New Zealand's Green List is the shortlist of occupations Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has flagged as being in long-term shortage. If your occupation is on it, you get a faster, more direct route to residence than the standard points-based pathway. Here is how it is structured.
The Green List is split into two tiers. The tier your occupation sits in decides how fast you can move to residence.
Eligible Tier 1 occupations can apply directly for residence through the Straight to Residence Visa. You need a job or job offer in a listed Tier 1 role, plus the qualification or occupational registration requirements attached to that occupation.
Tier 2 occupations go through a 2-year work visa first, then transition to residence. In practice this is almost always accessed via the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) from an accredited New Zealand employer. After 24 months of working in the role you can apply for residence through the Work to Residence Visa.
The list covers a range of fields. The examples below are indicative only. The current list on the INZ site is the source of truth, and occupations are added and removed as the labour market changes.
For the current list, with exact occupation codes, qualifications, and any registration conditions, see the official Green List roles page.
Some requirements apply regardless of which tier you qualify under:
If your Green List residence is approved, your eligible partner and dependent children can be included on the same application.
Tier 2 in particular is tied to the Accredited Employer Work Visa. You cannot apply for an AEWV independently: the employer must already hold accreditation with INZ, and the specific job must be approved. In practice this means Tier 2 applicants need to find a role with an accredited employer before the Work to Residence path opens up.
You can read more on INZ's pages for the Straight to Residence Visa, the Work to Residence Visa, and the Accredited Employer Work Visa.
If your occupation is on the Green List, that is usually the quicker and more direct route. If it is not, the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Resident Visa is the main points-based alternative. We walk through how the SMC works today in New Zealand's Skilled Migrant Category, explained, and our SMC calculator will tell you whether you clear the six-point threshold.
