Work and residence routes on the official site
Immigration New Zealand says the many visas that let you work in New Zealand are temporary, but some can lead to residence. Some work visas require a job offer at the application stage. You do not need a visa to work in New Zealand if you are a New Zealand or Australian citizen. People with a resident or permanent resident visa can work in any job and for any employer. For investors, the site lists 2 resident visa options: the Active Investor Plus Visa and the business investor visa pathway. The Active Investor Plus Visa is for migrants who can invest at least NZ$5 million in the Growth category for a minimum of 3 years, or NZ$10 million in the Balanced category for a minimum of 5 years. This page covers the work, skilled, Green List, entrepreneur, specific purpose, partner and parent routes.
immigration.govt.nz: Visas for working in New Zealand immigration.govt.nz: Visas for investing and doing business in New Zealand
Accredited Employer Work Visa
This visa needs a full-time job offer from an accredited employer, for at least 30 hours of work a week. The employer must have an approved job check for your job. The job offer cannot be for planting, maintaining, harvesting or packing crops in the horticulture or viticulture industries, foreign crew of fishing vessels, or self-employed work. You must have either 2 years or more of relevant job experience or a level 4 or higher qualification on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework. Experience or a qualification must be in the same field or industry as the job; a Bachelor's degree or higher can be in any field. The total stay can be 5 years for most jobs, or 3 years for ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5 jobs. Skill level 3 to 5 jobs need proof of English, with some exemptions. The page shows a cost from NZ$1540.
Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa
This route starts with an expression of interest (EOI). There is no fee to submit one. If invited, you must apply within 4 months. You must be aged 55 or younger and have an offer of, or be working in, a skilled job with an accredited employer. You must also be able to speak and understand English. There are 3 pathways: Points-based, Skilled Work Experience, and Trades and Technicians. The Points-based pathway needs 6 skilled resident points: 3 to 6 from a qualification, New Zealand occupational registration or income, plus up to 3 from skilled work experience in New Zealand if required. The visa lets you live, work and study indefinitely, and you can include your partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger in your application. The page shows a cost from NZ$6450.
Green List routes to residence
The Green List sorts in-demand jobs into tiers. Tier 1 jobs allow you to apply for a Straight to Residence Visa, and Tier 2 jobs for a Work to Residence Visa. Both require you to be aged 55 or younger and to work for, or have an offer from, an accredited employer. Both also require you to speak and understand English. Straight to Residence requires pay of at least the rate specified for your job, or NZ$35.00 an hour (the 2025 median wage) if none is specified. Work to Residence requires 24 months in a Green List Tier 2 job in New Zealand, in the 30 months immediately before you apply, a work visa for at least 24 months before you apply, and meeting the wage rate for your job. Both visas let you include your partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger in your application. Each page shows a cost from NZ$6450.
immigration.govt.nz: Straight to Residence Visa immigration.govt.nz: Work to Residence Visa
Entrepreneur Work Visa
The Entrepreneur Work Visa page says it is closed to new applications. People who already hold it may apply to renew.
Entrepreneur Resident Visa
The Entrepreneur Resident Visa is for people who have been self-employed in New Zealand at least 6 months, or have operated a self-employed business for 2 years on another visa. For the 2-year route, the page says it may be able to accept another current visa if that visa allows self-employment in New Zealand and you meet all the requirements for an Entrepreneur Work Visa. It also requires a business that is trading profitably; the page's detailed section adds 'or have the potential to become profitable within 12 months'. If you have been self-employed for less than 2 years, you need a current Entrepreneur Work Visa (closed to new applications, as noted above), invested capital of at least NZ$500,000 and 3 new jobs created in New Zealand. The resident visa lets you stay indefinitely, and the page shows a cost from NZ$14890.
immigration.govt.nz: Entrepreneur Resident Visa immigration.govt.nz: Entrepreneur Work Visa
Specific Purpose Work Visa
This visa lets you work in New Zealand for a specific purpose or event. The page lists purposes such as senior managers or specialist personnel being transferred within a multinational company, who can stay for up to 3 years, and installers or servicers of specialised machinery or equipment from overseas, where this is a condition of purchase, who can stay for up to 3 months. The seasonal activity purpose closed to new applications on 7 December 2025. You cannot include your partner or dependent children, but they can apply for their own visas based on their relationship to you. The page shows a cost from NZ$1455.
Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa
The Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa is for people with a partner who is a New Zealand citizen or resident. You must be living with your partner in a genuine and stable relationship for at least 12 months after you both turned 18. Your partner must not have acted as a partner in a successful resident visa application within the past 5 years, or in more than 1 successful resident visa application. The page shows a cost from NZ$5360.
immigration.govt.nz: Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa
Parent Resident Visa
The Parent Resident Visa is for a parent, grandparent or legal guardian of a New Zealand citizen or resident. Your child must sponsor you and earn enough money, and you must be invited after an expression of interest. You cannot apply if you have dependent children, and you must speak and understand English or pay for lessons. The page lists 2,500 visas available each year and a cost from NZ$5810. The page says the selection method changed on 5 October 2026: each year about 90% of expressions of interest will be selected by the date they were submitted and about 10% by random ballot. The first selection under this model will be on 10 November 2026.
What this page does not cover
This page does not cover processing times, the business investor visa pathway and other investor visa details, working holiday and other work visas, wage rates and the Green List job list, the family and eligibility rules of each visa in full, the Permanent Resident Visa, income tax rates, health care, housing, schools or living costs. Check the official pages for them.
Questions before acting
Can I apply for the Entrepreneur Work Visa now?
The Immigration New Zealand page says the Entrepreneur Work Visa is closed to new applications. If you already hold it, you may apply to renew it. The page says you may apply for 1 more Entrepreneur Work Visa, called a renewal, after 3 years on your first one. The page says a renewal must be approved by a business immigration specialist, who must be satisfied, among other things, that there are valid reasons for you needing another Entrepreneur Work Visa to meet the Entrepreneur Resident Visa requirements.
Can my family come with me on an Accredited Employer Work Visa?
The page says you cannot include your partner and dependent children in the application. If you hold the visa, you may be able to support a visitor visa or a work visa for your partner, and visitor visas or student visas for your children. The page says this depends on how much you earn and your job skill level.
How long do I have to apply after an invitation under the Skilled Migrant Category?
The page says you must submit your visa application within 4 months of receiving your invitation to apply. If you do not apply within 4 months, you will need to submit a new expression of interest.
What happens when I reach the maximum stay on an Accredited Employer Work Visa?
The page says that once you have stayed in New Zealand for as long as you are allowed, you must leave for a required amount of time, normally 12 months in a row, to be eligible for another one. If your visa is shorter than your maximum continuous stay, you can apply for further Accredited Employer Work Visas to stay for that maximum time.
See recorded sources
- immigration.govt.nz: Visas for working in New Zealand — New Zealand — national. Page read by whereTOemigrate on 2026-10-07; the page states no date
- immigration.govt.nz: Visas for investing and doing business in New Zealand — New Zealand — national. Page read by whereTOemigrate on 2026-10-07; the page states no date
- immigration.govt.nz: Accredited Employer Work Visa — New Zealand — national. Page read by whereTOemigrate on 2026-10-07; the page states no date
- immigration.govt.nz: Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa — New Zealand — national. Page read by whereTOemigrate on 2026-10-07; the page states no date
- immigration.govt.nz: Straight to Residence Visa — New Zealand — national. Page read by whereTOemigrate on 2026-10-07; the page states no date
- immigration.govt.nz: Work to Residence Visa — New Zealand — national. Page read by whereTOemigrate on 2026-10-07; the page states no date
- immigration.govt.nz: Entrepreneur Work Visa — New Zealand — national. Page read by whereTOemigrate on 2026-10-07; the page states no date
- immigration.govt.nz: Entrepreneur Resident Visa — New Zealand — national. Page read by whereTOemigrate on 2026-10-07; the page states no date
- immigration.govt.nz: Specific Purpose Work Visa — New Zealand — national. Page read by whereTOemigrate on 2026-10-07; the page states no date
- immigration.govt.nz: Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa — New Zealand — national. Page read by whereTOemigrate on 2026-10-07; the page states no date
- immigration.govt.nz: Parent Resident Visa — New Zealand — national. Page read by whereTOemigrate on 2026-10-07; the page states no date, but its notice says the selection method changed on 5 October 2026
These primary references have the jurisdiction, product and scope stated above. A source link is not proof of personalised eligibility.
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About the author
António Mira is the founder of whereTOemigrate. For over a decade he has worked at the intersection of Portuguese real estate and overseas business, helping international clients navigate the cross-border decisions that come with relocating. He sits on the board of CCIAP (Portuguese-Arab Chamber of Commerce), the Portuguese-Saudi Business Council, and the Portugal-Hong Kong Business Association — always with one focus: enabling overseas business and human mobility into and out of Portugal.
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