How New Zealand's Work to Residence Visa works under the rules in force from 24 August 2026: the 24-month requirement, locked wage rates, the 5-month grace period, and costs.
Written by Inder Singh, Principal Adviser & Founder and Licensed Immigration Adviser (IAA Licence 201301110).
The Work to Residence Visa gives Green List Tier 2 workers a route to New Zealand residence after 24 months of qualifying work with accredited employers. It costs from NZD $6,450, requires you to be 55 or younger, and since 24 August 2026 runs on a single wage threshold: the rate in place when you started counting your work experience, with no higher rate at the residence stage (immigration.govt.nz).
It is a resident visa for people working in Green List Tier 2 occupations: roles New Zealand needs but where residence is earned through a period of local work rather than granted immediately. Tier 1 occupations get the immediate version (Straight to Residence); Tier 2 occupations get this one. Once granted, the visa lets you live, work, and study in New Zealand indefinitely and include your partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger.
Most applicants spend the qualifying period on an Accredited Employer Work Visa, then switch to the residence application once the 24 months are complete. The full requirements, documents, and fees are on our Work to Residence Visa page.
To apply you must (immigration.govt.nz):
The 24 months do not need to be continuous. You can build them in stretches inside a 30-month window, for example two 12-month blocks with a 6-month gap. Legally entitled leave counts, including annual leave, parental leave, and bereavement leave.
Your experience starts counting when you hold an eligible visa, work full-time in a Tier 2 job (or one paid at twice the median wage), and earn at least the required rate. It stops counting if your visa ends, the job stops qualifying, or your pay drops below the rate that applied when you started. You keep accrued time when the clock pauses, but only work inside the 30-month lookback can be counted, so delays push your earliest months out of the window.
Two protective rules are worth knowing. If your occupation is removed from the Green List after you start, your time still counts. And if you change jobs, previous time keeps counting as long as the new job is a Green List job paid at the required rate.
The 24-month clock
Work to Residence needs 24 months of qualifying work inside the 30 months before you apply. The months do not have to be continuous, which is what makes the maths easy to get wrong.
30-month window before you apply
24 months needed
Worked example. Twelve months of qualifying work, a six-month gap, then a further twelve months reaches 24 qualifying months inside a 30-month window. Legally entitled leave (annual, parental, bereavement, sick) counts as work time.
When it starts counting
You hold an eligible work visa, you are in a full-time Green List Tier 2 job, and your pay meets the required rate. The date all three line up fixes your wage rate for the whole journey.
When it stops counting
Your visa ends, the job stops meeting requirements, or your pay drops below the rate that applied when you started. You keep the months already banked and resume when you qualify again.
The window keeps moving
Only work inside the 30 months before you apply can be counted, so a long pause pushes your earliest months out of range. Delay costs months you have already earned.
Since 24 August 2026, your wage rate is locked at the start. You need the rate that applied when you began counting, with no higher rate at the residence stage, and a 5-month grace period if the required rate rose between your visa being granted and starting work. See the wage rules, or book a free call to have your months calculated.
One threshold, fixed at the start. You must be paid at least the rate in place for your job when you started counting work experience: the hourly rate specified for your Green List role, or the median wage at that time if no rate was specified. If the median wage rises during your 24 months, your original rate still applies. There is no higher rate at the residence stage and no reset when you change employer, which were both features of the old model (immigration.govt.nz).
A 5-month grace period covers the gap between visa grant and starting work: if the required rate increased in between, you can use the rate from when your visa was granted, provided you start within 5 months. The same single-threshold logic now applies to the Transport and Care Workforce Work to Residence visas; the mechanics are covered in our wage rule changes explainer.
The application is evidence-heavy because INZ verifies the full 24 months. Expect to provide employment agreements, payslips, job descriptions, and a summary of earnings from Inland Revenue confirming the period and the pay. For your current job or offer: the agreement or offer letter showing role, hours, length, and pay, plus proof your employer is accredited. Your occupation’s Green List requirements need their own evidence, typically qualification certificates with an NZQA International Qualification Assessment for overseas qualifications, or occupational registration. Health (medical and chest X-ray), character (police certificates under 6 months old), and English evidence complete the set.
The visa is indefinite: live, work, and study anywhere in New Zealand. Travel conditions expire 2 years from first arrival as a resident (or grant, if onshore). After 2 years in a row on the visa you can apply for a Permanent Resident Visa, which makes travel indefinite too. Citizenship eligibility typically follows after 5 years of residence, and you do not need a Permanent Resident Visa first.
The structural timeline is 24 months of qualifying work before you can apply, plus INZ’s residence processing time on the application itself, which varies; check INZ’s published wait times. The 24 months can already be behind you if you have been working in a Tier 2 role at the required rate.
Yes. Despite the name, the visa granted at the end is a resident visa: you can live, work, and study in New Zealand indefinitely. The “work to” part describes the 24-month qualifying period that comes before the application.
The residence application costs from NZD $6,450. The Expression of Interest step does not apply to this visa; you apply directly. Costs during the qualifying period (AEWV applications, IQA assessments, English tests, medicals, police certificates) are separate.
Yes, if the new job is another Green List job paid at least the required rate in place for it when you started counting work experience, and your visa conditions allow the change (AEWV holders need the Job Change process). Accrued time is kept; the count resumes in the new role.
The Green List is INZ’s list of shortage occupations, split into Tier 1 (Straight to Residence) and Tier 2 (Work to Residence). Each role is defined by ANZSCO code and carries its own qualification, registration, or pay requirements. Check your exact code on INZ’s current list, because roles move between tiers and on and off the list.
Yes. Your partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger can be included in the application. Family members aged 16 or older must meet English requirements or pre-purchase English language lessons, and everyone included must meet health and character requirements.
Whether your months qualify, which wage rate applies, and when you can lodge are calculation questions with exact answers. We work through your employment history, your occupation’s Green List requirements, and your evidence, then prepare the application to meet INZ requirements. Book a consultation or check your eligibility to get started.
Current as at 2026-08-24, based on Immigration New Zealand policy. For advice on your own situation, talk to a ProVisas Licensed Immigration Adviser (IAA Licence 201301110).
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