SR7.15 Skilled Residence: Transport Sector Work to Residence requirements for 24 months of work in New Zealand (29/05/2023)

1. Applicants must have worked for at least 24 months in New Zealand in a Transport Sector occupation or occupations, on and after 29 September 2021.
2. To be considered as having worked in a Transport Sector occupation or occupations, applicants must have met the requirements for their occupation or occupations for the duration of the 24 month period as specified in the following table:

   Transport Sector occupation and ANZSCO code	Transport Sector work in New Zealand requirements
   Bus Driver (731211)	Be paid at least $28 per hour (see WA3.15.1) and have employment: with an employer who has signed the Waka Kotahi (New Zealand Transport Authority) ‘All Parties Memorandum of Understanding on Improving Driver Terms and Conditions’ for the region they are working in; or as a school bus driver on a Ministry of Education-funded school bus service (list of operators provided by Ministry of Education); or as a school bus driver on a service directly contracted to a school.
   Truck Driver (733111), Aircraft Refueller (733112), Furniture Removalist (733113), Tanker Driver (733114), Tow Truck Driver (733115)	Be employed to drive class four or five vehicles and paid at the least the median wage; and Hold either a New Zealand or overseas equivalent class four or five drivers’ licence.
   Ship’s Master (231231)	Be employed as a Ship’s Master paid at the least the median wage.
   Deck Hand (899211)	Be employed as a Deck Hand and paid at the least the median wage.

   Note: The 24 months of work in New Zealand can be made up of different types of work within one of the four Transport Sector occupations, for example 6 months in a Deck Hand role and 18 months as a Ship’s Master.

3. Applicants must have held an Accredited Employer work visa, or an Interim visa granted while the applicant held an Accredited Employer work visa and had applied for a further Accredited Employer work visa, for the 24 month period of work in New Zealand.
4. Despite (c) above, applicants who held or had applied for one of the following visas before 4 July 2022 and were working full-time (at least 30 hours a week) in a Transport Sector occupation listed under SR7.10(a)(i) can count their work towards the 24 month period:
   1. any work visa; or
   2. a critical purpose visitor visa with work conditions.

      Note: With the exception of an Accredited Employer work visa, work on any work visa applied for on or after 4 July 2022 cannot be counted towards meeting the 24 month period.

5. The 24 months of work must be gained during the 30 month period immediately before the date the residence application is made.
6. For the purposes of these instructions, any parental leave taken can be counted towards meeting the 24 month work requirements.
7. Despite (a) above, where an occupation is removed from the Transport sector occupation list under SR7.10(a)(i) after the applicant has started to count work in New Zealand towards the 24 months required, the work can continue to be counted if the applicant remains in that occupation.
8. If an applicant has worked in New Zealand for at least 24 months in the last 30 month period but has not maintained a role in a Transport Sector occupation (see SR7.10(a)(i)) for the full 24 months, they can still be considered for the grant of residence if they meet the acceptable work in New Zealand requirements for the balance of the 24 months in one or more of the following:
   1. the Green List Work to Residence visa (SR3.15);
   2. the Highly Paid resident visa (SR4.15); or
   3. the Care Workforce Work to Residence visa (SR6.15).

Note: The 24 months of work in New Zealand does not have to be gained consecutively. For example, two 12-month periods with a gap of six months in between is acceptable. Additionally, it can be made up of different types of work in New Zealand, for example 18 months in a Tier 2 Green List role and six months in a role paid twice the median wage.

Effective 29/05/2023