Green List Tier 1 Straight to Residence New Zealand: Roles, Qualifications & Process

The Green List Tier 1 Straight to Residence pathway is the fastest route to New Zealand permanent residency available to international graduates. If you qualify, you can skip the standard multi-year work experience requirement entirely and apply for residency as soon as you have a job offer. But the qualifying conditions are precise, and the distinction between Tier 1 and Tier 2 matters enormously.

What Tier 1 Actually Means

The New Zealand Green List identifies occupations where New Zealand faces sustained, critical skill shortages. Tier 1 represents the highest-priority occupations — roles where the shortage is severe enough that INZ is willing to grant permanent residency immediately upon employment, without requiring years of local work experience first.

The practical effect: a Tier 1 graduate who secures an accredited employer job offer in their field can apply for the Straight to Residence Visa on the same day they start work — or potentially before, if they're applying from offshore. There's no waiting period. No accumulating of SMC points. No navigating the Accredited Employer Work Visa bridge.

This doesn't mean the process is simple. It means the residency eligibility is immediate once the employment conditions are met.

Current Tier 1 Occupations (2026)

Tier 1 includes high-priority technical and professional roles. Key examples:

Healthcare: General Practitioners, Specialist Physicians, General Surgeons, Psychiatrists, Clinical Psychologists, Registered Nurses (certain registration categories), Midwives.

Engineering and Technology: Civil Engineers, Software Engineers (including specific categories of ICT professionals), Acoustic Engineers, Structural Engineers.

Education: Secondary School Teachers (experienced, meeting wage threshold — this is an important caveat, discussed below).

Other critical roles: Construction Project Managers (specific ANZSCO codes).

INZ updates the Green List periodically to reflect shifting labor market demands. The list as published by INZ is the authoritative source — always verify a specific role's current Tier classification before making program selection decisions.

The Employment Conditions You Must Meet

Qualifying for Tier 1 residency isn't just about having the right job title. Three conditions must all be met:

1. The job must be from an accredited employer. The employer must be registered as an accredited employer with INZ. Many major healthcare providers, engineering firms, and schools are accredited, but you need to confirm before accepting an offer.

2. Your qualification must meet the Green List requirements. Each Tier 1 role specifies either a particular NZQCF qualification or the occupational registration required. For nursing, this means meeting the Nursing Council of New Zealand's registration requirements. For civil engineering, it typically requires at least a Level 7 Bachelor's degree in the relevant discipline. For GPs, it's full registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand.

The qualification can in some cases be from your home country — but it must meet the specific requirements listed for that role in Appendix 13 of the INZ Operational Manual. For healthcare roles in particular, overseas qualifications typically require assessment through New Zealand's professional registration bodies before they're accepted.

3. The wage must meet the threshold. Tier 1 roles require the employer to pay at or above the median wage (or at specific higher thresholds for some roles). Employment below the wage threshold doesn't qualify for residency under the Green List, even if the job title matches.

The Secondary Teaching Caveat

Secondary School Teachers are listed on Tier 1, but this pathway is specifically designed for experienced teachers, not fresh graduates. The Straight to Residence route requires meeting the wage threshold, which typically means having teaching experience that commands a competitive salary.

A new graduate from a New Zealand teaching qualification will more likely use the Post Study Work Visa first, gain teaching experience in New Zealand, and then apply for Straight to Residence once they're earning at the required level. The guide maps out this specific timeline for teaching graduates.

Studying for a Tier 1 Role: Program Selection

For students who haven't yet enrolled, choosing a program that leads directly to a Tier 1 occupation is the highest-value academic strategy available in New Zealand. It combines the 3-year open Post Study Work Visa (from a Level 7+ qualification) with the possibility of immediate residency once employment is secured.

For nursing: The Bachelor of Nursing is the primary qualification pathway, and New Zealand's nursing shortage is acute. International nurses who already hold qualifications can also pursue the Competence Assessment Programme (CAP), which can lead to registration and residency eligibility in as little as 6 to 9 months for qualified international nurses.

For engineering: A Level 7 Bachelor's degree in Civil, Structural, or Software Engineering at a recognized New Zealand institution is the standard entry point. Some postgraduate qualifications in specific disciplines also qualify.

If you're currently enrolled in a Level 7+ program, check now whether your specific qualification is listed against a Tier 1 or Tier 2 Green List occupation in Appendix 13 of the INZ Operational Manual. If it is, your post-graduation strategy is substantially different from a student in a non-Green List program.

Partner Work Rights for Tier 1 Students

Students enrolled in Level 7 or 8 programs where the qualification is explicitly linked to a Green List occupation can apply for partner work rights — their spouse or de facto partner qualifies for a Partner of a Student Work Visa with open work rights. This policy applies to both Tier 1 and Tier 2 Green List qualifications at Level 7–8.

For Level 9 (Master's) and Level 10 (PhD) students, partner work rights are available regardless of Green List alignment.

The New Zealand Student Visa + Post-Study Work Guide at /nz/student-post-study/ covers the full Green List occupation list alongside the qualification requirements for each Tier 1 role, the exact wage thresholds, and the timeline from graduation to residency application for the most common Tier 1 pathways.

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