to a Permanent Resident Visa

The Straight to Residence Visa is a Resident Visa. It is not yet a Permanent Resident Visa. The difference matters for travel:

For the first 2 years from your arrival date, you can travel in and out of New Zealand freely.
After 2 years, your travel conditions expire. If you are outside New Zealand when this happens, your visa expires.
To protect your right to return: after holding the Straight to Residence Visa for 2 continuous years, apply for a Permanent Resident Visa. This gives you the right to enter New Zealand indefinitely, no matter how long you have been away.
New Zealand citizenship eligibility typically comes after 5 years of residence.

Travel conditions and PR eligibility rules can change. Verify at immigration.govt.nz.

Straight to Residence vs Work to Residence: At a Glance

Element	Straight to Residence (Tier 1)	Work to Residence (Tier 2)
Prior NZ work required	No. Apply with a job offer from offshore.	Yes. 24 months of qualifying NZ work experience required before applying.
How long until you hold the Resident Visa	Apply straight away with a Tier 1 job offer. INZ processes 80% of applications within 5 months. Many applicants hold the Resident Visa within 5 to 6 months of applying.	Enter NZ on an AEWV first. Work full-time in your Tier 2 role for 24 months. Then apply for the Resident Visa (8 weeks average, most within 4 months). Total: roughly 2.5 to 3 years from first arrival.
Typical occupations	Doctors, nurses, engineers, ICT specialists, primary and secondary teachers, auditors, scientists	Electricians, plumbers, welders, mechanics, early childhood teachers, dairy farmers, corrections officers, crane operators, and other trades and technical roles
Wage requirement	Specific rate set by INZ for your Tier 1 occupation. NZD $35.00/hour minimum where no specific rate is declared.	Specific rate set by INZ for your Tier 2 occupation. Some roles carry higher Resident Visa thresholds (for example, NZD $45.50/hour for metal trades, NZD $40.25/hour for Panel Beater, Vehicle Painter, Paving Plant Operator).
Visa fee	From NZD $6,450	From NZD $6,450

Source: Immigration New Zealand. Figures correct as of May 2026. Verify at immigration.govt.nz.

If your occupation sits in Tier 2 (or you are not sure which tier applies), read our full Work to Residence Visa guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I apply for the Straight to Residence Visa from outside New Zealand?

Do I need a job offer, or can I search for a job after arriving?

What happens if I change jobs after my visa is granted?

How do I know if my employer is INZ-accredited?

Is the wage requirement the same for every Tier 1 occupation?

Can my partner work in New Zealand on this visa?

Which children can I include in my application?

What is the difference between a Resident Visa and a Permanent Resident Visa?

How long does it take to process the Straight to Residence Visa?

Thinking About Applying for the Straight to Residence Visa?

Kiwifern's licensed immigration advisers have been guiding skilled migrants through New Zealand's residence pathways for over 20 years. We help you confirm your ANZSCO code, check your qualification and wage requirements, and build a complete, correct application the first time. Getting this right from the start saves months of delay.