Skilled Migration / New Zealand / Route
New Zealand · Investment route
Work to Residence pathway for applicants who complete qualifying New Zealand work in a Tier 2 Green List role.
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.
Work to Residence: fee and eligibility
Immigration New Zealand lists the Work to Residence Visa fee from NZ$6,450. You must be 55 or younger when you apply and, for at least 24 months before applying, have held a work visa or a Critical Purpose Visitor Visa that allows you to work.
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 after residence is granted.
Apply for residence after working for 24 months in an eligible Tier 2 Green List job.
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
Work 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 a Tier 2 Green List job or job offer.
Work for an accredited New Zealand employer.
Have held a work visa or other eligible work-authorising visa for at least 24 months before applying.
Complete 24 months of eligible full-time work in New Zealand in a Tier 2 Green List role.
The qualifying work must meet Immigration New Zealand's work experience and pay-rate requirements.
Have current employment or a job offer that is full-time and permanent or fixed-term for at least 12 months from application.
Meet the qualification, registration, wage, and role-specific requirements for the occupation.
Meet English language, health, and character requirements.
Language requirementاللغة
Minimum level
Must speak and understand English
Accepted tests
Eligible occupationsالمهن
Green List Tier 2
- ✦Use Immigration New Zealand's live Green List to confirm the applicant's exact Tier 2 role and role-specific requirements.
The processكيف نعمل
Confirm Tier 2 Green List role
Check Immigration New Zealand's live Green List to confirm that the occupation is listed as a Tier 2 role.
Complete qualifying New Zealand work
Complete 24 months of qualifying full-time New Zealand work in a Tier 2 Green List role within the relevant period.
Confirm current accredited employer job
Make sure the applicant has current employment or a job offer with an accredited New Zealand employer.
Prepare work evidence
Collect employment agreements, job descriptions, payslips, Inland Revenue records, and role-specific Green List evidence.
Submit residence application
Apply online and provide identity, health, police, English, job, and work experience documents.
Wait for decision
Immigration New Zealand may request additional evidence before issuing 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
Current Tier 2 Job or Job Offer
- ✦Employment agreement
- ✦Fixed-term contract
- ✦Job offer letter
- ✦Evidence of job title, hours, length of employment, and pay
- ✦Evidence employer is accredited
24-Month Work Experience
- ✦Previous and current employment agreements
- ✦Job descriptions
- ✦Payslips
- ✦Letters from employers
- ✦Inland Revenue summary of earnings or tax statements
- ✦Evidence that the work was full-time and met pay requirements
Green List Role Requirements
- ✦Qualification certificate and transcripts
- ✦International Qualification Assessment, if required
- ✦Occupational registration evidence, where required
- ✦Professional membership evidence, where required
- ✦Pay evidence for the Green List role
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 who have worked in New Zealand for 24 months in a Tier 2 Green List role and have current employment or a job offer with an accredited employer.
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.