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.
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.
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):
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.
You must meet all of the following to be granted the Straight to Residence Visa:
Source: Immigration New Zealand. Requirements change. Verify current eligibility criteria at immigration.govt.nz before applying.
Processing times and document requirements change. Verify the current checklist at immigration.govt.nz.
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.
The Straight to Residence Visa grants residence from day one. Once issued, it lets you:
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.
The Straight to Residence Visa is a Resident Visa. It is not yet a Permanent Resident Visa. The difference matters for travel:
Travel conditions and PR eligibility rules can change. Verify at immigration.govt.nz.
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.
Yes. This is one of the key advantages of the Tier 1 pathway. You can apply from your home country with a qualifying job offer in hand. You do not need to travel to New Zealand first or hold a prior NZ visa. You can also choose to come on a work visa first and then apply from inside New Zealand if that suits your situation.
You need a job offer before applying for the Straight to Residence Visa. The offer must be from an INZ-accredited employer, for a Tier 1 Green List role, at or above the wage rate INZ has set for your occupation, and for a permanent or fixed-term role lasting at least 12 months. You cannot apply on speculation and look for work after arriving.
Once your Straight to Residence Visa is granted, you can work for any employer in any role in New Zealand. You are not tied to the employer named in your original job offer. Your residence status is not affected by changing jobs, leaving your original employer, or even leaving the workforce entirely, as long as you continue to meet general residence conditions.
Employer accreditation is managed through the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) system. You can ask your employer directly for their accreditation reference number, or ask them to provide confirmation from INZ. Most large hospitals, engineering firms, and education providers already hold accreditation. Smaller employers may need to apply for it before they can offer you a qualifying job.
No. INZ sets a specific wage rate for many Tier 1 occupations. The general median wage of NZD $35.00/hour (the 2025 median wage, in effect from 9 March 2026) is the floor that applies only when INZ has not declared a specific rate for your occupation. Always check the wage rate for your specific ANZSCO code at immigration.govt.nz wage rates rather than relying on the general median wage.
Yes. Partners included in your Straight to Residence Visa application also receive residence status and can work for any employer in any role in New Zealand. They are not restricted to the same sector or employer as the primary applicant.
Dependent children aged 24 or younger can be included, but they must be financially dependent on you, single, and have no children of their own. Children who are married, in a civil union, in a de facto relationship, or who have their own dependent children, do not qualify as dependent children for INZ purposes and would need to apply separately on their own immigration pathway.
The Straight to Residence Visa is a Resident Visa. It allows you to live, work, and study in New Zealand indefinitely, but comes with a travel condition: you can travel in and out freely for 2 years from first arrival. After that, if you are outside New Zealand and your travel conditions expire, your visa expires. A Permanent Resident Visa removes this travel restriction and lets you re-enter New Zealand at any time. You become eligible for a Permanent Resident Visa after holding your Straight to Residence Visa for 2 continuous years.
INZ processes 80% of Straight to Residence Visa applications within 5 months. Complex applications, incomplete submissions, or applications that require additional verification take longer. Processing time does not include the time it takes to gather documents, complete medicals, or obtain professional registration.
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.