New Zealand opens up two new pathways to achieve permanent residency in New Zealand for skilled workers. The new pathways offer an opportunity for the skilled professionals to contribute to New Zealand’s economy while filling the labour shortages in its key sectors, allowing eligible applicants to apply through the several visa options available, such as the Skilled Migrant Resident Visa and the Green List pathway.
Overview of Skilled Residence Pathways :
There are three main skilled residence pathways eligible persons may apply for permanent residency based on the skills and work experience of the persons.
They include:
1. Skilled Migrant Resident Pathway
2. Green List Pathway
3. Care Workforce and Transport Sector Agreement Pathways
Some of these visas directly allow the applicants to apply for residency, while others, such as the Work to Residence Visa, require applicants to have worked in New Zealand for some years before they can apply for permanent residency.
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Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa
The SMC Resident Visa is for people with skills that contribute to New Zealand’s economic growth.
To apply for this visa, applicants must:
• Have a job or job offer in skilled employment in New Zealand
• Earn at least the median wage
• Gain at least 6 points on the basis of qualifications, income, and work experience.
Factors such as holding New Zealand qualifications or having skilled work experience in New Zealand incur points. Application holders can gain up to 3 points for every year of skilled work experience. Applicants in occupations classified at ANZSCO levels 1 to 3 are required to meet the median wage threshold to qualify, while those in occupation ANZSCO levels 4 to 5 are expected to earn 1.5 times the median wage.
ANZSCO is used to categorize jobs based on skill levels, hence determining an applicant’s eligibility for different types of visas through the job and qualifications under which the applicant applies.
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Green List Pathways
There are two predominant pathways of the Green List for skilled workers in New Zealand, namely;
1. Straight to Residence Visa
This visa allows applicants to apply for residency if they have a job with an accredited employer in a Tier 1 Green List role. Applicants can apply from overseas or while on a work visa if they meet the requirements.
2. Work to Residence Visa
This visa is for individuals who have worked in a Tier 2 Green List role with an accredited employer for at least 24 months. They must have earnt at least the median wage during their work experience.
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Care Workforce and Transport Sector Work to Residence Pathways
Apart from the Green List, New Zealand has also introduced work to residence pathways for people working in the care workforce and transport sector
1. Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa
Applicants must have at least 24 months of work experience in a care role and earn NZD $28.25 an hour in a regular employment contract. Other available occupations also include those in transport or the Green List that can be counted toward attaining 24-months.
2. Transport Work to Residence Visa
This visa is for workers engaged in the transport industry. Successful applicants would have worked for 24 months with an accredited transport industry employer in transport-related roles. Some roles were withdrawn from this route in April 2024, so applicants should check current eligibilities before making an application.
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Requirements and Documentation
Upon making any of these skilled residence routes, applicants must provide documentation, which consist of:
• Police certificates
• Medical certificates
• Evidence of English language ability
• A job offer or proof of current employment in New Zealand
• Relevant qualifications or registration documents
All applicants must make sure they fulfill the conditions for any visa they are applying for so as not to delay their application, have it denied, or bring unnecessary rejection. Keep in mind that application fees are not refundable.
New Zealand provides various routes for skilled workers to immigrate on a permanent resident visa, focusing particularly on critical sectors like the healthcare sector, engineering, and transport. An individual would thus be able to meet the precise criteria for a visa, prepare the necessary documentation, and take a relatively expedited route to acquire their residency to fuel New Zealand’s economic productivity.
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