New occupations on the Green List for health workers
What is the Green List?
The Green list is a list of occupations that are in shortage in New Zealand. To attract skilled migrants, the Government is therefore offering a preferred pathway to securing residence in New Zealand for people with these skillsets.
Occupations under “tier 1” of the Green list offer a straight to residence pathway. Occupations under “tier 2” offer a pathway after working for 2 years in residence.
The Green List now has a total of 48 roles in the health sector, all of which are the Straight to Residence pathway, allowing a migrant to apply directly for residence upon securing a job offer.
Today’s announcement is a significant step in attracting more people to come and work in our health system.
NZ’s Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall
What are the changes?
From 29 May 2023, the following occupations are added to or update on the Green list.
New Green list roles (Straight to Residence)
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- Addiction practitioner/alcohol & drug clinician
- Audiometrist
- Chiropractor
- Clinical dental technician
- Clinical physiologists (sleep, renal, exercise, respiratory, neurology, and cardiac)
- Counsellor
- Dental specialists
- Dental technician
- Dental therapist
- Dentist
- Dietician
- Dispensing optician
- Drug and alcohol counsellor
- Enrolled nurse
- Genetic counsellor
- Medical laboratory pre-analytical technician
- Medical resonance imaging technologist
- Nuclear medicine technologist
- Nurse practitioner
- Optometrist
- Oral health therapist
- Orthotic and prosthetic technician
- Orthotist/prosthetist
- Osteopath
- Paramedic/emergency medical technician
- Perfusionist (cardiac)
- Pharmacist
- Physiotherapist
- Play therapist (hospital)
- Social worker
- Speech language therapist
- Sterile processing technician
Roles moving from Green List Tier 2 to Tier 1 (Straight to residence)
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- Anaesthetic Technician
- Audiologist
- Medical imaging technologist
- Medical laboratory technician
- Medical radiation therapist
- Occupational therapist.
- Podiatrist
- Sonographer
Existing roles on Green List Tier 1 (Straight to Residence)
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- Clinical Psychologists
- Medical laboratory scientist
- Medical practitioners (doctors)
- Midwife
- Orthoptist
- Physicist (Medical)
- Psychologists
- Registered Nurse
What about care and support workers?
Care and support workers are not included in these updates. However, note that they do have two year work to residence pathway under the Care Workforce Sector Agreement.
What about other sectors and roles?
Outside of the health sector, many other roles feature on the Green list.