New Zealand Adding More Health Roles to the Green List
Immigration New Zealand has announced that the Government is adding over 30 new health sector roles to the Green List.
Additionally, all health roles on the Green List will move to the Straight to Residence pathway of the Accredited Employer Work Visa.
Eligible health professionals can apply for work visas from 29 May 2023.
A total of 32 new healthcare occupations on the Green List
The new occupations on the Green List are from across the healthcare system and considered ‘critical to the delivery of health services in New Zealand’.
These are the occupations:
- 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
Eligible healthcare professionals will qualify for Straight to Residence
Eligible healthcare professionals working in the 32 new Green List roles will qualify for a Straight to Residence pathway through the Accredited Employer Work Visa.
The Work To Residence occupations already on the Green List will move to the Straight to Residence pathway. These are the following occupations:
- Anaesthetic Technician
- Audiologist
- Medical Imaging Technologist
- Medical Laboratory Technician
- Medical Radiation Therapist
- Occupational Therapist
- Podiatrist
- Sonographer
The eight remaining healthcare roles on the Green List are already on the Straight to Residence pathway:
- Clinical Psychologist
- Medical Laboratory Scientist
- Medical Practitioners
- Midwife
- Orthoptist
- Physicist (Medical)
- Psychologist
- Registered Nurses
What does Straight to Residence mean?
Skilled workers who are eligible for Work to Residence must work in New Zealand for two years before being able to apply for residence. This requirement falls away for people who qualify for Straight to Residence. In other words, it’s not necessary to work in New Zealand before applying for residence.
However, Straight to Residence candidates must still meet other requirements, including:
- Working for an accredited employer or having a job offer from one
- Meeting the criteria set out on the Green List for their occupation
- Having a full-time job (at least 30 hours a week), genuine and permanent or at least a 12-month fixed-term contract. Independent contractors are also eligible under certain circumstances.
Applications for the new health roles open at the end of May
Immigration New Zealand announced that applications for the 32 new occupations on the Green List open on 29 May 2023.
You don’t have to wait until then to get the ball rolling, though. You can start today by determining if you meet all the requirements to apply for a work visa. Simply book your consultation call with our licensed advisor on our website.
The sooner you start, the quicker you can submit your application once applications open.
