Work Visa New Zealand (AEWV)

Do you want to apply for a New Zealand Work Visa?

Live & Work in New Zealand

An Accredited Employer Work Visa allows you to work in New Zealand for an Accredited Employer in a position that you have the skills and/or qualifications for.

What it means to obtain a New Zealand Work Visa

This visa is generally granted for 5 years (in some cases, 3 years) and, obtaining this visa in New Zealand allows you to:

  • Work in New Zealand for an accredited employer who has offered you at least 30 hours work a week.
  • Support a work visa for your partner and visitor or student visas for your dependent children.
  • Study for up to 3 months in any 12-month period, or do any study required as part of your employment.
  • If you are eligible, apply for a Straight to Residence Visa, Work to Residence Visa, Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa or Transport Work to Residence Visa.
  • If you are eligible, use skilled work experience in New Zealand to claim points towards the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa.

New Zealand Skilled Residence Pathways

There are 3 skills-based pathways that allow you to get New Zealand residence if you meet the eligibility criteria:

  • the Green List pathway through the Straight to Residence Visa and Work to Residence Visa
  • the Care Workforce and Transport Sector Agreement pathways
  • the Skilled Migrant Resident pathway.

Some of the visas on these pathways allow you to apply for residence straight away, such as the Straight to Residence Visa. Other pathways may require you to work in New Zealand before you can apply for residence, such as the Work to Residence Visa.

The Green List

The Green List makes it easier for New Zealand employers to hire and attract migrants for specified high skilled, hard-to-fill occupations, with residence pathways for eligible migrants.

The Green List includes just under 200 highly skilled roles that have been identified as being in high demand globally and in ongoing shortage in New Zealand.

These roles often have professional registration, qualification or experience requirements and some roles have a minimum remuneration requirement.

Eligible migrants working in these occupations will have clear pathways to residence and, in many cases, their partners will have open work rights.

The Green List is about making it easier to attract globally in-demand workers.

Ready to get your New Zealand Work Visa?

Simply fill in this form to get in touch with our Licensed advisor to book a free consultation regarding your New Zealand Work Visa.

Let's get started.

New Zealand Green List Tier 1 (Straight to Res)

New Zealand is actively seeking skilled professionals across a wide range of industries — and the Green List provides one of the most direct pathways to live and work in the country.

Whether you’re an engineer, healthcare professional, tradesperson, teacher, IT specialist or farm manager, the Green List may offer you a fast-track to residency.

Below is a complete breakdown of the Tier 1 (Straight-to-Residence) and Tier 2 (Work-to-Residence) occupations.

You can apply for residence immediately if you:

✔ Secure a job from an Accredited Employer
✔ Meet qualification/salary/experience criteria

Business Professionals

  • External Auditor

  • Internal Auditor

Construction

  • Construction Project Manager

  • Project Builder (including Building Project Manager & Site Foreman)

  • Quantity Surveyor

  • Surveyor

Engineering

  • Aeronautical/Aerospace/Avionics/Aviation Engineer

  • Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Avionics)

  • Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Mechanical)

  • Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Structures)

  • Chemical Engineer

  • Civil Engineer

  • Civil Engineering Technician

  • Electrical Engineer

  • Electrical Engineering Technician

  • Electronic Engineering Technician

  • Electronics Engineer

  • Engineering Professionals nec

  • Environmental Engineer

  • Geotechnical Engineer

  • Industrial Engineer

  • Materials Engineer

  • Mechanical Engineer

  • Mechanical Engineering Technician

  • Naval Architect/Marine Designer

  • Production or Plant Engineer

  • Structural Engineer

  • Telecommunications Engineer

  • Telecommunications Network Engineer

Health & Social Services

  • Addiction Practitioner / Alcohol & Drug Clinician

  • Ambulance Paramedic

  • Anaesthetic Technician

  • Anaesthetist

  • Audiologist

  • Audiometrist

  • Cardiologist

  • Cardiothoracic Surgeon

  • Careers Counsellor

  • Chiropractor

  • Clinical Dental Technician

  • Dental Prosthetist

  • Clinical Haematologist

  • Clinical Physiologist

  • Clinical Psychologist

  • Counsellors NEC

  • Dental Specialist

  • Dental Technician

  • Dental Therapist

  • Dentist

  • Dermatologist

  • Diagnostic & Interventional Radiologist

  • Dietician

  • Dispensing Optician

  • Drug & Alcohol Counsellor

  • Educational Psychologist

  • Emergency Medicine Specialist

  • Endocrinologist

  • Endodontist

  • Enrolled Nurse

  • Family & Marriage Counsellor

  • Gastroenterologist

  • General Practitioner

  • Genetic Counsellor

  • Hospital Pharmacist

  • Industrial Pharmacist

  • Intensive Care Specialist

  • MRI Technologist

  • Medical Imaging Technologist

  • Medical Laboratory Pre-Analytical Technician

  • Medical Laboratory Scientist

  • Medical Laboratory Technician

  • Medical Oncologist

  • Medical Practitioners nec

  • Medical Radiation Therapist

  • Midwife

  • Neurologist

  • Neurosurgeon

  • Nuclear Medicine Technologist

  • Nurse Practitioner

  • Obstetrician & Gynaecologist

  • Occupational Therapist

  • Operating Theatre Technician

  • Ophthalmologist

  • Optometrist

  • Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon

  • Oral Health Therapist

  • Oral Medicine Specialist

  • Oral Pathologist

  • Oral Surgery Specialist

  • Organisational Psychologist

  • Orthodontist

  • Orthopaedic Surgeon

  • Orthoptist

  • Orthotic & Prosthetic Technician

  • Orthotist/Prosthetist

  • Osteopath

  • ENT Specialist

  • Paediatric Surgeon

  • Paediatrician

  • Paedodontist

  • Pathologist

  • Perfusionist (cardiac)

  • Periodontist

  • Medical Physicist

  • Physiotherapist

  • Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon

  • Play Therapist (hospital)

  • Podiatrist

  • Prosthodontist

  • Psychiatrist

  • Psychologists nec

  • Psychotherapist

  • Public Health Dentistry Specialist

  • Radiation Oncologist

  • Registered Nurses (all specialties — list retained exactly)

  • Rehabilitation Counsellor

  • Renal Medicine Specialist

  • Resident Medical Officer

  • Restorative Dentistry Specialist

  • Retail Pharmacist

  • Rheumatologist

  • Primary School Teacher

  • Māori-medium Primary & Senior Teachers

  • Middle School Teacher

  • Secondary School Teacher

  • Social Worker

  • Sonographer

  • Special Needs Dentistry Specialist

  • Specialist Physician (General Medicine)

  • Specialist Physicians nec

  • Speech Language Therapist

  • Sterilisation Technician

  • Student Counsellor

  • General Surgeon

  • Thoracic Medicine Specialist

  • Urologist

  • Vascular Surgeon

  • Veterinarian

Primary Industries, Science

  • Other Spatial Scientist

  • Environmental Research Scientist

  • Food Technologist

ICT, Electronics & Telecommunications

  • Analyst Programmer

  • Chief Information Officer

  • Database Administrator

  • Developer Programmer

  • ICT Managers nec

  • ICT Project Manager

  • ICT Security Specialist

  • Multimedia Specialist

  • Software & Applications Programmers nec

  • Software Engineer

  • Software Tester

  • Systems Administrator

New Zealand Green List Tier 2 (Work to Res)

Eligible migrants in these occupations can apply for residence after 2 years.

Construction

  • Building Associate

  • Building Construction Supervisor

  • Crane, Hoist or Lifter Operator

Factory Processing

  • Worker Slaughterer

Education & Social Services

  • Early Childhood (Pre-primary) Teacher – Registered

  • School Principal

  • Special Education Teachers nec

  • Special Needs Teacher

  • Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages

  • Teacher of the Hearing Impaired

  • Teacher of the Sight Impaired

ICT, Electronics & Telecoms

  • Telecommunications Technician

Civil Machinery Operators

  • Earthmoving Plant Operator (General)

  • Backhoe Operator

  • Bulldozer Operator

  • Excavator Operator

  • Grader Operator

  • Loader Operator

  • Paving Plant Operator

Trades

  • Automotive Electrician

  • Diesel Motor Mechanic (including Heavy Vehicle Inspector)

  • Drainlayer

  • Electrician (General)

  • Fitter (General)

  • Fitter & Turner

  • Fitter-Welder

  • Gasfitter

  • Metal Fabricator

  • Metal Machinist

  • Motor Mechanic (General)

  • Motorcycle Mechanic

  • Panelbeater

  • Plumber (General)

  • Pressure Welder

  • Vehicle Painter

  • Welders

Agriculture

  • Dairy Cattle Farmer / Farm Manager / Assistant Manager / Herd Manager

Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa

This visa is for people who have skills that will contribute to New Zealand’s economic growth.  You must have a job or job offer in skilled employment in New Zealand and your job must pay at least the median wage.

You need an acceptable job or job offer in New Zealand and you need to be able to claim a minimum of 6 points to apply for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa. This can be made up from:

  • 3 to 6 points based on New Zealand occupational registration, qualifications, or income, and
  • 1 point for each year of work experience in New Zealand in a skilled job, up to a maximum of 3 points.

You can achieve 6 points in 4 different ways.  You can receive 6 points if you have:

  • New Zealand registration in a specified occupation, requiring at least 6 years’ training, or
  • a PhD or doctorate, or
  • a job or job offer in New Zealand which pays at least 3 times the median wage.

Any 1 of these is worth 6 points and you can apply for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa with no skilled work in New Zealand.

You can receive 5 points if you have:

  • New Zealand registration in a specified occupation, requiring at least 5 years’ training, or
  • a Master’s degree.

Either of these is worth 5 points. You can receive an additional point for 1 year’s skilled work in New Zealand on any work visa. With this, you will have 6 points, and you can apply for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa.

You can receive 4 points if you have

  • New Zealand registration in a specified occupation, requiring at least 4 years’ training, or
  • an Honours Degree or Post-graduate Diploma, or
  • a job or job offer in New Zealand which pays at least 2 times the median wage.

You can receive an additional 2 points for 2 year’s skilled work in New Zealand on any work visa.

With this, you will have 6 points, and you can apply for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa.

You can receive 3 points if you have:

  • New Zealand registration in a specified occupation, requiring at least 2 years’ training, or
  • a Bachelor’s Degree or Post-graduate Certificate, or
  • a job or job offer in New Zealand which pays at least 1.5 times the median wage.

You can receive an additional 3 points for 3 year’s skilled work in New Zealand on any work visa.

With this, you will have 6 points, and you can apply for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa.

Free Assessment & Consult

Once we receive your CV, age, marital status and family structure, we will provide you with a full assessment and free consultation to discuss your pathway into your country of choice.

Doc Checks & Visa Applications

Our amazing team of file managers will ensure that your visa application to your country of choice is successful and as stress-free as possible.

Job Search & Recruitment

We provide you with ACTUAL job search training, consisting of 5-6 hours of face to face training, as well as market your new CV to relevant recruiters and employers.

Relocation Services

We provide assistance with your relocation process to your country of choice. Consisting of flight tickets, banking, money transfer, pet and furniture relocation and much more!

Get in touch today for your New Zealand Work Visa

We can assist you on your journey to start working in New Zealand.

Looking for more Information?

We’d love to take your call if you have any questions regarding your migration journey, or about our offerings.

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Here's what our clients have to say

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Frederic Iva
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I use Network Migration Services for my AEWV visa and Andrew help me well to pass through multiple steps.He was an helpful person to complete the documents .We couldn't do it alone.Samantha gave me some tips for upgrade my LinkedIn profile.I recommended them.
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Vivica Schultz
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Our journey with Network Migration started back in 2023 when they helped us with our move to New Zealand, and they have continued to support our family throughout our immigration journey right up until today. We especially want to thank Andrew, Liz and the entire Network Migration team. Over the years, they have become such an important part of our immigration journey. From preparing documentation and communicating with us, to helping us understand the process and explaining the costs involved, we have always felt supported and guided. Immigration is honestly such a stressful roller coaster. Visas cost an arm and a leg, there is so much documentation involved, and when you’re dealing with something that can determine your family’s future, the uncertainty can be incredibly overwhelming. Having knowledgeable and reliable people beside you who make sure your documentation is correct, explain what to expect and guide you through each stage makes such a difference. We have definitely hit a few speed bumps along the way, including one particularly stressful situation where we were absolutely panicking. Andrew, Liz and their team were right there with us, helping us understand what was happening, guiding us through our options and doing everything they could to assist us. In the end, we received the result we had been praying for, and the relief and gratitude we felt was enormous. What has stood out to us throughout this journey is their reliability and genuine support. When things are going smoothly, they are there, and when things become complicated or stressful, they don’t disappear. You genuinely feel like you have people in your corner who understand just how important this journey is to you and your family. We are incredibly grateful to Andrew, Liz and everyone at Network Migration for all the work they have put into our journey since 2023. Immigration can be scary, expensive and emotional, but having the right people supporting you through it is absolutely worth it. Thank you for being part of our journey and for helping our family continue building our life here in New Zealand. 🇳🇿❤️ We would absolutely recommend Network Migration to anyone looking for professional, knowledgeable, reliable and genuinely supportive immigration guidance.
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Justin Steyn
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Andrew and Liz have been our guiding stars from day 1, until recent receipt of Permanent Residency. All questions and concerns were dealt with with reassurance and confidence. If you"re looking for a good immigration consultancy, look no further! Forever grateful!
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Marc Kobrin
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Good service and communication facilitates the immigration process and keeps you abreast of the status of your application. Guides you on how to look for employment and what steps to take to secure a work visa, assists in the process of submitting the paperwork for residency, and permanent residency visas
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Wynelle Benadie
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Dear Network Migration Team, Thank you for the amazingly great service we have received! From reminding us to keep calm to answering the same questions 100 times without hesitation. Chandre is an absolute gem to the team! She treated us as a family and not just another client. Keep up the great work guys!
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Bjorn Williams
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This a life changing company! They on top of every new change regarding immigration. Assisted me and my family with all they got! Caring about the people's life abroad and stewardship of them is nothing but to be grateful for.🙏🏼me and my family and friends recommend Network immigration as there are heeps of scams out there.. Thank you again guys for baring with us !
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Jacques Strydom
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Highly recommend this service if you want to remove the headache from migration.
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Keilah Mhangara
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Andrew and his team were just brilliant. From providing me with resources to get a job, to applying for a Work Visa, and to applying for my Residence Visa; the process was smooth. Communication was top tier with never having to stress about where things were or what to expect. I’d recommend NMS all day long. Truly the best at what they do.
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Louisa Joubert
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I will recommend Network Migration Services to anyone who wants their visa applications to go smoothly. Andrew and Samantha did a great job at guiding us through the process and having endless patience with all our questions.

Get in touch with us

Eager to start the process but unsure of where to start? We’d love to hear from you and answer any questions you might have. 

Head office - JHB

Mulberry Hill Office Park, Unit 16, 1st Floor, Broadacres Drive, Fourways, Sandton Postnet Suite #1958, Private BagX153, Bryanston, 2021

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Monday - Friday: 08:00 - 16:00 Hrs

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