Skilled Migration / New Zealand / Route
New Zealand · Investment route
Straight to Residence pathway for applicants with a Tier 1 Green List job or job offer from an accredited New Zealand employer.
Last updated: 2026-10-01
Programme overviewنظرة عامة
Overview
Advising UAE residents on Asia-Pacific migration from our Dubai office.
The Skilled Migrant Category was rewritten again on 24 August 2026
New Zealand moved to a six-point system in October 2023, and then materially rewrote how the points are earned with effect from 24 August 2026:
- New Zealand qualifications now score one point more than the overseas equivalent
- Level 8 and 9 points now require a bachelor's degree
- The Trades experience requirement was reduced
- The wage threshold is now tested as at the date your experience began, not the date you apply
- English-test validity extended to five years for registered occupations
The SMC wage threshold is NZ$35.00 an hour from 9 March 2026, so the points multiples work out at NZ$52.50, NZ$70.00 and NZ$105.00 an hour.
The Red and Amber lists now gate the skilled work experience pathway
This is new and it disqualifies people who would previously have been fine:
- Amber list occupations need 1.2× the wage threshold plus three years of New Zealand experience
- Red list occupations are not eligible for this pathway — including beauty therapists, hairdressers and retail managers
If your occupation is on either list, the arithmetic changes completely. Check both lists before you apply.
Green List additions
Ten trades occupations were added to the Work to Residence pathway on 18 August 2025 — welders, fitters, metal fabricators, panel beaters, vehicle painters and paving plant operators — at NZ$43.63 or NZ$38.59 an hour, each requiring 24 months of New Zealand experience.
Straight to Residence: fee and timing
Immigration New Zealand lists the Straight to Residence Visa fee from NZ$6,450 and reports 80% of applications decided within 3.5 months. You must be 55 or younger when you apply, and no prior New Zealand work is required.
New Zealand citizenship and your Indian passport
New Zealand does permit dual citizenship. India does not. So the constraint here is entirely on the Indian side.
New Zealand citizenship becomes possible after 1,350 days over five years, with at least 240 days in each of those years. Taking it would end your Indian citizenship automatically under Section 9(1) of the Citizenship Act 1955, regardless of New Zealand's own generosity on the point.
Residence and permanent residence carry no such consequence. Most Indian families stop at permanent residence for exactly that reason, and there is nothing wrong with doing so.
Talk to an immigration consultant in Dubai
XIPHIAS Immigration has guided families abroad since 2009, and our Dubai team works with UAE residents. We were named Best Immigration Consultant by The Times of India in 2022. Our immigration consultants in Dubai will take you through the current official requirements, costs and timeline.
Sources
- Immigration New Zealand
- Immigration New Zealand — Active Investor Plus visa
- Immigration New Zealand — Skilled Migrant Category
- Immigration New Zealand — Green List
Verified against government sources on 30 September 2026.
What you getالمزايا
Live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely.
Apply directly where the applicant has a qualifying Tier 1 Green List job or job offer.
No 24-month New Zealand work experience requirement applies to the Tier 1 Straight to Residence pathway.
Include a partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger, where eligible.
Apply for a Permanent Resident Visa after holding residence for 2 years in a row, where requirements are met.
Investment & costsالتكاليف
Qualifying investment
Straight to Residence Visa application fee
Official INZ fee listed from NZD $6,450.
Government & due-diligence fees
Figures are indicative and exclusive of professional fees. Your advisor confirms an exact, written cost breakdown for your family size.
Eligibilityالأهلية
Requirements
Be aged 55 or younger when applying.
Have an offer of, or be working in, a Tier 1 Green List in-demand job.
The job must be with an accredited New Zealand employer.
The job must pay at least the rate specified for the Tier 1 Green List job, or the current median wage if no specific pay rate is listed.
The job must meet Immigration New Zealand's employment duration and contract requirements.
Meet the Green List role requirements, which may include qualification, registration, professional membership, wage, or experience requirements.
Meet health and character requirements.
Speak and understand English.
Language requirementاللغة
Minimum level
Must speak and understand English
Accepted tests
Eligible occupationsالمهن
Green List Tier 1
- ✦Use Immigration New Zealand's live Green List to confirm the applicant's exact Tier 1 role and role-specific requirements.
The processكيف نعمل
Confirm Tier 1 role
Search Immigration New Zealand's Green List and confirm that the occupation is listed as a Tier 1 role.
Check role-specific requirements
Review the qualification, registration, professional membership, wage, and experience requirements listed for the Tier 1 occupation.
Confirm accredited employer job
Verify that the job or job offer is with an accredited New Zealand employer and meets employment duration, pay, and role requirements.
Prepare documents
Prepare identity, health, character, English, job, wage, and role-specific Green List evidence.
Submit application
Apply online and pay the official visa fee.
Wait for decision
Immigration New Zealand may request additional evidence before making a decision.
Document checklistالوثائق
Identity
- ✦Passport copy
- ✦Acceptable visa photograph
Health and Character
- ✦Chest X-ray evidence, where required
- ✦Medical examination evidence, where required
- ✦Police certificates
English
- ✦Evidence of English language ability
- ✦English evidence or English lesson evidence for family members aged 16 or older, where required
Tier 1 Green List Job
- ✦Employment agreement
- ✦Fixed-term contract, where applicable
- ✦Job offer letter
- ✦Evidence of hours, duration of employment, position, and pay
- ✦Evidence that the employer is accredited
Green List Role Requirements
- ✦Qualification certificate and transcripts
- ✦International Qualification Assessment, if required
- ✦Occupational registration evidence, where required
- ✦Professional membership evidence, where required
- ✦Experience evidence, where required for the role
- ✦Pay evidence such as employment agreement, payslips, or salary evidence
Family
- ✦Relationship documents for partner and dependent children
- ✦Identity documents and photos for included family members
- ✦Health, police, and English evidence for family members, where required
Your XIPHIAS advisor prepares a personalised document list at onboarding. The checklist above is indicative and may vary by family size.
Risk notes
The Skilled Migrant Category points rules changed on 24 August 2026. Material written before that date describes a different scoring basis.
The Red and Amber occupation lists now gate the skilled work experience pathway. Red list occupations — including beauty therapists, hairdressers and retail managers — are not eligible for the Skilled Work Experience pathway. Amber list occupations need 1.2 times the wage threshold plus three years of New Zealand experience.
The SMC wage threshold is NZ$35.00 an hour from 9 March 2026. Any older figure changes every points calculation.
New Zealand permits dual citizenship; India does not. Naturalising would end your Indian citizenship. Residence would not.
Compliance
Six-point Skilled Migrant Category, introduced October 2023 and materially amended with effect from 24 August 2026.
SMC wage threshold NZ$35.00 an hour from 9 March 2026; points multiples NZ$52.50, NZ$70.00 and NZ$105.00.
Green List: ten trades occupations added to Work to Residence on 18 August 2025 at NZ$43.63 or NZ$38.59 an hour, each requiring 24 months of New Zealand experience.
New Zealand citizenship requires 1,350 days over five years, with at least 240 days in each year.
Questionsأسئلة شائعة
This route, answered.
It is for applicants with a job or job offer from an accredited New Zealand employer in a Tier 1 Green List role.
Start the New Zealand route.
A senior advisor will confirm the exact costs, timeline and documents for your case — privately, and entirely off the record.