Good news for international employers seeking New Zealand work visas for their skilled workers; the New Zealand government has this week announced it’s seeking 75,000 skilled foreign workers in a bid to alleviate the pressures caused by nationwide labour shortages.

For most of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the New Zealand government heavily restricted entry into the country to stave off widespread infection. As a result, the country now faces labour shortages that aim to be resolved with the addition of foreign workers. 

Since June 2022, 94,000 jobs have been open to skilled foreign workers, and 17,000 visas have been granted to skilled workers to work and live in New Zealand. 

“The global labour shortage is contributing to the labour shortage here… It is clear that the labour shortage persists not only here but also in the markets in which we compete,” New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinta Ardern, said in a press conference during the week. 

“We must attract skilled workers to our shores with wages, our conditions and our security. We are therefore expanding our plan in discussions with companies, and industry groups make New Zealand the most attractive place in the world to live.” 

New Zealand’s immigration minister said the government wishes to take advantage of the relatively strong economic outlook of the country to attract skilled workers, despite growing and fierce global competition. It will add teachers, qualified teachers and crane operators to the list of accepted roles for “straight to residency” and “work to residency” visas. 

What jobs are green-listed for New Zealand work visas? 

Whether a skilled worker is eligible for a visa without having to complete a minimum of two years of work in a role or not will depend on where they sit in New Zealand’s qualifications framework. 

As such, there are two main visa types for international skilled workers; Tier 1 Straight to Residence or Tier 2 Work to Residence visas.

Tier 1 “Straight to Residence” roles include anaesthetists, a number of specialist surgeons and engineers and clinical psychologists. 

Tier 2 “Work to Residence” roles include cattle farmers, mechanics, plumbers and podiatrists.

For the complete list of green-listed roles and for more information about Straight to Residence and Work to Residence visas, go here.

What roles have been added to the greenlist for New Zealand 2023?

A number of Tier 1 roles have been added to the official greenlist as of 15th December 2022, including nurses and doctors. 

Additions for Work to Residency visas role inclusions focus on health, education and construction. 

For Tier 2 Work to Residence pathways, the following ten roles will be added to the official green list in March 2023. 

  • Civil construction supervisors
  • Gasfitters
  • Drainlayers
  • Skilled crane operators
  • Skilled civil machine operators
  • Halal slaughterers
  • Skilled motor mechanics
  • Skilled telecommunications technicians
  • All secondary school teachers (in addition to the specialisations already on the Green List)
  • Primary school teachers

The unemployment rate for New Zealand – a country with a population of 5.1 million – currently sits at 3.3 per cent, which is the lowest it’s been since 1986.

How can ANZPEO help your business send existing employees to New Zealand without setting up a local entity?

If you wish to send a skilled employee to work in New Zealand, ANZPEO can assist with registration and take on the responsibility of payroll. 

Contact ANZPEO today to see how we can help send your skilled professionals to live and work in New Zealand.