Skilled Resident Visas
From working here to staying here
Residence is the point where New Zealand stops being somewhere you're allowed to be and becomes home. For skilled workers there are several ways to get there, and which one applies to you depends on your job, your pay, your qualifications and how long you've been working here. Some people qualify sooner than they think. Others are on a work visa that will never lead to residence unless they change course. We'll tell you which, and plan the route.
The main routes to skilled residence
Straight to residence through the Green List. If your occupation is on the Green List at the tier that allows a direct application, and you have a job or job offer with an accredited employer that meets the requirements, you may be able to apply for residence without a period of work in New Zealand first. This is the fastest route for the roles New Zealand most needs.
Skilled Migrant Category (SMC). The points-based route. Points come from your qualifications, occupational registration or income, plus skilled work in New Zealand. It's the route for skilled people whose occupation isn't on the Green List, and it rewards planning: a qualification assessment or a pay rise can change your position.
Work to residence through the Green List. Other Green List occupations require you to work in New Zealand in that role for a set period first, then apply. Getting the timing and the evidence right, from day one of that period, is what makes the application straightforward at the end.
Other work-to-residence pathways. Some sectors and some higher-paid roles have their own routes, with their own time-in-role and pay requirements. If you're in care, transport or another sector with an agreement, or earning well above the median wage, ask us before assuming the general rules apply.
The question we're asked most: "Does my job lead to residence?"
Sometimes yes, sometimes not yet, sometimes not as things stand. The honest answer depends on your occupation, the ANZSCO classification your employer has used, your pay against the current thresholds, and whether your role and employer meet the conditions. Small things matter here: a job title that doesn't match the work, pay just under a threshold, a qualification that hasn't been assessed. Most of them can be fixed if you know about them in time. That's what an initial consultation is for: to tell you where you actually stand, and what would change it.
How Abeona helps
Map your pathway. We look at your occupation, employer, pay, qualifications and time in New Zealand and tell you which residence route is realistic, how far away it is, and what would bring it closer.
Fix the position before you apply. A qualification assessment, occupational registration, a change of role or pay, or simply time in the right job. We tell you what to do in what order, so you're not applying too early or waiting for nothing.
Prepare the residence application. Residence applications are examined more closely than work visas. We assemble the evidence so that every requirement is clearly met and clearly shown, and we lodge it with Immigration New Zealand.
Include your family. Partners and dependent children are usually included in a residence application. We make sure the relationship and dependency evidence is as strong as the main application.
Deal with INZ. Requests for information, concerns about the employer or the role, interviews. We respond, and we keep you informed.
Plan what comes after. Residence has conditions, and permanent residence comes later. We help you understand what you can and can't do in the meantime and when to take the next step.
Book a consultation
Let's talk it through
Tell us about your job, your employer and how long you've been here, and we'll tell you where you stand.
You'll get an hour with me, one to one, on WhatsApp or Microsoft Teams. We go through your situation, your options and what would strengthen your position. Afterwards I send you a written summary of the key points and your next steps, so you have something to refer back to.
Email: audrey@abeona.co.nz
Get in Touch Today
A short questionnaire first. It takes about ten minutes and means we spend the hour on your situation, not the basics.
One hour, one to one.
Video or voice call, on WhatsApp or Microsoft Teams, at a time that suits you
A written summary afterwards. Your options, the points that matter and the next steps, in plain English.
NZD $150 (+GST where applicable). Paid at booking, which confirms your time.