Software engineers, developers and testers can move to New Zealand, and no registration body stands between you and the work. Immigration New Zealand (INZ), the government's immigration agency, has a check that shows the jobs with a registration authority, and a search for software finds none. The permission you need is a visa from INZ, and each work or residence visa below needs a job, or a job offer, from an accredited employer. Several software roles are on INZ's Green List of jobs it needs workers for, and for them the Green List asks for a pay rate of its own, not a particular degree. Tahatū, the government's careers site, gives software engineer and full stack, front-end and back-end developer as other names for a software developer.

Do you need to be registered to work as a software engineer in New Zealand?

No. Software is also missing from INZ's list of registrations that count for residence points, and INZ says that if a search there finds nothing, you cannot claim points from registration. For the job itself, Tahatū says you usually need a qualification to become a software developer and that experience may be useful, and among the things you may need, it lists an advanced certificate or diploma in software engineering and computer science.

INZ sets its own floor for the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), the work visa that links you to an accredited employer: 2 years of relevant work experience or a qualification at level 4 or higher on New Zealand's qualifications framework. The experience or qualification must be in the same field as the job, unless you hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which can be in any field. If your job is on the Green List and you show that you meet its requirements, INZ needs no further evidence of those minimum skills.

Green List, work visas and residence for software engineers

INZ's Green List includes Analyst Programmer, Developer Programmer, Software Engineer, Software Tester and Software and Applications Programmers nec (nec means "not elsewhere classified": programming jobs that no other title on the list covers) as roles eligible for straight to residence. In practice, once you are working for an accredited employer, or hold an offer from one, in a job that meets the role's requirement, you can apply for residence straight away rather than after a period of work here, and you can apply while still overseas. For these roles the requirement is pay: the job must pay at least the rate the Green List specifies for them. If the job is a contract for services rather than employment, the Green List sets a higher rate and asks for at least 10 years of work in a relevant role. Our Green List guide explains the tiers.

The application is for the Straight to Residence Visa. Its other conditions include a full-time job that is permanent, fixed-term for at least 12 months, or a contract, or continuous contracts, of at least 6 months, and you must be 55 or younger and speak and understand English.

You can also start on the AEWV instead: the offer must be full-time, your accredited employer needs an approved job check for the job (INZ's sign-off for hiring a migrant into it), and the employer sends you a link to the online application. See our AEWV guide.

The Skilled Migrant Category (SMC), a residence visa, likewise asks for a job or job offer from an accredited employer. Its points route asks for 6 points: 3 to 6 from one skill category, which is your qualification, your pay or a New Zealand registration, plus up to 3 for skilled work in New Zealand. Without a registration to claim, software workers draw on a qualification or on pay: an overseas bachelor's degree counts for 4 points, once the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) has assessed it in an International Qualification Assessment, unless INZ lists it as exempt from assessment. Work through your own numbers with our points calculator, and read the SMC guide for the other pathways.

Can you move to New Zealand without a computer science degree?

For some routes, yes. The Green List asks these software roles for a pay rate rather than a qualification, and the AEWV accepts 2 years of relevant experience in place of one. For residence through the SMC, the Skilled Work Experience pathway is for people who developed their skills through work rather than formal study. You need 5 years or more of directly relevant work experience, and at least 2 of those years must be skilled work in New Zealand, so this route comes after some time working here. Our guide to that pathway explains it. Tahatū also lists a training course with an IT organisation, such as Dev Academy, among the things a developer may need.

A common mistake software engineers make

Sending a CV as proof of experience. For the AEWV, INZ says a CV or résumé is not sufficient. The evidence must come from someone other than you, such as certificates of employment, payslips or tax certificates, and a reference letter or employment certificate without payslips or tax certificates to support it may not satisfy INZ. Employment certificates should be on the employer's letterhead and show the positions you held, your dates of employment and the employer's contact details. Start collecting these records before you apply.

First steps

1. Find your role on the Green List and read its requirement.
2. Gather employment certificates, payslips or tax certificates for your past jobs, as the AEWV asks.
3. Apply for full-time roles with accredited employers, and check that each offer states whether it is employment or a contract for services.
4. If your degree is from overseas, check whether it needs the qualification assessment the SMC asks for before it counts for points.