The eligibility criteria for the 2021 Resident Visa focuses on people whose primary purpose for being in New Zealand is to work.
Partners and dependent children, including those currently outside New Zealand, can be included in residence applications.
Applications will open in two phases from 1 December 2021 for:
- people who have already applied for residence under the Skilled Migrant or Residence from Work categories on or before 29 September 2021, or
- people who have submitted a Skilled Migrant Category Expression of Interest, and have included a dependent child in the Expression of Interest aged 17 years or older on 29 September 2021.
Applications open from 1 March 2022 for remaining eligible applicants.
All applications must be submitted by 31 July 2022.
Eligibility under the settled, skilled or scarce streams
You must have met the criteria on 29 September 2021 and on the date you submit your application. You can be on a different eligible work visa than the one you held on 29 September 2021 on the date you apply for the 2021 Resident Visa.
To be eligible you must:
- have been in New Zealand on 29 September 2021, and
- be on an eligible visa on 29 September 2021, or have an application submitted for an eligible visa on 29 September 2021 that was later granted.
You must also meet ONE of these three criteria:
- (‘settled’ criteria) have lived in New Zealand for the past three or more years, OR
- (‘skilled’ criteria) earn at or above the median wage ($27 per hour), OR
- (‘scarce’ criteria) work in a role on a scarce list.
If you meet the criteria for eligibility but were in Australia on 29 September 2021 and were unable to return to New Zealand by that date, you may be considered eligible but you must be in New Zealand when you apply.
If you leave New Zealand after submitting your application, your residence visa will not be able to be processed until you re-enter New Zealand. These applications would be put on hold. Entry to New Zealand is currently restricted to those who meet the border exception criteria.
Eligible visas
On 29 September all applicants must have been on (or have applied for and later granted) one of the following visas:
- Post Study Work Visa
- Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa
- Essential Skills Work Visa
- Religious Worker Work Visa
- Talent (Arts, Culture, Sports) Work Visa
- Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa
- Silver Fern Practical Experience Work Visa
- Trafficking Victim Work Visa
- Migrant Exploitation Protection Work Visa
- Skilled Migrant Category Job Search Work Visa
- Victims of Family Violence Work Visa
- South Island Contribution Work Visa
- Work Visa granted under Section 61 of the Immigration Act (provided the applicant held any of the visas above within 6 months before being granted a Section 61 visa)
- Some Critical Purpose Visitor Visas (CPVV)
Short-term visa holders are not eligible, such as visitors, students, working holiday makers, and seasonal workers like those on the Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme or those who enter as short-term critical workers.
‘Settled’ criteria
To be eligible under the ‘settled’ criteria, you must have lived in New Zealand for the past three or more years and
- have arrived in New Zealand on or before 29 September 2018, and
- have spent a minimum of 821 days in New Zealand between 29 September 2018 and 29 September 2021 (inclusive).
The time spent in New Zealand does not need to be consecutive. There is no minimum amount within a calendar year.
Most people will be able to work out how long they have spent outside of New Zealand in the last three years, but if you need to check how much time you have spent in New Zealand, you can request your travel movements from the Immigration Contact Centre. Most eligible work visa holders are expected to meet the ‘settled’ criteria. INZ will use border movement records to decide if you meet this criteria.
The application form will ask about the time spent in New Zealand. You will not need to provide evidence of your ‘settled’ eligibility unless asked to do so by an immigration officer.
‘Skilled’ criteria
If you haven’t been here for three or more years you may be eligible under the ‘skilled’ criteria.
To meet the skilled criteria, you must be paid the median wage of $27 per hour or more on 29 September 2021. Your job must be genuine full time work for an average of at least 30 hours per week.
Pay rates will be calculated the same way as Skilled Migrant and Essential Skills applications.
If you are a self-employed contractor with a consistent history of contract work and a current contract you are eligible for the 2021 Resident Visa. This is similar to the Skilled Migrant Category.
Applying under the skilled criteria you will need to provide:
- an employment agreement or a letter from your employer confirming the pay and hours, and
- a full bank statement or an Inland Revenue summary of income or payslips.
The documents must show you were paid at least $27 per hour, both on 29 September and on the date you apply.
There is some flexibility if your pay or hours are temporarily reduced due to the business being affected by COVID-19 related restrictions.
More information may be requested by INZ when your application is being assessed to help confirm the requirements are met.
Applicants must also meet ‘skilled’ criteria at the time they apply. However, they may change to meet ‘scarce’ criteria at the time of application.
‘Scarce’ criteria
If you haven’t been here for three or more years and are not paid at least $27 per hour, you may be eligible under the ‘scarce’ criteria.
To be eligible under this criteria, on 29 September 2021 you must work in a job on a scarce list. These are:
Jobs on the Long Term Skill Shortage List
Jobs requiring occupational registration in the health or education sector
Personal carer and other critical health workers
Specified primary sector jobs
Applying under the ‘scarce’ criteria you need to be in genuine full time work for an average of at least 30 hours per week.
You will need to provide this evidence:
- an employment agreement or a letter from your employer confirming the occupation and hours, and
- evidence of occupational registration in New Zealand (if required).
The list of ‘scarce’ occupations is available on INZ’s website and in Appendix 11 of the INZ Operational Manual.
More information may be requested by INZ when your application is being assessed to help confirm the requirements are met.
There is some flexibility if your hours are temporarily reduced due to the business being affected by COVID-19 related restrictions.
Applicants must also meet ‘scarce’ criteria at the time they apply. However, they may also change to meet ‘skilled’ criteria at the time of application instead.