Green List Straight to Residence Pathway Opening

As announced by Immigration New Zealand (INZ) earlier, the Green List Straight to Residence pathway opens at 10 AM on 5 September 2022.

Migrants employed in New Zealand in a role on the Green List may qualify for a Straight to Residence Visa or a Work to Residence Visa. These roles have registration, qualification, or experience requirements, and their partners will have open work rights. This residence pathway will be limited to migrants 55 years or younger, which is aligned with the Skilled Migrant Category requirements.

The eligibility criteria for the straight to residence, work to residence, and highly paid skilled residence categories have been covered in detail here.

The application fee and immigration levy will be between NZD $4,020 and NZD $4,890 depending on whether someone is applying from within New Zealand or another part of the world. These fees include Goods and Services Tax (GST) and exclude the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL).