If you have been in New Zealand on a work permit for two years, you may be eligible to get a residence permit under our Residence from Work category.
To be eligible for residence under this category, you and anyone else included on your application must meet our must meet our health, character and English language requirements, and you must meet the requirements for the policy that your work permit was granted under. If you are including a partner on your application, you must also meet requirements for recognition of a partnership.
When you apply for residence in New Zealand, you and everyone included in your application must meet our health requirements.
To show that you meet the requirements, each applicant must complete a Medical and Chest X-ray Certificate. Pregnant women and children under the age of 11 years are not required to submit the chest X-ray certificate unless a special report is required.
For full details on health requirements, see our Health Requirements Leaflet (NZIS 1121) PDF [98KB].
Character requirements
Everyone included in your application must meet our character requirements in order to get residence in New Zealand.
To show that you and your family members meet these requirements, you must provide police certificates for everyone 17 years and over included in your application for residence. We need certificates from:
- your country of citizenship (unless you can prove you never lived there) and
- any country you have been in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years, whether in one or more visits. If you are already in New Zealand under our Work to Residence category this includes obtaining a police certificate from the New Zealand police.
Our pages on how to obtain a police certificate tell you more about this process.
Minimum standard of English language
Because you will have worked here for two years, we will not require you as the principal applicant to meet any English language requirements when you apply for residence. But if you are including a partner or dependent children who are 16 years or over in your application, they will need to meet our English language requirements.
To show us that your partner or dependent children meet a minimum standard of English, you must provide:
- evidence that they have an English speaking background or
- evidence that that they are a competent user of English or
- a recent International English Language Testing System IELTS certificate where they gained an overall band score of 5 or over in the IELTS General or Academic Module or
- evidence that they have been employed in New Zealand for at least 12 months in a position that has required them to speak English. We will need to see a written reference on company letterhead from their employer providing their contact details and details of the employment, or, if they are still employed, their current employment contract.
In all cases we may still require you to provide an IELTS certificate to confirm you meet our English requirements.
If your partner and/or dependent children are not able to provide this evidence, you may choose to pre-purchase English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) tuition in New Zealand. Find out more about pre-purchasing ESOL tuition.
Requirements for different Residence from Work categories
In addition to meeting the generic requirements, you must meet the requirements for the Residence from Work category you are applying under. Which category you apply under depends on the policy that your Work to Residence permit was granted under.
I hold a Talent (Accredited Employers) Work Policy permit
If you were granted a temporary work visa or permit to allow you to work for an accredited employer in New Zealand, you can apply for residence under Talent (Accredited Employers) Residence Policy.
To be approved for residence you must:
- have held a work visa or permit granted under the Talent (Accredited Employers) Work Policy for at least 24 months
- have been employed in New Zealand during the currency of that visa or permit for a period of 24 months by an accredited employer (or another employer if you were granted a Variation of Conditions to your work permit by Immigration New Zealand)
- have current employment in New Zealand with a base salary of at least NZ$45,000 per year, at least NZ$50,000 per year if your work visa or permit application under this policy was made on or after 30 July 2007 but before 28 July 2008, or at least NZ$55,000 per year if your work visa or permit application under this policy was made on or after 28 July 2008
- hold full or provisional registration, if full or provisional registration is required to practise in your occupation in New Zealand.
Your employment must be:
- full-time (on average, at least 30 hours per week)
- ongoing (permanent or indefinite, or for a stated term of at least 12 months with an option of further terms)
- genuine
- compliant with relevant employment law in force in New Zealand. This includes having a written employment agreement specifying the necessary terms and conditions, and meeting holiday, special leave and occupational health and safety requirements.
I hold a Talent (Arts, Culture and Sports) Work Policy permit
If you were granted a temporary work visa or permit to allow you to be actively engaged in your field in New Zealand, you can apply for residence under Talent (Accredited Employers) Residence Policy.
To be approved for residence you must:
- have held a work permit or work visa granted under the Talent (Arts, Culture and Sports) Work Policy for at least 24 months
- have been actively engaged in your field of art, culture or sport during the currency of that visa or permit, throughout a period of 24 months in New Zealand
- still be prominent in your field
- show that your continued presence in New Zealand will enhance the quality of New Zealand’s accomplishments and participation in your field of art, culture or sport
- not have applied for or been granted any social welfare benefits in New Zealand.
You will also need to be sponsored for residence by a New Zealand organisation of national repute in your field. To do this you must provide a completed Talent (Arts, Culture and Sport) Sponsorship Form (NZIS 1091) PDF [98KB] from an organisation of national repute with your application for residence. The organisation must agree to sponsor you for residence, and the form must include an undertaking by an eligible personal sponsor to provide you with financial support and accommodation during the first two years of your residence, if this should be necessary.
I hold a Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Policy permit
If you were granted a temporary work visa or permit to allow you to work for an employer in New Zealand in an occupation on the Long Term Skill Shortage List, you can apply for residence under Long Term Skill Shortage List Residence Policy.
To be approved for residence you must:
- have held a work visa and work permit granted under the Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Policy for at least 24 months
- have been employed in New Zealand during the currency of that visa or permit in an occupation included on the Long Term Skill Shortage List for a period of at least 24 months
- currently have employment with a minimum base salary of NZ$45,000
- be aged 55 years or younger
- hold full or provisional registration, if full or provisional registration is required to practise in that occupation in New Zealand.
Your employment must be in the occupation for which you were granted a work permit or visa under the Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Policy, or another occupation which is on the list at the time your application for residence is made. See the Long Term Skill Shortage List for more details.
You employment must also be:
- full-time (on average, at least 30 hours per week)
- ongoing (permanent or indefinite, or for a stated term of at least 12 months with an option of further terms)
- genuine
- compliant with relevant employment law in force in New Zealand. This includes having a written employment agreement specifying the necessary terms and conditions, and meeting holiday, special leave and occupational health and safety requirements.
Apply
Find out how to apply under the Residence from Work categories.