If you have a Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa and have worked in New Zealand for more than 2 years, you may be able to apply for this resident visa.
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Check if you are eligible to apply for this visa and what supporting documents and information you need to provide.
You must provide proof of your identity
Also provide a copy of your Identity card.
You must be of good character
If you are 17 or over, you must provide a police certificate from:
Police certificates must be less than 6 months old at the time you apply.
If you provide a police certificate that is not in English, you must provide an English translation.
This includes police certificates that record no convictions.
You must be in good health
You must have a chest x-ray and a medical examination as proof of your good health.
You must have a current Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa and have held it for at least 24 months
We’ll check our records to see when your Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa was granted and if it is still valid.
You must have been employed in New Zealand for 24 months and have ongoing, full-time employment
Your occupation must be on the Long Term Skill Shortage List (LTSSL) at the time you apply for residence, or have been on the LTSSL when you were granted your work visa.
You must provide a letter from your New Zealand employer outlining:
You must also provide a copy of your employment agreement, which must comply with New Zealand employment law.
We can’t grant a visa if your employer is included on the list of non-compliant employers maintained by the Labour Inspectorate.
The letter from your employer should be no more than a month old when you apply.
You must have a minimum base salary of NZ$45,000
You must provide a Summary of Earnings form from New Zealand's Inland Revenue showing your earnings while holding a Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa.
The minimum base salary excludes any allowances like overtime, tool or uniform allowances, medical insurance, and accommodation.
You may need New Zealand registration
If the Long Term Shortage List lists New Zealand registration as a requirement for your occupation, you must provide evidence you have the full or provisional registration required to work in your occupation in New Zealand.
Your family must meet the requirements for this visa
You must provide evidence:
Partnership
Dependent children
English language test results for residence from work
If your partner or dependent children have, or applied for, a New Zealand temporary entry visa based on their relationship with you, you must include them in your residence application.
Your family must be able to speak English
Your partner and any dependent children aged 16 or over you include in your residence application must meet a minimum standard of English. Evidence can include proof they:
Acceptable English language test results for residence from work
English language test results must be no more than 2 years old.
It’s OK if your partner and children over 16 don’t speak English, but you’ll have to pay for English language classes before we can approve your residence application. Then they can learn when they arrive in New Zealand.
To apply for residence, you must be in New Zealand
We’ll check our records to confirm your location.
The information below will help you understand the process, timeframes and costs involved in applying for this visa, so you can plan ahead and have the best chance of submitting a complete application.
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Enter country detailsThese are the conditions that you must meet once you have your visa.
Once granted a resident visa, you can work for anyone you like, in any occupation you like.
Once granted a resident visa, you can do any study you like.
You can travel in and out of New Zealand as often as you like until your travel conditions expire — normally 2 years from the date you first arrive in New Zealand as a resident.
If you are outside New Zealand when your travel conditions expire, your visa will expire as well.
To travel in and out of New Zealand after your travel conditions expire, you need to apply for:
If you want to travel, your visa must be in a valid passport.
If your passport expires, you must apply to transfer your visa to a new passport before you can travel.
To transfer your visa, you must:
Application for transfer or confirmation of a visa
Application for Transfer or Confirmation of a Visa (INZ 1023) PDF 381KB