Epsilon Law

Occupations in the Long Term Skill Shortage List.

Analyst programmer
Automotive electrician
Chef (chef de partie or higher)
Chemical engineer
Civil engineer
Civil engineering technician
Clinical psychologist
Computer network and systems engineer
Construction project manager
Database administrator
Developer programmer
Diagnostic and interventional radiologist
Diesel motor mechanic (including heavy vehicle inspector)
Electric line mechanic
Electrical engineer
Electrical engineering technician
Electrician (general)
Electronic engineering technician
Electronics engineer
Engineering professional
Environmental engineer
Environmental research scientist
Food technologist
General practitioner
Geotechnical engineer
ICT business analyst
ICT customer support officer
ICT project manager
ICT quality assurance engineer
ICT security specialist
ICT support and test engineer
ICT support engineer
ICT systems test engineer
Industrial engineer
Materials engineer
Mechanical engineer
Medical laboratory scientist
Medical radiation therapist
Multimedia specialist (film animator)
Multimedia specialist
Network administrator
Obstetrician and gynaecologist
Organisation and methods analyst
Other spatial scientist
Physicist (medical)
Physiotherapist
Procurement manager
Production or plant engineer
Project builder (including building project manager and site foreman)
Psychiatrist
Quantity surveyor
Registered nurse (aged care)
Software engineer
Software tester
Software and applications programmer
Sonographer
Specialist physician in palliative medicine
Structural engineer
Surgeon (general)
Surveyor
Systems administrator
Systems analyst
Telecommunications engineer
Telecommunications engineer
Telecommunications network engineer
Telecommunications network engineer
Veterinarian
Web developer

As you may be aware, on 30 September 2021, the Government announced a new one-off residence visa pathway for some temporary work visa holders currently in New Zealand. Some critical purpose visa holders arriving in New Zealand between 30 September 2021 and 31 July 2022 on long-term visas may also be eligible for this new visa. Partners and dependents can be included as part of these residence applications.

Applications will be open in two phases from 1 December 2021 for some eligible applicants and from 1 March 2022 for remaining eligible applicants.

All applications must be submitted by 31 July 2022.

Eligibility

Applicants must have met the criteria on 29 September 2021.

To be eligible you must:

have been in New Zealand on 29 September 2021, and
be on an eligible visa or have applied for an eligible visa on or before 29 September 2021 that is later granted.
You must also meet ONE of the three criteria:

have lived in New Zealand for three or more years, OR
earn at or above the median wage ($27 per hour), OR
work in a role on a scarce list.
If you meet the criteria for eligibility but are in Australia and have been unable to return to New Zealand by 29 September 2021, you may be considered eligible.

Check if you are eligible to apply for the 2021 Resident Visa

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 (provided the applicant held another eligible visa type within 6 months before being granted a Section 61 visa)
Some Critical Purpose Visitor Visas (CPVV):
Critical health workers for longer term roles (6 months or longer), and
Other critical workers for long term roles (more than 6 months).
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.

Partners and dependent children, including those currently outside New Zealand, can be included in residence applications.

All applicants must meet the heath and character requirements for the 2021 Resident Visa. Overseas police certificates will not be required unless specifically requested by an Immigration Officer. Limited medical certificates and chest x-ray certificates may be required for some people. Immigration New Zealand may request further information as part of the application process.

Individuals who do not meet the criteria will need to look at what other residence pathways or temporary visa options may be available to them.

Critical Purpose visitor holders
Two groups of Critical Purpose visitor visa holders will be eligible, as long as you arrive in New Zealand and apply before 31 July 2022.

Critical health workers for longer term roles (6 months or longer), and
Other critical workers for long term roles (more than 6 months).
If you are in a short term or seasonal role on a Critical Purpose Visitor Visa, including fishing crew, agricultural and horticulture mobile plant operators and shearers, you will not be eligible.

Applicants who have lived in New Zealand for three or more years
To be eligible under this 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.

If you need to check how much time you have spent in New Zealand, you are able to request your travel movements from Immigration New Zealand.

Applicants earning at or above the median wage
To be eligible under this criteria, you must be paid the median wage of NZD $27 per hour or above on 29 September 2021.

Applicants working in a job on a scarce list
To be eligible under this criteria, on 29 September 2021 you must work in a job that is 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

Application process

The 2021 Resident visa will be open for applications in two phases, with the first group of people able to apply from 1 December 2021.

From 1 December 2021 you can apply if:

you have already applied for residence under the Skilled Migrant and Residence from Work categories before 29 September 2021, or
you have submitted a Skilled Migrant Category Expression of Interest, and have included your dependent child in the Expression of Interest aged 17 years or older on 29 September 2021.
From 1 March 2022 all other eligible applicants can apply, including all others who have submitted a Skilled Migrant Category Expression of Interest.

All applications must be made by 31 July 2022.

Applications can be submitted online.

More information about fees and the application process will be available on this page by the end of October.

Those who are eligible to apply from 1 December 2021 will receive an email from Immigration New Zealand by the end of October with further information.

Processing timeframes

It is expected the majority of applications will be processed within 12 months, with most being processed much faster.

New 2021 Resident Visa Some work visa holders currently in New Zealand as well as some critical purpose visitor visa holders may be eligible to apply for residence under the new residence category – the 2021 Resident Visa.

Lower-paid Essential Skills visa stand-down delayed for 12 months

The introduction of the stand-down period will be delayed until January 2022. The stand-down period means that Essential Skills visa holders earning less than the median wage must leave New Zealand after three years for one year before they can return.