Routes to New Zealand: employed professional

Open with an accredited employer's full-time job offer; tied to the employer, job and location, and the current wage threshold was not confirmed.

Who this is for

• ·Professionals with a job offer from an accredited NZ employer

You must have every one of these

• ·Accredited employer with an approved job check; full-time offer of at least 30 hours a week at the required pay.
• ·Skill evidence (2+ years' experience or level 4+ qualification) unless exempt, for example Green List jobs.
• ·English test for skill levels 3 to 5 unless exempt; results under 2 years old.
• ·Good health and character.

Source: Immigration New Zealand — Accredited Employer Work Visa (checked 2026-11-07; Government or public body)

Residence on arrival route for Tier 1 roles with an accredited employer, but the role, qualification and pay rule must all match, and the fee starts at NZD 6,450.

Who this is for

• ·Professionals in a Green List Tier 1 role with a job or offer from an accredited employer

You must have every one of these

• ·Aged 55 or younger when applying.
• ·Job or offer in a Green List Tier 1 role with an accredited employer, permanent or fixed-term at least 12 months (or continuous contracts totalling 6 months).
• ·Pay at the Tier 1 rate or, if none is set, the median wage (page states NZD 35.00 an hour in 2025).
• ·English shown by citizenship, study, qualification or a test under 2 years old.
• ·Medical exam and chest X-ray (15+) and police certificates (17+).

Source: Immigration New Zealand — Straight to Residence Visa (checked 2026-11-07; Government or public body) · Immigration New Zealand — Green List roles (checked 2026-11-07; Government or public body) · Immigration New Zealand Operations Manual — Appendix 13 Green List (ARCHIVED edition effective 26/03/2025; not confirmed current) (checked 2026-11-07; document dated 2025-03-26; Government or public body)

Three pathways exist (points-based, skilled work experience, trades and technician), all requiring a skilled job and an age of 55 or under; pathway figures on the page are internally inconsistent, so confirm them live.

Who this is for

• ·Skilled workers with an accredited employer or skilled NZ job

You must have every one of these

• ·Aged 55 or younger; skilled job or offer, at least 30 hours a week, permanent or 12+ months fixed term.
• ·Points-based pathway: 6 points in total are needed; you claim points from one category (qualification, NZ occupational registration or income), and NZ skilled work experience can add up to 3 points to top up that same category to 6.
• ·Expression of Interest has no fee; an invitation to apply must be used within 4 months.
• ·Medical (15+) and police certificates (17+); English test results under 2 years old.

Source: Immigration New Zealand — Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa (checked 2026-11-07; Government or public body)

Costs are shown in NZD as the cited source states them, with the unit the source gives. We do not convert currencies. A line with no stated unit or date is marked as such and is not an exact official charge.

Timeline not published by the authority

Straight to Residence: INZ states 80% of applications processed within 4 months. Work to Residence and Skilled Migrant: no processing statement found on the official pages checked. Immigration New Zealand publishes processing statements as a share of applications decided within a period (stated per route), not an end-to-end timeline; employer accreditation, job check, document gathering and travel are not given a published duration.