Talent (Accredited Employer) Resident Visa

Visa details

This visa is for people who have been employed in New Zealand by an accredited employer for more than 2 years. If you have ongoing employment with an accredited employer and you earn at least the minimum salary that was in place when you applied for your Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa, you may be eligible for this resident visa.  

Length of stay

Indefinitely

Cost
From
NZD $4240
Processing time
90% within
26 months
With this visa you can
  • Live, work and study in New Zealand.
  • Include your partner and dependent children aged 24 and under in your residence application.
Things to note
  • You must hold a Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa.
    Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa
  • You must have been employed in New Zealand for 2 years while holding a Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa.
  • If you changed your employer while on a Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa, you must have had your visa conditions varied.
    Variation of visa conditions
  • The salary you must meet is higher if you apply for your Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa after 6 October 2019.

Who can apply

The criteria and evidence below will provide you with the information you need to provide to meet the requirements of this visa.

View All Evidence

Character

You must be of good character

If you are 17 or over, you must provide a police certificate from:

  • your country of citizenship
  • any country you have lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years.

Good character

How to get a police certificate

Tips
  1. Police Certificates must be less than 6 months old when you apply.

  2. 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.

Employment in New Zealand

To apply for residence, you must have been employed by an accredited employer for 24 months or more

You must hold a Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa and have held that visa for at least 24 months.

Employment must be with an employer who is not included on the list of non-compliant employers maintained by the Labour Inspectorate.

Your employment must also be ongoing. Ongoing employment is:

  • permanent or indefinite; or
  • for a stated term of at least 12 months.

List of non-compliant employers

Tips
  1. If you want to apply for residence earlier, you may wish to apply for residence under the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC). Use the SMC points indicator within the SMC Visa to check if you may be eligible to apply.

    SMC points indicator

  2. If you no longer work for an accredited employer, you must have varied your visa to allow this new employment. We’ll check our records to confirm this has happened.

Minimum income

To apply for residence, you must be earning at least NZD $55,000 a year (before tax), or NZD $79,560 if you applied for your Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa on or after 7 October 2019

When you apply for residence, you must provide a Summary of Earnings from Inland Revenue confirming your earnings. 

Inland Revenue

Tips
  1. The minimum earnings must exclude any allowances like over-time, tool or uniform allowances, medical insurance, and accommodation.

    If you are earning NZD $90,000 or more and you applied for your Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa before 7 October 2019, we may grant you a permanent resident visa. 

    Permanent Resident Visa

Occupational registration

You may need New Zealand registration

You must have full or provisional registration, if it’s needed to work in your occupation in New Zealand. 

Occupational registration

Location

To apply for residence, you must be in New Zealand

We’ll check our records to confirm your location.

Partner and dependent children

Your family must meet the requirements for a resident visa

You can include your partner and dependent children in your application for a resident visa.

You must provide evidence:

  • of your relationship with your partner and dependent children
  • that your partner and dependent children meet the identity, character, health and English language requirements for this visa

Partnership
Dependent children
English language test results for residence from work

Tips
  1. 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.

English language for family

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:

  • have an acceptable English language test result
  • have an English-speaking background
  • are competent speakers of English for other reasons.

Acceptable English language test results for residence from work

Tips
  1. 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.

Process and costs

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.

Notes

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How to submit

Payment methods and receiving centre details if applicable.

Notes

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Conditions

These are the conditions that you must meet once you have your visa.

Work

Once granted a resident visa, you can work for anyone you like, in any occupation you like.

Study

Once granted a resident visa, you can do any study you like.

Travel

You can travel in and out of New Zealand as often as you like until your travel conditions expire.

To travel after that, you will need to apply for and be granted either:

  • a Permanent Resident Visa
  • a variation of your travel conditions, which would allow you to return to New Zealand at a later date. 
Notes
  • Your travel conditions will expire 2 years from the date you first arrive in New Zealand as a resident.

    If you’re outside of New Zealand when your travel conditions expire, your visa will expire as well.

Keep your visa in a valid passport

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.

Transferring my visa to a new passport

Notes