Posted 27/08/2026
Green List Jobs and Salaries 2026
Immigration New Zealand’s Green List names the occupations the country is actively recruiting from overseas, and every listed role carries either its own fixed pay rate or the $35.00 an hour median wage floor that has applied since 9 March 2026. Two tiers sit inside the list and they lead to two different visas: a Tier 1 job offer opens a Straight to Residence application immediately, while a Tier 2 job offer leads to residence after 24 months of qualifying work in New Zealand.
This guide sets out which occupations sit in each tier, across health, engineering, technology, trades and agriculture, and the pay rate that applies to each. New Zealand Shores checks Green List eligibility for clients every week and confirms whether a specific job offer meets the qualification, registration and pay requirements before an application is lodged.
| Check your occupation before you sign a job offer
New Zealand Shores checks your occupation against the current Green List, confirms the pay rate that applies to your role, and tells you whether Straight to Residence or Work to Residence is the faster pathway. Email [email protected] or request a free eligibility assessment online. |
What the Green List Is and How the Two Tiers Work
The Green List is Immigration New Zealand’s curated register of occupations facing sustained skill shortages. A job on the list does not grant residence by itself: an applicant still needs a genuine, full-time job offer from an accredited employer, and must meet the qualification, registration and pay requirements set for that specific occupation.
The list is organised into two tiers, and each tier leads to a different residence pathway. Full detail on eligibility, application steps and required evidence sits on our main Green List Resident Visa page. The current occupation list itself is maintained and searched on the Immigration New Zealand Green List roles tool, which is the authoritative source for whether a specific job title currently qualifies.
- Straight to Residence Visa: available to applicants with a Tier 1 job offer. There is no minimum time working in the role before applying; the application can be lodged from within New Zealand or from offshore once the job offer and pay rate are confirmed.
- Work to Residence Visa: available to applicants with a Tier 2 job offer, once they have completed 24 months of qualifying full-time work in that role in New Zealand on an acceptable visa, paid at or above the threshold that applies at the time of application.
Tier 1 Occupations: Straight to Residence Pay and Requirements
Tier 1 covers the highest-demand, typically higher-skilled roles. An applicant who holds, or is offered, a full-time Tier 1 position from an accredited employer can apply for residence as soon as the qualification, registration and pay requirements for that occupation are met, without a qualifying work period in New Zealand first.
Tier 1 spans health, engineering, construction management and technology. Representative occupations include:
| Sector | Tier 1 occupation examples | Typical requirement |
| Health | Registered Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, Midwife, General Practitioner, Specialist Medical Practitioner | Registration with the relevant New Zealand health regulator plus the occupation pay rate |
| Engineering | Civil Engineer, Structural Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Mechanical Engineer | Recognised engineering qualification and Chartered Professional Engineer status or equivalent registration where required |
| Construction | Construction Project Manager, Quantity Surveyor | Relevant qualification or equivalent verified work experience, plus the occupation pay rate |
| Technology | Software Engineer, Developer Programmer, ICT Security Specialist, ICT Project Manager, Systems Administrator | Relevant qualification or three years of relevant work experience, plus the occupation pay rate |
| Education | Primary School Teacher, Secondary School Teacher, Early Childhood Teacher | Teacher registration with the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand |
Most Tier 1 occupations carry a pay rate set specifically for that role by Immigration New Zealand. Where an occupation on the list does not have its own specified rate, the applicant must still be paid at least the median wage, which has been $35.00 an hour since 9 March 2026. This list is illustrative, not exhaustive: confirm the current requirements for a specific job title on the Immigration New Zealand Green List roles tool before relying on it.
Tier 2 Occupations: Work to Residence After Two Years
Tier 2 covers skilled trades, plant operation and agricultural roles where two years of New Zealand work experience is built into the pathway. An applicant needs a Tier 2 job offer from an accredited employer, then 24 months of qualifying full-time work in that occupation, paid at or above the rate that applies, before residence can be applied for.
| Sector | Tier 2 occupation examples | Pathway note |
| Trades | Electrician, Plumber, Builder or Carpenter, Welder, Fitter, Metal Fabricator, Panel Beater | Trade certification or equivalent verified experience; ten additional trades occupations were added to Tier 2 in 2025 |
| Construction plant operation | Excavator Operator, Bulldozer Operator, Backhoe Operator | Relevant licence or verified operating experience |
| Agriculture | Dairy Cattle Farmer, Agrichemical Spraying Operator, Deer Farmer | Relevant qualification or verified farm work experience |
| Health and allied roles | Selected allied health and technician roles | Registration or qualification specific to the role |
Time spent working under an Accredited Employer Work Visa, a Critical Purpose Visitor Visa that allows work, or an interim visa following one of those counts towards the 24 months, provided the wage requirement was met throughout. Again, this table is illustrative: the Immigration New Zealand Green List roles tool confirms whether a specific job title is currently on Tier 2 and what applies to it.
Green List Pay Thresholds Explained
Pay is not optional evidence on a Green List application, it is a hard requirement checked against every job offer and every renewal. From 9 March 2026, the immigration median wage rose from $33.56 an hour to $35.00 an hour, and every Green List threshold tied to the median wage moved with it.
| Setting | Previous rate | From 9 March 2026 |
| Immigration median wage | $33.56/hour | $35.00/hour |
| Partner support, skill level 1 to 3 | $26.85/hour | $28.00/hour |
| Partner support, skill level 4 to 5 | $50.34/hour | $52.50/hour |
| Partner support, Green List | $33.56/hour | $35.00/hour |
| Green List roles with no specific pay rate: minimum pay | $33.56/hour | $35.00/hour |
| Five-year maximum stay eligibility (1.5x median wage) | $50.34/hour | $52.50/hour |
Two occupation-specific thresholds sit above the median wage floor for some roles: the five-year maximum stay setting, at 1.5 times the median wage ($52.50 an hour from 9 March 2026), and the advertising exemption, at twice the median wage ($70.00 an hour), which lets an accredited employer skip the standard job advertising step for that role. Neither applies to every Green List occupation; check the rate set for the specific job title.
From the same date, a further 47 occupations at skill levels 1 to 3 were added to the National Occupation List, which now replaces ANZSCO as New Zealand’s occupation classification framework. This affects how every skilled work application, including Green List applications, is coded and assessed, not only which jobs appear on the Green List itself.
Partner Support Under the Green List Pathway
A principal applicant on a Green List work visa can usually bring a partner on a Partner of a Worker visa, provided the partner meets a pay-based support requirement rather than needing their own skilled job offer. For Green List principal applicants, that support threshold rose to $35.00 an hour from 9 March 2026, up from $33.56 an hour. This is a separate figure from the skill level 1 to 3 and skill level 4 to 5 partner support rates that apply to other work visa categories, shown in the table above.
When to Apply and What to Prepare
Anything lodged from 9 March 2026 onward is assessed against the current figures, including the $35.00 an hour median wage floor. An employer accreditation or Job Check approved before the change does not lock in the old pay rate for an application filed after it.
- Confirm registration or qualification recognition early. Health and engineering roles in particular can take months to get registered with the relevant New Zealand body, and residence cannot be applied for until registration is in place.
- Get the pay rate agreed in writing before the job offer is finalised. An offer that sits just under the applicable threshold will be declined on pay grounds alone, regardless of how strong the rest of the application is.
- For Tier 2 roles, keep payslips and time records for the full 24-month qualifying period. Immigration New Zealand checks that the wage requirement was met continuously, not only at the point of application.
- Check the employer holds current Immigration New Zealand accreditation before accepting an offer. A job offer from an unaccredited employer does not meet Green List requirements no matter how well it pays. New Zealand Shores helps employers daily, with applying for, or renewing their accreditation.
How New Zealand Shores Helps
Our licensed immigration advisers work through Green List applications from the first eligibility check to the lodged application.
- We confirm which tier a specific job title sits in, and check the pay offered against the current occupation threshold before an offer is accepted.
- We verify qualification and registration requirements against the New Zealand regulator for the occupation, so gaps are identified before they delay an application.
- We track the 24-month qualifying period for Tier 2 clients and prepare the Work to Residence application once the requirement is met.
- We prepare and lodge Straight to Residence and Work to Residence applications on Immigration New Zealand’s online application system to the standard required for approval.
| Find out if your job qualifies for the Green List
Contact New Zealand Shores for a free eligibility assessment: [email protected] | www.newzealandshores.com |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Tier 1 and Tier 2 on the Green List?
Tier 1 leads to a Straight to Residence Visa, which can be applied for as soon as an applicant has a qualifying job offer and meets the pay, qualification and registration requirements for that occupation. Tier 2 leads to a Work to Residence Visa, which requires 24 months of qualifying full-time work in the role in New Zealand before residence can be applied for.
What is the minimum pay rate for a Green List job in 2026?
Many Green List occupations carry their own pay rate set by Immigration New Zealand. Where a listed occupation has no specific rate, the applicant must be paid at least the median wage, which has been $35.00 an hour since 9 March 2026. Some occupations require pay above this floor, and you may be able to apply under the Work to residency pathway on less than $35 if you commenced accruing experience before 9 March 2026.
Do I need a job offer from an accredited employer for the Green List?
Yes. Every Green List pathway requires a genuine, full-time job offer from an employer that holds current Immigration New Zealand accreditation. An offer from a non-accredited employer does not meet the requirement, regardless of the occupation or pay rate offered.
Can I bring my partner with me on a Green List visa?
In most cases, yes, on a Partner of a Worker visa. From 9 March 2026, the pay-based partner support threshold for Green List principal applicants is $35.00 an hour, up from $33.56 an hour. Other visa categories use different skill-level-based partner support thresholds.
What happens if my Green List job does not have its own pay rate set?
The occupation falls back to the general median wage floor, which is $35.00 an hour from 9 March 2026. If the job offer pays below that figure, the application will not meet the Green List pay requirement, even if the occupation title is on the list.
How long does it take to qualify for residence on a Tier 2 Green List job?
A Tier 2 applicant needs 24 months of qualifying full-time work in the listed occupation in New Zealand, on an acceptable visa, paid at or above the threshold throughout that period. Once those 24 months are complete and the wage requirement was met at the time you started accrueing experience, a Work to Residence application can be lodged.
Is the Green List occupation list the same as ANZSCO?
No. The Green List is a separate, curated register of specific in-demand occupations. From 9 March 2026, the broader occupation classification framework used across New Zealand’s skilled work visa system moved from ANZSCO to the National Occupation List, which also added 47 further occupations at skill levels 1 to 3. This change affects how occupations are coded across the immigration system; it does not by itself change which specific roles sit on the Green List.