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Work to Residence Visa (Green List Tier 2): How It Works

The Work to Residence Visa is for people aged 55 or younger who have worked 24 months in a Green List Tier 2 job in New Zealand within the 30 months before applying, and who hold or are offered a job with an accredited employer. INZ showed a fee of NZD 6,450 on 9 October 2026. The wage rate that counts is the one in force when the work experience started.

The Work to Residence Visa is the second of the two Green List residence routes. Tier 1 jobs lead to the Straight to Residence Visa. Tier 2 jobs lead here, after a period of work in New Zealand. People searching "work to residence NZ" or "Green List Tier 2" are usually trying to work out how the 24 months are counted and which wage rate applies, because those two rules decide most of what goes wrong.

This guide explains the rules as Immigration New Zealand (INZ) publishes them on its Work to Residence Visa page, its work to residence wage rates page, its Green List page, its English language page and its fee finder, all read on 9 October 2026. It describes how the visa works. It does not say whether any reader's job is a Tier 2 job, whether their pay is high enough or whether they would qualify, because applying the rules to a particular person's facts is immigration advice. In New Zealand, only a licensed immigration adviser or a lawyer may give it.

INZ's Green List page is a search tool, and the tier and requirements for each role appear when a role is searched. This guide therefore does not say which roles are Tier 2. The INZ page is the authority, and it changes.

What the visa is

INZ's description: "Apply for this visa if you currently have a job or job offer with an accredited employer, and have worked in New Zealand for 24 months in a Green List Tier 2 job that meets our requirements."

It is a resident visa. INZ says it lets the holder "live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely", and the holder can include a partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger in the application. The cost shown on INZ's page was "From NZD $6450". INZ's page and fee finder did not show a processing time for this visa on 9 October 2026, unlike the Straight to Residence Visa page, which showed 80% of applications within 3 months.

How it differs from the other routes, in INZ's terms:

  • The Straight to Residence Visa needs a Tier 1 job and no minimum period of New Zealand work.
  • The Work to Residence Visa needs a Tier 2 job and 24 months of eligible work in New Zealand.
  • The Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa starts with an expression of interest and has three pathways.

A side-by-side comparison of the published rules is in the guide to Green List and SMC rules.

The requirements, as INZ lists them

To apply, INZ says the applicant must:

  • be aged 55 or younger;
  • have held a work visa (or a Critical Purpose Visitor Visa that allowed work) for at least 24 months before applying;
  • have worked in a Green List Tier 2 job in New Zealand for 24 months in the 30 months immediately before applying;
  • hold, or have an offer of, a Green List Tier 2 job with an accredited employer;
  • meet the wage and other requirements for the job;
  • be in good health and of good character;
  • have a genuine relationship with any partner and dependent children being included; and
  • speak and understand English.

The current job or offer must be full-time, paid at least the required wage rate for the job when the 24 months of work experience started, permanent or fixed-term for at least 12 months (counted from the application date), and with an employer accredited under the Accredited Employer Work Visa policy. INZ says the employer can be accredited either when the application is made or when it is decided. The accredited employer list is published on INZ's website.

INZ adds a note on the visa history. The Critical Purpose Visitor Visa is now closed, so it matters only for people who already held one. An Interim Visa granted while a new work visa application was pending also counts towards the 24 months of visa history, provided the previous visa was a work visa or a work-enabling Critical Purpose Visitor Visa.

How the 24 months are counted

This is the part of the visa with the most detail. INZ's rules, in its own words where it matters:

"Before you apply, you must have worked in New Zealand in a Green List Tier 2 job for at least 24 months in the 30 months before you apply. You must be paid at least the wage rate in place when you started your eligible work experience."

The 24 months do not have to be continuous. INZ's example is two lots of 12 months with a gap of 6 months in between. But only work done inside the 30-month window before the application date can be counted, so a long gap pushes older work out of the window.

What counts. Work experience only counts for jobs that were full-time, and that were Tier 2 on the Green List or paid twice the median wage, and where the person earned at or above the required wage rate for the job. Leave the worker is legally entitled to, including annual, bereavement and parental leave, counts as part of the work experience.

When counting starts. INZ says work experience can start being counted when the person has an eligible visa, is in a job that meets the requirements, and is paid at or above the required wage rate.

When counting stops. INZ says it stops if the work visa ends, if the person is no longer in a job that meets the requirements, or if pay drops below the wage rate that was in place when counting started. Time already counted is kept, but the rules must be met again for counting to restart, and only work in the 30 months before the application can be counted.

Changing jobs. A person who changes jobs during the 24 months can keep counting if the new job is also a Green List job and the pay is at least the required wage rate in place for the new job when counting started.

A job removed from the list. INZ states: "If your job is removed from the Green List after you start working, your time in that job still counts towards your 24 months."

Which wage rate applies

The wage rule is two-part. For 24 out of the 30 months immediately before applying, the worker must have been paid at least:

  • the required wage rate in place for the Tier 2 job when the work started, or
  • the median wage in place at that time, if the job has no specified rate.

INZ stresses that "if the median wage goes up later, your work experience still counts as long as you continue to meet the wage rate that was in place when you started counting your work experience." The rate that applies therefore depends on a date, not on the day of the application.

INZ's work to residence wage rates page shows the percentages of the median wage used for named Tier 2 jobs: 115% for Telecommunications Technician, Civil Machinery Operators, Panel Beater and Vehicle Painter; 130% for Metal Fabricator, Pressure Welder, Welder, Fitter (General), Fitter and Turner, Fitter-Welder, Metal Machinist (First Class) and Crane Operator; and 150% for Building associate.

The median wage itself has changed several times. INZ's table shows these median wage figures, with the 115%, 130% and 150% rates for each period:

  • From 9 March 2026 (current): NZD 35.00 median; 40.25 at 115%; 45.50 at 130%; 52.50 at 150%.
  • 18 August 2025 to 8 March 2026: 33.56; 38.59; 43.63; 50.34.
  • 28 February 2024 to 17 August 2025: 31.61; 36.35; 41.09; 47.41.
  • 27 February 2023 to 27 February 2024: 29.66; 34.11; 38.56; 44.49.
  • 4 July 2022 to 26 February 2023: 27.76; 31.96; 35.96; 41.64.
  • 29 September 2021 to 3 July 2022: 27.00; 31.05; 35.10; 40.50.

All are hourly rates in New Zealand dollars. INZ publishes a median wage comparison calculator for turning a salary into an hourly figure.

The grace period. If the required pay rate for a job rises between the work visa being granted and the person starting work, INZ's page says a grace period of 5 months may apply: the rate in place when the work visa was granted can be used if the person was earning at least that rate within 5 months of the visa being granted and again within the 30-month eligible period.

INZ's worked examples

INZ's wage page includes four examples. They show how the date rules work, and they are INZ's, not ours.

Dan. A Building Construction Supervisor whose work visa was granted on 25 February 2026, with work starting 1 June 2026. The required rate rose on 9 March 2026 (from NZD 50.34 to 52.50 at 150% of the median). Dan started within 5 months of the grant and kept earning at least NZD 50.34, so INZ says he can count his work from 1 June 2026, becoming eligible to apply on 1 June 2028 and no later than 25 January 2029 to use the earlier rate.

Steve. A Loader Operator who started work on 1 March 2025 at NZD 36.50 an hour, when the required rate was NZD 36.35 (115% of the median). He changed employer after a one-month break, at NZD 38.00. INZ says he keeps counting, because he stayed at or above the rate in place when he started counting. The break between jobs is not counted.

Alejandro. A Special Needs Teacher who started on 9 December 2025 at NZD 33.56, then took a six-month break and returned at NZD 34.00. The median rose to NZD 35.00 on 9 March 2026, but INZ says he can keep counting because his pay stays at or above NZD 33.56, the rate in place when he started.

Mia. A Telecommunications Technician who started on 1 September 2025 at NZD 40.00 against a required NZD 38.59. On 9 March 2026 the required rate rose to NZD 40.25. If she waits to apply until 15 September 2028, INZ says her earlier work falls outside the 30-month window and the higher rate applies, so she would not be eligible. INZ notes she would have needed to apply before 9 September 2028 for some of the earlier work to stay inside the window and be assessed against the earlier rate.

The lesson in all four examples is the same: the application date, the start date of the counted work and the date of any rate change decide the outcome, and each reader's dates are different. Applying those dates to a person's own history is where a licensed adviser comes in.

Jobs with older, lower pay rules

INZ's page includes a transitional rule. A person who applied for a work visa before 29 September 2023 for an eligible Green List Tier 2 job, and gained some of the work experience on that visa, must meet one of two wage requirements when applying for residence: the median wage that applied when the experience started, or the median wage in place when the residence application is made.

INZ says this applies to Tier 2 jobs that do not have their own specific wage requirement. The list on the page is: School Principal; Special Needs Teacher; Teacher of the Hearing Impaired; Teacher of the Sight Impaired; Special Education Teachers; Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages; Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teacher, Registered; Corrections Officer; Automotive Electrician; Diesel Motor Mechanic (including Heavy Vehicle Inspector); Motor Mechanic (General); Motorcycle Mechanic; Electrician (General); Plumber (General); Drainlayer; Gasfitter; and Dairy Cattle Farmer (Dairy Cattle Farm Manager), including Dairy Farm Manager, Assistant Dairy Farm Manager and Dairy Herd Manager.

Whether any person falls inside this transitional rule depends on the date they applied for their work visa and the job they did. INZ's page is the reference and the dates matter.

Qualifications, registration and English

Many Green List jobs carry requirements beyond pay. INZ says these "could include having a specific qualification, registration or needing to be paid above a certain amount", and they are shown against each role on the Green List page. The applicant must give documents proving both the work requirements and the Green List job requirements.

Qualifications. If a role needs a qualification gained outside New Zealand, an International Qualification Assessment (IQA) from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority may be needed, and the result must be included in the application. INZ says not every international qualification needs assessing, for example Washington or Sydney Accord qualifications and those on the List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment.

English. INZ's skilled residence English page covers this visa. A principal applicant can show English through citizenship, work and study, or through a test. For tests, the minimum is an overall IELTS 6.5, TOEFL iBT 79, PTE Academic 58, or a Cambridge B2 First score of 176, with results no more than 2 years old at the application date and tests taken in person at a centre. A partner and dependent children aged 16 or older have lower scores (IELTS 5, TOEFL iBT 35, PTE Academic 36, B2 First 154) or can pay for English lessons in New Zealand. The principal applicant cannot use the lessons option. There is no English requirement for children under 16.

Documents INZ lists

When applying, INZ lists: a copy of the passport or certificate of identity; one acceptable photo; evidence of a chest X-ray and medical examination; police certificates; evidence of English; documents showing 24 months of work and what was paid; evidence of the current Tier 2 job or offer with an accredited employer; documents showing the Green List job requirements are met; and certified English translations of anything not in English.

For the work history itself, INZ names an employment agreement, pay slips, a job description and an Inland Revenue summary of earnings that also confirms the 24 months. The employment agreement must include all the clauses required by New Zealand employment law. If the same documents were given with the most recent work visa application, INZ says they only need to be provided again if pay or conditions have changed. A letter from the employer describing the role, hours and length of employment can help where pay and conditions have changed since the work visa application.

Health and character. Everyone included who is 15 or older needs a chest X-ray and medical examination. Children aged 10 or younger need a medical examination without an X-ray unless asked, and children aged 11 to 14 need both. Evidence must be less than 3 months old when INZ receives it. Anyone included aged 17 or older provides police certificates less than 6 months old, from countries of citizenship and any country where they spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years; the certificates must show records from any time.

Family. If a partner or dependent child already holds, or has applied for, a work, student or visitor visa based on the relationship, INZ says they must be included in the residence application.

Fee, timing and what follows

INZ's fee finder showed an application cost of NZD 6,450 on 9 October 2026 for Indian passport holders applying from New Zealand and from India. INZ describes the cost as the charge to process the application, says it does not refund the cost if the application is declined, and says a non-refundable immigration levy is included. Payment is by Visa, Mastercard or UnionPay. Fees vary by passport and place of application, so INZ's finder is the reference.

The application steps INZ lists are: gather documents, submit the application and pay, wait for a decision, and check status in the online account. A person already in New Zealand must hold a valid visa while waiting, and INZ says that someone whose visa might expire during processing should also apply for a new temporary visa, in which case an Interim Visa may be granted.

After approval, INZ says the visa allows work in any job for any employer and study anywhere in New Zealand. Travel conditions last 2 years from first arrival as a resident (or from the grant date if already in New Zealand); after that a Permanent Resident Visa or an extension of travel conditions is needed, and a holder outside New Zealand when travel conditions expire loses the visa. A Permanent Resident Visa can be applied for after holding this visa for 2 years in a row. INZ also says that for most people, 5 years as a resident may allow a citizenship application, with no need for a Permanent Resident Visa first.

Where the rules tend to bite

From INZ's published rules, five points repeatedly decide whether a Work to Residence application works, and each one turns on a person's own documents.

The tier. A job on the Green List is not enough on its own; Tier 1 and Tier 2 lead to different visas, and the role's entry shows which.

The wage rate on the start date. The rate is fixed by the date counting began, and the 30-month look-back means older work can drop out if the application is delayed.

Employer accreditation. The employer must be accredited when the application is made or decided. INZ publishes the accredited employer list.

Evidence. INZ asks for pay slips, agreements and an Inland Revenue summary covering the whole 24 months, so gaps in records are found at assessment.

Visa history. The 24 months of work must sit within 24 months of eligible visa history.

Whether a particular worker, employer and job meet those tests is a question for a licensed immigration adviser or a New Zealand lawyer. The Immigration Advisers Authority's register shows who is licensed, and INZ says licensed advisers must follow a Code of Conduct set by the Authority.

Finding a licensed immigration adviser

Migratio lists licensed immigration advisers so you can compare them and contact one directly. Every listing shows the adviser's licence number, which you can check on the Immigration Advisers Authority's public register before you book. We don't assess cases and don't tell anyone which visa or pathway fits them; that is the adviser's job.

Questions people ask

What is the Work to Residence Visa in NZ?

INZ describes it as a resident visa for people with a job or offer from an accredited employer who have worked in New Zealand for 24 months in a Green List Tier 2 job. It lets the holder live, work and study indefinitely and include a partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger.

How much does the Work to Residence Visa cost?

INZ's fee finder showed NZD 6,450 on 9 October 2026 for the passports queried, including a non-refundable immigration levy. The fee is not refunded if the application is declined. Check the finder for the passport and place of application concerned.

How does INZ count the 24 months for Work to Residence?

INZ looks back 30 months from the application date and needs at least 24 months of full-time work in Tier 2 Green List jobs (or jobs paid twice the median wage) at or above the required wage rate. The months can be in several stretches, and legally entitled leave counts.

Which wage rate applies for Work to Residence?

The rate in place for the job when counting started, or the median wage then if no rate is specified. From 9 March 2026 INZ's median wage figure is NZD 35.00 an hour. A later rise does not reset work already counted, but work older than 30 months before applying drops out.

What is the difference between Straight to Residence and Work to Residence?

INZ says Tier 1 Green List jobs allow an application for a Straight to Residence Visa and Tier 2 jobs allow an application for a Work to Residence Visa. The second requires 24 months of work in a Tier 2 job in New Zealand first.

Can the Work to Residence Visa lead to permanent residence?

INZ says that after holding the visa for 2 years in a row a Permanent Resident Visa can be applied for, and that for most people 5 years as a resident may allow a citizenship application.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

Related guides

  • Straight to Residence Visa (Green List Tier 1): How It Works — The Straight to Residence Visa is for people aged 55 or younger with a job or offer from an accredited employer in a Green List Tier 1 role, paid the role's specified rate or the median wage. INZ showed a fee of NZD 6,450 and 80% of applications completed within 3 months on 9 October 2026. The role list is searchable on INZ's site.
  • Green List and SMC Rules Side by Side — New Zealand has three main skilled residence routes: Straight to Residence (Green List Tier 1), Work to Residence (Tier 2) and the Skilled Migrant Category. All three need an applicant aged 55 or younger, an accredited employer and English, and all cost from NZD 6,450. They differ in how they start, how much New Zealand work is needed and how pay is measured.
  • Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa: How It Works — The Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa is for people aged 55 or younger who have worked 24 months in the 30 before applying in one of nine listed care jobs, paid at least the care workforce wage rate in place at the start, and who hold or are offered a care job with an accredited employer. INZ showed a fee of NZD 6,450 on 9 October 2026.
  • Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV): The 2026 Rules — The Accredited Employer Work Visa is New Zealand's main employer-sponsored work visa. The job must be full-time (30+ hours), with an accredited employer holding an approved job check, and paid at least the required rate. INZ showed a fee of NZD 1,540 and 80% of applications within 5 weeks on 9 October 2026. The longest continuous stay is 5 years, or 3 years for skill level 4 or 5 jobs.
  • NZ Permanent Resident Visa: The 2-Year Rules and Five Commitment Tests — The Permanent Resident Visa is for people who have held a resident visa for at least 2 years in a row and can show commitment to New Zealand in one of five set ways, of which the 184-days-a-year test is only one. INZ showed NZD 315 and 80% within 2 weeks on 9 October 2026.