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.

Two tiers, two speeds

The Green List is split into two tiers. The tier your occupation sits in decides how fast you can move to residence.

Tier 1: Straight 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: Work to Residence

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.

Occupations, at a glance

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.

• Health and medical: general practitioners, midwives, and registered nurses in specified specialties.
• Engineering: civil, electrical, mechanical, and other registered engineers.
• ICT: software engineers, ICT security specialists, and systems analysts.
• Trades and construction: automotive electricians, diesel motor mechanics, and surveyors.
• Primary industries and science: dairy farm managers and veterinarians.
• Education: early childhood teachers and secondary teachers in specified subjects.

For the current list, with exact occupation codes, qualifications, and any registration conditions, see the official Green List roles page.

What both tiers share

Some requirements apply regardless of which tier you qualify under:

• Health and character requirements.
• English language ability at the standard INZ level for residence.
• Role-specific qualifications or occupational registration as set out in the Green List entry for your occupation.
• Pay requirements tied to the New Zealand median wage. The median wage is updated annually by INZ, so we do not publish the current figure here. Always verify it on the official INZ page before making a decision.

Partner and dependents

If your Green List residence is approved, your eligible partner and dependent children can be included on the same application.

AEWV and accredited employers

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.

What this means for your report

The Green List is a modifier on other visas rather than a visa of its own, and HowToMoveTo's report treats it that way. Straight to Residence and Work to Residence are not separate pathways on the report, and the report does not rule on whether your occupation is on the list. What it does assess are the two visas the Green List works through: the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa and the Accredited Employer Work Visa.

The questionnaire asks what you do, matches it to a New Zealand occupation code, and the report uses that code's skill level together with the pay you entered to compare your answers with each visa's pay and skill conditions. On the AEWV, the report states three ways to meet the skills requirement, and a job offer for a Green List role is one of them, beside two years of relevant work experience and a qualification at level 4 or above on the New Zealand framework. Occupational registration, where your occupation requires it, comes back as a checklist step, along with the offer from an accredited employer, the medical examination and chest X-ray, and the police certificates.

So the report tells you how your answers sit against those two visas, and INZ's own roles page tells you whether your occupation is on the list. Neither the report nor this post decides your case.

How it fits with the SMC

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.

After that, the questionnaire compares your answers with the New Zealand routes in one pass. It is free, the eligibility summary at the end of it is free, and payment unlocks the full report.