New Zealand · long-stay visa routes and official sources
9 routes tracked · last reviewed · every route links to its official government source
Long-term visa difficulty for New Zealand: Medium (50/100, lower is easier). Most practical route: Student visa / skilled migration.
Common questions
What is the most practical long-term visa route to New Zealand?
Based on our July 2026 review, the most practical route is usually: Student visa / skilled migration. Overall difficulty is rated "Medium" (50/100, lower is easier).
Can I move to New Zealand without a local job offer?
Yes — 2 of the 9 tracked routes do not require a local employer: Student visa; Visitor visa remote-work condition. Each has its own income, funds, or admission requirements.
The Fee Paying Student Visa is for students accepted by an approved New Zealand education provider who can show tuition and living-cost funding.
Typical timeline / duration: Study full-time up to 4 years on Fee Paying Student Visa.
Provide an offer of place or confirmation of enrolment from an approved New Zealand education provider, showing the course, length, study format, and scheduled holidays.
Show that tuition has been paid, can be paid, or is covered by a scholarship; the evidence normally covers one course or one year, whichever is shorter.
Show living funds: NZD 20,000 per year or NZD 1,667 per month for tertiary, English-language, or other non-compulsory study; NZD 17,000 per year or NZD 1,417 per month for compulsory education.
Meet the health, character, genuine-study, onward-travel, and medical/travel-insurance requirements, providing X-ray, medical, or police evidence where required.
Employer- and job-linked work permission after accreditation and an approved job check, with applicant skills, English and document checks. It is not automatic residence.
Typical timeline / duration: Most skill-level 1–3 jobs allow up to five years' maximum continuous stay; level 4–5 jobs normally allow three, with role/pay/history exceptions. The actual visa may be shorter.
Obtain a current offer for at least 30 hours a week from an accredited employer with an approved job check. Collect the signed offer, job description, lawful employment agreement and unique application link; pay must meet the applicable market rate.
The usual minimum-skills test is two years' relevant full-time-equivalent experience or an NZQCF level 4+ qualification. A bachelor's degree or higher can be in any field for this minimum test, but employer/job requirements and occupational registration still apply.
Evidence must be independently verifiable: a CV alone is insufficient. Support experience with employment records, hours, payslips/tax or other records. An overseas qualification below bachelor's needs the specified NZQA IQA when relied on for the qualification test.
From 1 June 2026, the English requirement covers skill level 3 as well as levels 4–5 under ANZSCO/NOL. Provide an accepted citizenship/study/qualification basis or qualifying test evidence; prior-proof and specified further-AEWV exemptions have conditions.
Submit identity, skills/registration, applicable police and medical documents and required English translations through the employer's link. Where a police certificate is required, upload the complete certificate rather than only an application receipt, subject to INZ's narrow listed exceptions.
Green List Tier 1: residence applied for from offshore
Green List Tier 1 allows eligible applicants with a qualifying accredited-employer job or offer to apply for residence without first completing two years of work in New Zealand. Occupation-specific qualifications, registration, pay and genuine-employment requirements still apply.
Typical timeline / duration: Indefinite residence; travel conditions are separate.
The occupation must be on the Green List Tier 1 (Straight to Residence) list.
Hold a full-time job or job offer in that occupation from an accredited employer.
Meet the qualification, registration or wage requirement Appendix 13 sets for that occupation.
Meet Immigration New Zealand's health and character requirements.
Be 55 or younger and meet English requirements. The job must meet the required pay rate and employment-duration conditions for this route.
Green List Tier 2: residence after 24 months of New Zealand work
Green List Tier 2 requires 24 months of eligible New Zealand work within the 30 months before applying. Occupation-specific registration, qualifications and wage requirements remain; the applicable wage rate depends on when work started and any five-month grace period.
Typical timeline / duration: Indefinite residence once approved; the qualifying work stage is separate.
The occupation must be on the Green List Tier 2 (Work to Residence) list.
Complete 24 months of eligible full-time New Zealand work in the 30 months immediately before applying for residence.
Electrician, plumber, gasfitter and drainlayer: hold the corresponding New Zealand registration. For electricians a Limited Certificate other than a Trainee one also qualifies.
Automotive trades: hold an NZQF Level 4 or higher qualification carrying the credit and knowledge requirements of the named New Zealand certificate. Motor mechanic and diesel motor mechanic may instead hold an NZTA vehicle inspector appointment.
For the listed metal trades, the wage multiplier is 1.3x; panel beater, vehicle painter and paving plant operator use 1.15x. From 9 March 2026 these are NZD 45.50 and NZD 40.25 an hour respectively, but a valid earlier wage rate or grace period may apply.
Be aged 55 or younger and satisfy English, health and character requirements; the current accredited-employer job must also meet the route's employment conditions.
Points, skilled work experience, or trades and technician
Since 24 August 2026, SMC has three pathways: Points-based, Skilled Work Experience, and Trades and Technician. Six points are required only for the Points-based pathway; the other two have their own occupation, qualification, wage and work-history tests.
Typical timeline / duration: Indefinite residence once approved; travel conditions are separate.
Be 55 or younger and meet the applicable English, health, character and family-relationship requirements.
Hold genuine full-time skilled employment or an offer from an accredited employer, meeting the occupation, wage and employment-duration conditions.
Meet one pathway: six points from one skill category plus eligible New Zealand work if needed; Skilled Work Experience requirements; or Trades and Technician requirements.
Submit an Expression of Interest for the qualifying pathway, then provide supporting evidence when invited to apply.
Remote work for overseas clients is allowed under qualifying visitor conditions, not a separate digital-nomad visa. Affected Visitor Visa applications now use enhanced Immigration Online.
Typical timeline / duration: Depends on visitor visa/NZeTA conditions; policy applies while holding visitor status.
All visitor visas applied for on or after 27 Jan 2025 allow remote work for an overseas business/client; self-employed digital nomads can work for clients outside New Zealand.
An active business-purchase work route, not passive investment: an acceptable established company, documented experience, due diligence and staged operating evidence are required.
Typical timeline / duration: Up to four years, conditional on establishment-stage evidence; otherwise expires after 12 months. One further visa of up to two years may be available.
Apply aged 55 or younger with at least three years' qualifying business experience. The full-time basis is 30 hours/week; part-time experience counts proportionally, and ordinary job experience is not automatically qualifying management.
Nominate at least NZD 1 million for the standard pathway or NZD 2 million for fast-track, excluding property value and GST, plus NZD 500,000 in separate acceptable reserve funds.
Buy at least 25% of an acceptable New Zealand business trading for at least five years and employing five full-time-equivalent staff. Business owners and specified family members do not count toward the operating-stage staff requirement.
Submit the Business Proposal, independent valuation and financial due diligence from a qualified statutory accountant, and legal due diligence from a New Zealand lawyer. The due-diligence lawyer must differ from your immigration lawyer, although the firm may be the same.
Prove English through an accepted citizenship/work/study basis or test. IELTS overall 5 is one test option; test results must be no more than two years old and taken at a test centre. The principal applicant cannot substitute prepaid English lessons.
Provide identity, experience, funds, fit-and-proper, health and character evidence, and required translations. You must not have been involved in bankruptcy or business failure in the preceding five years. Obtain occupational registration before operating where required, and document any included partner/children.
A two-year investment-backed visitor route for applicants aged 66+, with separate living funds, income and continuing insurance. It is not residence or permission for local employment.
Typical timeline / duration: Up to two years with multiple journeys. Another application is possible only if eligibility, investment and insurance conditions remain satisfied.
Be aged 66 or older and nominate at least NZD 750,000 for acceptable New Zealand investments held for two years. A personal home, car or boat is not an acceptable investment.
Show NZD 500,000 of living funds in addition to the investment and NZD 60,000 annual income. An included partner's income may count; document ownership, lawful source and accessibility from New Zealand.
Hold acceptable travel/health insurance before visa grant and maintain it for the stay. V3.120 requires at least NZD 500,000 annual cover, specified benefits and an insurer rated at least A or equivalent; a generic travel policy may not qualify.
Provide passport, age, identity, applicable medical/police documents and full English translations. Chinese citizens applying in China also need hukou and Chinese ID; a paper application in China requires the supplementary form.
An eligible partner may be included with relationship, identity, health, character and insurance evidence. Dependent children cannot accompany you under this route.
Family-linked residence for a parent with an adult NZ citizen/resident child living in New Zealand, no dependent children, and qualifying investment, settlement funds and income.
Typical timeline / duration: Indefinite residence subject to investment conditions; initial travel rights cover two years. Permanent Resident Visa eligibility follows four years' compliant investment, not automatic entry-day permanent residence.
Have an adult child aged 18 or older who is a New Zealand citizen or resident and actually lives in New Zealand. A resident child's visa must be free of section 49 conditions; prove their status, residence and your parent/legal-guardian relationship.
Have no dependent children. Provide evidence of relationships to your children and an included partner, with identity, health and character records. Having an adult child alone does not satisfy the investment and income conditions.
Nominate NZD 1 million for acceptable investment for four years, NZD 500,000 in additional settlement funds and at least NZD 60,000 annual income. Document lawful source and ownership; the same funds cannot satisfy all three tests.
Qualifying NZ-dollar investments in New Zealand are required, not personal-use assets. A property option must meet the new residential-development conditions; buying a home for your family is not enough.
Prepare identity, medical and police evidence and required English translations. For people aged 17+, police evidence normally covers citizenship countries and countries with 12 months' cumulative stay over the last ten years; certificates must be less than six months old.
Visa rules change frequently. Figures and requirements above were reviewed on the dates shown; always confirm against the linked official source before applying.