If you have an offer for a Tier 1 Green List role with an accredited employer
Green List Work to Residence Visa Assistance — New Zealand
Turn two years of New Zealand work into a clearer path to residence.
The Tier 2 Green List pathway turns qualifying New Zealand work experience into a residence application — but the qualifying period, wage rules, and employer accreditation all need to line up before anything is lodged.
The basics
What is the Green List Work to Residence Visa?
A residence visa from Immigration New Zealand for people in Tier 2 Green List roles who have completed the qualifying period of New Zealand work — typically 24 months — with an accredited employer.
Residency pathway
Direct residence after a qualifying period of full-time NZ work in a Tier 2 Green List role. The track for occupations not on the Tier 1 list.
Eligibility
Typically 24 months of full-time work in the Tier 2 role with an accredited employer. The qualifying period needs to hold up as one continuous block.
Assessment
Tier 2 role + accredited employer + role-specific wage rule met across the qualifying period + age, English, health, and character.
Support family
Partner and dependent children can be included in the same application.
Work rights
If granted, the holder can generally live in New Zealand and work for any employer in any role.
After residence
Not a Permanent Resident Visa on its own. PRV can typically be applied for after further residence and other conditions are met.
Tier 2, Tier 1, or SMC?The right one depends on whether your role is on a Green List, which tier, and how your work history sits against the qualifying period. Talk to us before lodgement so the right pathway is in play.
What sits on the other side of residence tends to matter more than the file itself — a household that isn't rebooking work visas every couple of years, children who can plan past the current school term, and the option to change jobs without starting the immigration conversation again.
When our help makes a difference
Where we step in — and what we do
Some immigration processes are approved without much friction. Some situations carry real risk of delay, hard pushback or decline.
Real cases · Illustrative
Situations we've helped with
Every case is different. These are illustrative and don't guarantee a particular outcome.
Avoidable problems
Common risks — and how to reduce them
Visitor Visa applications can be declined or delayed for reasons that are sometimes avoidable with better preparation.
- 01High impact
Genuine intentions assessment
Weak ties to a home country, inconsistent travel history, or vague explanations of the purpose of a visit can raise concerns. A well-prepared application addresses these points directly with supporting evidence.
- 02High impact
Insufficient financial evidence
Bare-minimum bank balances, unclear income sources, or missing sponsorship documentation can lead to requests for further information or decline.
- 03Medium impact
Health and character flags
Applicants from countries without a low TB incidence may need a chest X-ray. Those with criminal history may need police certificates. Out-of-date evidence delays processing.
- 04Medium impact
Passport validity
Your passport must be valid for at least three months beyond your planned departure date. Travelling on a passport close to expiry can result in being refused boarding or refused entry at the border.
- 05High impact
Misrepresentation
Providing false, misleading, or incomplete information — even unintentionally — can result in decline, and may affect future visa applications.
- 06Manageable
Timing
Applying too close to your intended travel date, or failing to apply for an extension before your current visa expires, creates complications that are difficult to resolve.
Important constraints
What the Green List Work to Residence Visa doesn't cover
Work to Residence is the Tier 2 pathway. If your role, your work history, or your residence plans sit outside that, a different page is the right starting point.
Not permitted
Work to Residence is the wrong fit if any of these applies.
Lodging under the wrong pathway wastes time and money. We'll tell you up front if a different residence route fits your situation better.
Apply when your role is on the Tier 1 Green List
The Green List Straight to Residence Visa is a much quicker route.
Apply when your role is skilled but not on the Green List
The Skilled Migrant Category Residence Visa may fit.
Apply before the qualifying NZ work period is complete
The Accredited Employer Work Visa is the work-visa step that comes first.
Apply for a Permanent Resident Visa
PRV is a separate, later application after a qualifying period as a resident.
Apply through self-employment
Work to Residence is built on employed work for an accredited employer.
Find the right pathway
Other options we can also help with
If a different immigration process fits your situation, we can take you there directly.
Working with us
What the process looks like
We will guide you step by step on your Green List Work to Residence Visa process, from start to finish.
Initial enquiry
Short email discussion to understand your role, employer, qualifying period, and any complications. We'll tell you up front whether the file is ready and what to do if it isn't yet.
Service engagement
Letter of engagement signed, invoice paid. We open the file and map the timeline against any current visa expiry, employer accreditation cycle, and lodgement window.
Evidence preparation
We work through the qualifying period (with role and wage evidence), employer-side documentation, family inclusion, and English-language evidence — so the file is complete before lodgement.
Lodgement
We file the application on your behalf and confirm receipt with Immigration New Zealand.
Monitoring & response
If INZ requests further information mid-process, we draft the response with you — promptly, in the right form.
Decision & next steps
We walk you through the outcome. If granted, we explain residence conditions and the path to a Permanent Resident Visa. If declined, we work through reasons and your realistic options.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Where both routes are plausible, we work through the practical differences before a pathway is chosen, rather than after an application has been lodged on the wrong one. That generally involves mapping the role against the current Tier 1 and Tier 2 lists, reviewing the qualifying work history, and looking at the wage and registration settings that apply to each pathway. The Skilled Migrant Category is sometimes a third option worth weighing. We set out the differences in practical terms and let you decide which conversation to have with Immigration New Zealand first.
Requests for further information on the qualifying work period are one of the more common queries on Tier 2 files, particularly where there have been visa transitions, role changes, or periods between visas. If we are on the file, we prepare the response within the timeframe Immigration New Zealand gives, draw the evidence together in the form and order it is likely to be assessed against, and make sure the explanation ties back to the qualifying-work framing used in the application. We do not make promises about the outcome of a request, but a coordinated response generally reduces the risk that the file stalls or turns into a series of back-and-forth exchanges.
Employer accreditation changes — whether a renewal that is pending, a refusal, a restructure, or a change of ownership — can determine whether the residence file is lodgeable at all. Our approach is to check the accreditation position at key points in the timeline, coordinate with the employer’s HR or legal contact where appropriate, and plan the lodgement timing around what is known rather than assumed. Where the accreditation position is likely to change mid-application, we discuss the options with you before anything is lodged so the decision is made with the risk visible.
Yes. The recent expansion moved several construction and engineering roles onto Tier 2 with role-specific wage treatment rather than the general median wage rule. That changes the evidence pack in practical ways — the wage history across the qualifying period needs to line up with the role-specific rule, and the employer support letter needs to address that directly. We have worked with files that sit inside that change and can take you through what it means for your application in an initial discussion, without reproducing wage figures that should be checked against current Immigration New Zealand guidance at lodgement.
Yes. Most Green List Work to Residence files we work on are family files. Partner inclusion usually involves relationship evidence and partner English language or support evidence; dependent child inclusion involves age, maintenance, and relationship documentation. We prepare the family sections of the application alongside the principal applicant’s file so the evidence is consistent across everyone included. Partner English evidence in particular often needs attention earlier in the process than applicants expect, and we can flag that in the first review.
Green List composition and wage rules update periodically, and a change between lodgement and decision is always possible. We prepare files against the current settings and keep the key evidence — employment agreement, payslips, support letter — in a form that can be refreshed if a change occurs. If a change affects your application while it is in progress, we review how it applies, advise on next steps, and communicate with Immigration New Zealand where needed. We do not predict policy changes, and we do not treat stability of settings as something to rely on.
Green List Work to Residence matters often sit alongside other decisions — reviewing an employment agreement before it is relied on for the residence file, advising on property-purchase timing around residence status, or considering family arrangements that become relevant once residence is in place. Where those questions come up, we can coordinate them alongside the immigration matter rather than treating the residence file as a standalone. This does not change how the residence application itself is prepared; it just means the wider picture is covered by the same firm where that is useful to you.
An initial discussion is usually a scoping conversation rather than a full legal opinion. We look at the role, the employment history, the employer’s accreditation position, and the family situation, and identify where the file is likely to be straightforward and where it is likely to need more work. You should come away with a clearer view of whether the Tier 2 pathway is the right route, what the likely evidence focus will be, and what the next practical step is. We are transparent about scope, likely fees, and whether our involvement is likely to change the file materially.
Stop rebooking the visa. We'll handle the residence application.
Whether your immigration process is straightforward or involves complicating factors, we can help you understand your options and put your best case forward.
About MyLaw
MyLaw is a New Zealand law firm with a focus on immigration law.
Our team is led by Michael Yoon, a New Zealand lawyer and member of the New Zealand Law Society.
He holds a current practising certificate and works across a range of immigration matters, from Green List Work to Residence Visa matters to complex cases involving prior refusals, character issues, and multi-visa strategies.
Get in touch.
If you have reached the qualifying period on an Accredited Employer Work Visa, or are close to it, and want to know where the Tier 2 file is likely to be tested before you lodge, an initial discussion is a straightforward place to start.
We work with both straightforward Tier 2 files and more involved ones — including applications where the employer’s accreditation is moving, where the qualifying work period is not a clean block, or where more than one residence pathway is in play. Contact us for an initial discussion.
