From AEWV to Residence: The Pathways That Actually Work
The Accredited Employer Work Visa is temporary, but it feeds four residence routes: Green List Tier 1 (apply directly), Green List Tier 2 (24 months in the role first), the Skilled Migrant Category, and the Care Workforce and Transport sector work-to-residence visas. Which one fits depends on the occupation, not the worker.
Quick Facts
| Does the AEWV lead to residence? | Yes — depending on the job. Not automatically |
| Skilled residence fee | NZ$6,450 = NZ$2,880 application fee + NZ$3,570 immigration levy |
| Green List Tier 1 | Direct residence application — no waiting period |
| Green List Tier 2 | 24 months working in New Zealand in a Tier 2 role |
| Skilled Migrant Category | 6 points, plus employment with an accredited employer |
| SMC age limit | 55 or younger at the date of application |
| SMC skilled work thresholds | From 9 March 2026: NZ$35.00 an hour at skill levels 1–3, NZ$52.50 at levels 4–5 |
| Processing | Straight to Residence 3 months (80%) · Work to Residence 3.5 months · SMC 4 months (as published 20 August 2026) |
| Classification trap | Residence pathways run on ANZSCO; work visas run on the National Occupation List |
| Re-check after | 24 August 2026 — the Skilled Migrant Category restructures that day |
The one thing to understand first
An Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) does not convert into residence. It puts you in a position — legally in New Zealand, working for an accredited employer, accumulating New Zealand work experience — from which a separate residence application becomes possible.
Whether it becomes possible depends almost entirely on the occupation. Two people can hold identical AEWVs, earn identical salaries and work identical hours, and one has a direct residence route while the other has none. That is not unfair administration; it is how the system is designed. Some occupations have no Green List pathway at all — see occupations with no Green List pathway.
The classification trap that bites almost everyone
New Zealand runs two occupation classification systems at once, and they do not cover the same ground.
| System | What it governs | Since |
|---|---|---|
| National Occupation List (NOL) | AEWV and Job Check applications | 3 November 2025 |
| ANZSCO | The Green List and the Skilled Migrant Category | Legacy system, still in force for residence |
The consequence is direct: a migrant may need their occupation identified under the NOL for the work visa, and under ANZSCO for the residence pathway, in the same journey. INZ maintains both reference tools side by side.
This matters most where the two systems classify a role differently, or where an occupation exists cleanly in one and awkwardly in the other. A job that qualifies for a work visa under the NOL is not thereby on the Green List, because the Green List is indexed by ANZSCO code. Check the occupation in both systems before building a plan around it. See ANZSCO vs the National Occupation List.
Route 1 — Green List Tier 1: Straight to Residence
Tier 1 roles allow a direct residence application. There is no qualifying period of New Zealand work.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Age | 55 or younger |
| Job | Offer or current employment in a Tier 1 Green List role with an accredited employer |
| Pay | At least NZ$35.00 an hour, or the rate specified for the role |
| Job terms | Permanent, fixed-term of 12+ months, or contract of 6+ months |
| English | Must speak and understand English |
| Health and character | Medicals and police certificates |
| Family | Partner and dependent children 24 or younger may be included |
| Arrival | Must arrive within 12 months |
| Fee | From NZ$6,450 |
| Processing | 80% within 3 months |
| Onward | Permanent Resident Visa available after 2 years |
Green List roles also process faster on the temporary side — Job Check in two days average and four days for 80%, and work visas in two weeks average and six weeks for 80%, against four and eight weeks for other roles. That is not a paid service; it is how INZ prioritises those occupations.
See Straight to Residence Visa explained and Green List Tier 1.
Route 2 — Green List Tier 2: Work to Residence
Tier 2 roles require 24 months working in New Zealand in a Tier 2 job before a residence application can be made.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Age | 55 or younger |
| New Zealand work | 24 months in a Tier 2 Green List job |
| Current job | Full-time, permanent or fixed-term of 12+ months, with an accredited employer |
| Pay | The rate specified for the Tier 2 role, or NZ$35.00 an hour |
| English | Required |
| Fee | From NZ$6,450 |
| Processing | 80% within 3.5 months |
Ten trades occupations were added to Tier 2 on 18 August 2025: metal fabricator, metal machinist (first class), fitter (general), fitter and turner, fitter-welder, pressure welder, welder, panel beater, vehicle painter and paving plant operator. Residence for those roles requires two years' New Zealand experience in the occupation plus current employment with an accredited employer.
Do not expect a fixed review cycle for the Green List. There is none — changes are ad-hoc ministerial announcements, and they can add or remove roles. Six transport roles were removed on 7 April 2024; ten trades were added in August 2025. See Green List changes and review cycle.
Route 3 — The Skilled Migrant Category
The Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) is the points route. Under the current system it requires 6 points and employment with an accredited employer. There is no periodic selection event and no queue position to watch: the system has run on a points threshold since October 2023.
Age limit: 55 or younger at the date of application.
Skilled work thresholds from 9 March 2026 — the pay a job must meet for the work to count as skilled:
| ANZSCO skill level | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Levels 1–3 | NZ$35.00 an hour (1.0× the immigration median wage) |
| Levels 4–5, and unlisted occupations | NZ$52.50 an hour (1.5× the median wage) |
Fee: NZ$6,450, being NZ$2,880 plus a NZ$3,570 immigration levy. Processing: 10 weeks average, four months for 80% of applications.
See Skilled Migrant Category explained and SMC wage thresholds.
⚠️ The Skilled Migrant Category restructures on 24 August 2026
Two new pathways sit alongside the points system from that date:
- Skilled Work Experience pathway — a current job in an ANZSCO skill level 1–3 occupation paid at 1.1× the SMC wage threshold (NZ$38.50 an hour against the current NZ$35.00 threshold), with relevant experience including New Zealand experience.
- Trades and Technician pathway — an eligible trades or technician occupation paid at the SMC wage threshold with no multiplier, a qualification at NZQF Level 4 or above, and post-qualification experience including New Zealand experience.
Both come with a red list of occupations that are ineligible for the new pathways, and an amber list of occupations that face longer experience requirements at a higher wage multiple. ANZSCO skill level 4–5 occupations are ineligible for the two new pathways entirely.
Three cautions, all of which matter more than the summary above:
- The full new points table is published. A New Zealand bachelor's degree is worth 5 points, an overseas bachelor's 4, and two years of New Zealand experience earns 3 — see Skilled Migrant Category points, explained.
- The full red and amber occupation lists were not published either. Only example occupations are known.
- Draft expressions of interest expire and are deleted on 24 August 2026. An EOI must be submitted before that date to be assessed under the current rules.
This page should be re-checked on or after 24 August 2026. Anything written about the SMC before that date is written about a system that is changing. See Skilled Migrant Category changes explained and SMC three pathways compared.
Route 4 — Sector work-to-residence visas
Two sector-specific routes exist for occupations that sit outside the Green List but are treated as priorities.
Care Workforce Work to Residence — open. Age 55 or younger; 24 months of care-sector work in New Zealand within the preceding 30 months; current job permanent or fixed-term of 12+ months with an accredited employer; English required; pay threshold NZ$28.25 an hour or salary equivalent for work from 1 July 2022; nine qualifying care roles; dependent children under 25 may be included. Fee NZ$6,450.
Transport Sector Work to Residence — open. Age 55 or younger; 24 months in an acceptable transport job in New Zealand within the preceding 30 months, holding a valid work visa throughout; accredited employer; English, health and character requirements. Pay thresholds: general approved transport jobs NZ$35.00 an hour; bus drivers NZ$28.00; truck drivers NZ$31.61.
See Care Workforce Work to Residence and Transport Work to Residence.
The four routes side by side
| Green List Tier 1 | Green List Tier 2 | Skilled Migrant Category | Care / Transport | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ work first? | No | 24 months in the role | Employment with an accredited employer | 24 months in the sector |
| Age limit | 55 or younger | 55 or younger | 55 or younger | 55 or younger |
| Selection basis | Occupation on the list | Occupation on the list | 6 points | Occupation and sector |
| Classification used | ANZSCO | ANZSCO | ANZSCO | Sector rules |
| Fee | NZ$6,450 | NZ$6,450 | NZ$6,450 | NZ$6,450 |
| 80% decided within | 3 months | 3.5 months | 4 months | Use INZ's processing tool |
| Changing 24 Aug 2026? | Wage-threshold grace rules apply | Wage-threshold grace rules apply | Yes — substantially | Wage-threshold grace rules apply |
Timing against your maximum continuous stay
Residence applications take months, and your AEWV does not wait. Maximum continuous stay is up to five years at skill levels 1–3 and three years at levels 4–5. Reaching it without a residence application decided means leaving and serving a stand-down of normally 12 months in a row outside New Zealand.
Working backwards is the only approach that survives contact with reality:
Step 1: Identify the occupation under both classifications
Find the role under the National Occupation List (which governs your work visa) and under ANZSCO (which governs the Green List and the SMC). Note the skill level in each. If they differ, that difference is your planning problem.
Step 2: Check whether the occupation appears on a residence list
Green List Tier 1, Green List Tier 2, an approved transport occupation, one of the nine care roles — or none of them, in which case the SMC points route is the remaining option and the red and amber lists become relevant from 24 August 2026.
Step 3: Count backwards from your maximum stay
Take the date your maximum continuous stay ends. Subtract the processing time for the route (three to four months for 80% of applicants). Subtract the qualifying period if there is one — 24 months for Tier 2, Care and Transport. What remains is the window in which the qualifying work has to start.
Step 4: Get the assessment done by someone licensed to make it
Whether you meet a pathway's requirements is a tailored assessment. Under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, only a licensed immigration adviser or a New Zealand lawyer may make it. Publishing the criteria, as this page does, is general information. Applying them to a person is not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the AEWV lead to residency in New Zealand?
It can, depending on the job. The visa itself is temporary, but it can support a separate residence application through Green List Tier 1 or Tier 2, the Skilled Migrant Category, or the Care Workforce and Transport work-to-residence visas. Occupations outside all of those have no direct pathway.
How long does it take to go from an AEWV to residence?
There is no single answer, because the qualifying periods differ: Green List Tier 1 has none, while Tier 2, Care Workforce and Transport each require 24 months of qualifying New Zealand work. On top of that, 80% of residence applications are decided within three to four months depending on the visa.
How many points do I need for the Skilled Migrant Category?
Six, under the system in force to 23 August 2026, along with employment with an accredited employer. From 24 August 2026 the points pathway continues alongside two new pathways, and the point values change: a New Zealand bachelor's degree is worth 5 points, an overseas bachelor's 4, and two years of skilled New Zealand work experience earns 3.
Is there an age limit for New Zealand residence?
The skilled residence pathways covered here — Straight to Residence, Work to Residence, Care Workforce, Transport and the Skilled Migrant Category — require applicants to be 55 or younger. See residence age limit explained.
How much does New Zealand residence cost?
The skilled residence categories cost NZ$6,450, made up of a NZ$2,880 application fee and a NZ$3,570 immigration levy. INZ publishes only the combined figure. There has been no general fee or levy increase in 2025 or 2026.
Can I count my overseas experience toward the Tier 2 24-month requirement?
The Tier 2 requirement is 24 months worked in New Zealand in a Tier 2 Green List job. From 24 August 2026, a certificate of service may substitute for tax records as evidence of overseas experience in the Skilled Migrant Category — but that is an evidence rule for a different pathway, not a way to count overseas time toward Tier 2.
What happens to my residence application if I change jobs?
Employment with an accredited employer is central to every one of these routes, and several of them specify the job terms as well. Changing roles mid-process has consequences that depend on the route and the timing, which makes it a question for a licensed adviser rather than a general guide. Changing employers on an AEWV explains the work visa side.
Do I get permanent residence straight away?
No. A resident visa comes first. A Permanent Resident Visa, which gives unrestricted travel rights, becomes available after two consecutive years meeting the conditions of the resident visa. See permanent resident visa explained.
