The Green List is a list of occupations where New Zealand has a sustained shortage of skilled workers. Depending on your occupation, you can apply for residence either immediately or after working in New Zealand for 2 years.
Direct to Residence (Tier 1)
If your occupation is on the Direct to Residence list, you can apply for residence as soon as you have a job offer in that role. No need to work in NZ first.
Examples of Direct to Residence occupations
- Health professionals: Doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, radiographers, physiotherapists, psychologists
- Engineers: Civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, structural, software engineers (senior roles)
- Trades: Electricians, plumbers, carpenters, joiners, welders, fitters
- ICT: ICT Project Manager, ICT Managers, Systems Analysts, Database Architects, Multimedia Specialists
- Construction: Construction Project Manager, Quantity Surveyor, Surveyor
- Science: Chemist, Biotechnologist, Environmental Scientist, Food Technologist
- Teaching: Early childhood, primary, and secondary school teachers
- Social services: Social workers, counsellors, occupational therapists
Work to Residence (Tier 2)
For occupations on the Work to Residence list, you need to work in New Zealand in that role for 2 years before you can apply for residence.
Examples of Work to Residence occupations
- Registered nurses (if not on Tier 1 — check current list)
- Chefs (specifically Chef de Partie or higher, with relevant qualifications)
- Some construction roles: Project Builder, Roading Infrastructure Supervisor
- Some ICT roles: Analyst Programmer, Developer Programmer, Software Tester
- Emergency services: Ambulance Officer, Paramedic, Firefighter
- Technicians: Dental Technician, Medical Laboratory Technician, Veterinary Nurse
Green List Requirements
- You must have a job offer from an accredited employer
- Your job must be in a Green List occupation
- You must meet the qualification and/registration requirements for that occupation
- You must be paid at or above the specified wage threshold (usually 1.5× the median wage for some roles)
- You must meet standard health, character, and English language requirements
How to Check the Current Green List
The Green List is updated regularly by Immigration New Zealand. Always check the official list at immigration.govt.nz for the most up-to-date information.
Tips for Green List Applicants
- If your occupation is on the Direct to Residence list, you can also bring your family with you as part of your application.
- Work to Residence applicants can include their family, but residence is granted after the 2-year work period.
- Some occupations require New Zealand registration before you can work (e.g., nursing, teaching). Start the registration process early — it can take months.
- Consider using a Licensed Immigration Adviser to ensure your application is correct.
What the Green List Means in Practice
The Green List is New Zealand's way of saying: these are the skills we are short of, and if you have them, we will make residence genuinely achievable. It matters because it changes the mechanism of your application. Under Direct to Residence (Tier 1), eligible occupations (many health roles, engineers, construction managers, ICT specialists) can apply for residence from offshore without working in New Zealand first. Under Work to Residence (Tier 2), you work in the role for 24 months (reduced to 24 months from the earlier 30 for many roles), then apply for residence. Either way, the wage matters: from 9 March 2026 the median wage threshold is $35.00 per hour, and most Green List roles must pay at least that (some require 1.5x the median). The list is reviewed regularly — roles are added when shortages persist and removed when the market fills — so always check the current INZ list rather than relying on third-party summaries.
Common Application Mistakes
- Assuming your job title matches: INZ matches against the specific ANZSCO occupation and its requirements — a 'project manager' title does not qualify unless your duties match the listed occupation. Check the task descriptions, not just the title.
- Ignoring the wage test: the median wage is assessed on your base pay excluding bonuses and overtime; if your offer is close to $35.00/hour, get the salary structure in writing before applying.
- Missing registration requirements: many health and trade roles require NZ professional registration (nursing council, EWRB for electricians, etc.) — registration lead times can exceed visa processing, so start both in parallel.
- Skipping NZQA: if your qualification is not on INZ's recognised list, get the NZQA assessment done early — it gates your points and your employer's confidence.
- Waiting for the perfect job: Work to Residence requires a real job with an accredited employer; start the employer-accreditation conversation early, because that paperwork takes weeks.
Tier 1 vs Tier 2: The Difference That Decides Your Timeline
The Green List is split into two tiers, and choosing the wrong one is the most common strategic mistake applicants make:
| Tier 1 — Direct to Residence | Tier 2 — Work to Residence | |
|---|---|---|
| What you need | A job offer (or current employment) in a Tier 1 occupation, meeting the role's qualification, registration and experience requirements | Employment in a Tier 2 occupation, meeting its requirements |
| What you get | Residence, without first working a qualifying period | Residence after completing the required period of skilled work in New Zealand |
| Timeline | Immediate — residence from the outset | Generally two years of work in the role first |
| Practical effect | You can move jobs without restarting the clock | You must stay in the qualifying role; changing employer or role can reset your progress |
If your occupation appears on both the Tier 1 and Tier 2 lists — which happens as the lists are updated — always take the Tier 1 route if you meet its requirements. Two years of locked-in employment is a real constraint.
Where Green List Applications Fail
- Wrong occupational classification. Your job must match the Green List occupation as defined, not as your employer describes it. A generous job title with mismatched duties fails scrutiny.
- Missing occupational registration. Where an occupation requires registration or a practising certificate in New Zealand, that must be in place — a foreign qualification alone is not enough.
- Job offer not from an accredited employer. Most work visa routes require the employer to hold accreditation, and this is checkable.
- Thin evidence of experience. Reference letters that restate your job title are weak. Ask former employers to describe the specific duties that match the occupation definition.
- Assuming the list is static. The Green List is updated periodically and occupations are added and removed. Check it on the Immigration New Zealand website on the day you apply, not from a saved copy.