Green List Tier 1 Occupation Residence Pathway

The list of occupations on the Green list is updated and managed by the New Zealand government and can be found here.

It’s best to check this list regularly to ensure that you have the most up to date information. The list also includes the individual criteria of each occupation too.

For an international applicant to be eligible for a work visa via the Green List, they must secure a job offer aligning with the specific occupational description or stipulations. Each occupation on the Green List has the specific information required to be eligible for that occupation.

If the occupation is classified as a tier 2 occupation, then the applicant will also need to demonstrate their relevant experience of that role in New Zealand too.

The applicant also needs to demonstrate that their foreign qualification is on par with the New Zealand standard for that profession. It’s not merely about having a matching job title, as the list is quite specific in its definitions.

Only accredited employers can present a job offer to a prospective candidate.

To ensure you meet all of the requirements for your application, it’s best to seek the services of an Immigration Advisor, like us here at IC Legal.

The application costs for the straight to residence and work to residence visas associated with the Green List occupations start at NZD $4290.

There may be other costs associated with your application, depending on your occupation type and the requirements of the application. If you enlist the services of an Immigration Advisor or legal professional, then you may also be required to pay for their services too.

Unfortunately there are no lists of Accredited Employers, however there is a tool on the New Zealand Government Immigration website that allows you to check whether an employer is accredited. You can find that tool here: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/preparing-a-visa-application/working-in-nz/check-if-an-employer-is-accredited.

An employer must be accredited to be able to hire migrant workers from overseas. When you’re applying for or discussing jobs with New Zealand employers, you can ask them if they are accredited and if they have performed a job check.

Many businesses in New Zealand know that in order to hire migrant workers they must meet certain criteria, including being an Accredited Employer.

If you don’t meet the criteria of the Green List occupation straight to residence or work to residence pathway, there are other visa options available to you.

There are various other work, study and visitor visas that may be work in your situation.

You can always discuss your options with our immigration specialists here at IC Legal.

Processing times for the Green List visa residence pathways may vary and will depend on factors such as providing all of the correct information at the time of application and your eligibility to apply for this type of visa.

Applications can take from weeks to months.

When things go wrong with visa applications it’s usually due to incorrect or incomplete information being provided at the time of application or the applicant has applied for the wrong visa type.

For the Green List applications specifically, in some cases, an applicant’s qualifications do not meet New Zealand’s qualification standards. In other cases, the job description from the employer may not be aligned with the job description of the relevant occupation on the Green List.

Many of these problems are preventable, especially when you work with an immigration specialist advisor. Part of our role is to ensure that you do indeed meet the criteria of the visa before an application is submitted.

This may be dependent on whether you’re already in New Zealand or you’re in another country. Many employers will advertise roles online and you can apply for them through those channels. You can also contact employers directly to discuss employment opportunities.

You may have friends or family who know of opportunities too.

It’s not mandatory to work with a licensed immigration specialist when applying for a green list residence visa, however, by doing so, you may increase the likelihood of your application being successful.

We can also provide you with advice and guidance in terms of other visa options if this one is not right for you.