The Work to Residence Visa is New Zealand residence for people who complete 24 months of work in a Green List Tier 2 occupation with an accredited employer. For international students it is one of the clearest study-to-residence routes in the system: choose a course that leads to a Tier 2 occupation, work in that role after graduating, and the residence application follows the 24 months. This guide explains how the pathway works in 2026, including the wage rules that changed on 24 August 2026, and what to check before you pick a course around it.
Full policy detail is on Immigration New Zealand’s Work to Residence page, and our partner firm ProVisas maintains a detailed Work to Residence Visa guide written by the licensed advisers who lodge these applications.
What is the Work to Residence Visa?
New Zealand’s Green List names occupations with critical shortages and splits them into two tiers. Tier 1 occupations qualify for Straight to Residence, with no prior NZ work period. Tier 2 occupations qualify for Work to Residence: you work in the role in New Zealand for 24 months first, then apply for residence. The visa granted is a resident visa, meaning you can live, work, and study in New Zealand indefinitely, and after 2 years you can apply for a Permanent Resident Visa that removes travel conditions.
Which tier your target occupation sits in is checked by its ANZSCO code against the current Green List. The list changes over time, so always check the live version rather than an article or agent’s summary, including this one.
How does the pathway work for a student?
The route from enrolment to residence typically looks like this:
| Stage | What happens | Typical visa |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Study | Complete a qualification that leads to a Green List Tier 2 occupation | Student Visa |
| 2. First job | Start work in the Tier 2 role with an accredited employer | Post-Study Work Visa or AEWV |
| 3. Qualifying period | 24 months of qualifying work (within a 30-month window) | Work visa(s) |
| 4. Residence | Apply for the Work to Residence Visa | Resident visa on approval |
| 5. Permanence | After 2 years, apply for the Permanent Resident Visa | PRV |
The course decision at stage 1 is where most of the risk sits. The occupation you are studying toward must actually appear in Tier 2 when you get there, and many Tier 2 roles carry their own entry requirements: a specific qualification level, occupational registration, or a set pay rate. Overseas qualifications generally need an International Qualification Assessment from NZQA unless exempt. Planning the qualification, the registration, and the visa sequence together is exactly the conversation to have before you enrol, not after.
What are the main requirements?
As at 24 August 2026, the core requirements are:
- 24 months of Green List Tier 2 work within the 30 months immediately before you apply. The period can be built in stretches, and legally entitled leave counts as work.
- A current job or job offer in a full-time Tier 2 role, permanent or fixed-term for at least 12 months from application, with an employer accredited under the AEWV framework.
- Pay at the required rate. Since 24 August 2026 the rate is locked at what applied to your job when you started counting your qualifying work (see the next section).
- A qualifying visa history: work visas for the full 24 months. Most applicants build the period on an AEWV, but the Post-Study Work Visa is also a work visa, which matters for graduates.
- Your occupation’s own requirements: qualification, registration, or pay level, depending on the role.
- Age 55 or under at application, plus health, character, and English language requirements.
What changed on 24 August 2026?
The wage rules were simplified. A single threshold now applies, locked at the rate in place for your job when you started counting your 24 months. If the median wage rises during your qualifying period, your experience keeps counting at your original rate; there is no higher rate to meet at the residence stage. A 5-month grace period covers the case where the required rate increased between your work visa being granted and your start date.
This removes what used to be the pathway’s nastiest surprise: losing months of counted experience to a mid-period wage review. ProVisas’ advisers cover the transition detail in their Work to Residence guide for 2026.
How should this shape your course choice?
Work backwards from the occupation, not forwards from the course. Before enrolling, check three things:
- Is the occupation on Green List Tier 2 right now, under its ANZSCO code? If it is Tier 1, even better: that is Straight to Residence, no 24-month wait.
- What are the occupation’s entry requirements on the list: qualification level, NZ registration, pay rate? Your course must actually deliver them.
- Is the employer market realistic? The pathway needs an accredited employer with a full-time role. Some fields have plenty; others are thin outside the main centres.
That check takes an hour with someone who does it every week. Joy, our International Education Adviser, maps course options against pathway requirements in a free 15-minute call, and for the immigration strategy itself she connects you with ProVisas’ licensed immigration advisers, whose Green List occupations guide is a good starting point. See also our study pathways overview and course options.
If your occupation is not on the Green List at all, residence usually runs through the Skilled Migrant Category instead; our guide to the Skilled Migrant Category for NZ graduates covers that route, including the points advantage NZ qualifications now carry.
What does it cost?
Immigration New Zealand’s fee for the residence application starts from NZD $6,450. Visa costs during the qualifying period (Post-Study Work Visa, AEWV) are separate, and any professional fees from a licensed adviser are disclosed and agreed in writing before work begins.
Current as at 24 August 2026, based on Immigration New Zealand policy. Immigration rules change; check immigration.govt.nz for the live requirements before making decisions.