New Zealand work visas explained: which route fits you?

Work down the questions in order and stop at the first yes. Several routes can apply to the same person; in that case, compare how long each lets you stay and whether it leads to residence.

• Are you an Australian citizen or permanent resident? You can live and work in New Zealand without applying in advance; the resident visa is granted on arrival at no cost.
• Did you complete a qualification in New Zealand? Check the Post Study Work Visa first. See working in New Zealand after graduation.
• Is your job on the Green List as Tier 1, and are you 55 or younger? Look at the Straight to Residence Visa.
• Do you have a full-time offer from an accredited employer? Use the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). If the job is Green List Tier 2, 24 months in it can lead to the Work to Residence Visa.
• Already working in New Zealand in a skilled job? Check whether you reach 6 points for the Skilled Migrant Category.
• No offer yet, and aged 18 to 30 (or 35 for some countries)? A working holiday visa lets you come first and look for work in person.
• None of these? Immigration New Zealand has narrower routes, including specific purpose, seasonal and investor visas. The honest answer may be to secure an offer first, using our New Zealand job-search roadmap.

This is a reading of Immigration New Zealand’s published conditions, not legal advice. If your case is borderline, get advice from a licensed immigration adviser before you pay a fee.

The AEWV is a three-step process. First, the employer gets accredited; Immigration New Zealand publishes the list of accredited employers. Second, the employer applies for a job check for your specific role. Third, you apply for the visa online. Your offer must be current, for at least 30 hours a week, and cannot be crop work in horticulture or viticulture, foreign fishing crew or self-employment. The employment agreement cannot include a trial period or unlawful bonding clauses.

You then need to show your skills: either 2 years or more of relevant work experience (not necessarily consecutive or full-time, but adding up to 2 years full-time), or a qualification at NZQCF level 4 or higher in the same field. A Bachelor’s degree or higher counts in any field. Overseas qualifications below Bachelor’s level need an NZQA International Qualification Assessment. If the job needs occupational registration, you need that too. Jobs at skill levels 3 to 5 also need proof of English, from a test result no more than 2 years old or from your citizenship, study or qualifications.

This is where older articles mislead people. Since 10 March 2025 there is no median wage requirement for the AEWV. Instead there is no set pay threshold except the minimum wage, currently NZD $23.95 an hour from 1 April 2026, and the employer must pay the New Zealand market rate. That means the range a New Zealander would be paid for the same work. The employer must keep paying the agreed wage throughout your employment.

Pay still matters in two places. It sets how long you can stay: a skill level 4 or 5 job paid at least NZD $52.50 an hour qualifies for the 5-year maximum stay. And it decides whether you can support visas for your partner and children, together with your job’s skill level. If you plan to move with family, check the scenarios on Immigration New Zealand’s family page before you accept the salary.

An AEWV can be granted for up to 5 years, depending on the job. The maximum continuous stay is 5 years for skill level 1 to 3 jobs, Green List jobs and level 4 or 5 jobs paid at least NZD $52.50 an hour. It is 3 years for other skill level 4 and 5 jobs. Once you reach it, you normally spend 12 months in a row outside New Zealand before you can apply again.

The visa ties you to one employer, one job title and one location, and you cannot hold a second job. To change any of those, you apply to vary your visa conditions, apply for a job change, or apply for a new visa. Since April 2025, people moving to an AEWV from another work visa or an eligible student visa can get interim work rights while the application is processed.

The Green List names roles where New Zealand needs workers. Tier 1 roles lead to the Straight to Residence Visa: you must be 55 or younger and have an offer from, or already work for, an accredited employer. The job must be permanent or fixed-term for at least 12 months. Where no specific rate applies to the role, pay must be at least NZD $35.00 an hour. The fee starts at NZD $6450 and Immigration New Zealand decides 80% of applications within 3 months. You can include your partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger.

Tier 2 roles lead to the Work to Residence Visa. You must have worked in New Zealand for 24 months in a Tier 2 job within the 30 months before you apply, paid at least the rate that applied when you started counting. Most people do those 24 months on an AEWV. Both residence visas let you apply for a Permanent Resident Visa after holding them for 2 years in a row.

Each Green List entry states its own qualification, registration or experience requirement. Read your exact title, not a similar one, because the conditions differ between near-identical roles.

The Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) is a residence visa for people 55 or younger with a job or offer of at least 30 hours a week from an accredited employer. You start with a free Expression of Interest without documents. If you are invited, you have 4 months to apply, and the fee starts at NZD $6450.

The points-based pathway needs 6 skilled resident points from one of three sources: a qualification (4 to 6 points), occupational registration (3 to 6 points) or income at 1.5, 2 or 3 times the SMC wage threshold (3 to 6 points). You can add up to 3 points for skilled work experience in New Zealand. From 9 March 2026 the base threshold is NZD $35.00 an hour, with 1.5 times at NZD $52.50 and 3 times at NZD $105.00.

Two further pathways need no points. The Skilled Work Experience pathway asks for at least 5 years of directly relevant experience, including at least 2 years of skilled work in New Zealand, paid at least 1.1 times the threshold (NZD $38.50). The Trades and Technician pathway asks for a relevant qualification at level 4 or higher, plus 2.5 years of post-qualification experience and 1.5 years of skilled work in New Zealand. For most people arriving from abroad, SMC is the second step after an AEWV, not the first.

If your country has a working holiday agreement with New Zealand, you can come for up to 12 months, or 23 months from Canada and up to 36 months from the UK. The age limit is normally 18 to 30, and 18 to 35 for a few countries. You can take short-term and seasonal work but not a permanent job, and you cannot run a business. You may study for up to 6 months and must have a return ticket or the money for one.

The UK scheme shows the practical detail: the fee starts at NZD $770, you need at least NZD $350 a month for living costs, and 80% of applications are decided within 2 weeks. Being in New Zealand when an employer wants to hire you is a real advantage. If the employer is accredited and the role fits, the working holiday can be the bridge to an AEWV.

On an AEWV your partner and children cannot be included in your application. You may be able to support them to apply separately: a visitor or work visa for your partner, and visitor or student visas for your children. Which one depends on how much you earn and your job’s skill level. If you meet none of Immigration New Zealand’s scenarios, you cannot support a visa for them. The Straight to Residence Visa, by contrast, lets you include your partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger in the same application.

Rebuilding a partner’s career in a new country is its own project; our accompanying partners guide covers it.