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Green List Tier 1 vs Tier 2: could the wrong route delay your plan?

Visa guide · 2026-10-11 · 7 min read

Green List Tier 1 vs Tier 2 is a comparison of residence routes and evidence, rather than a ranking of workers. Tier 1 connects to Straight to Residence; Tier 2 connects to Work to Residence after qualifying work. The role's detailed conditions matter as much as the tier label.

For an international applicant planning New Zealand first, the practical starting point is the work you can demonstrate and the offer you can obtain. A list entry does not create a vacancy, recognise every overseas qualification or decide an individual application.

Read Green List Tier 1 vs Tier 2 through the conditions

The Green List is set out in Appendix 13 of Immigration New Zealand's Operational Manual. The verified version used for this guide is effective from 23 March 2026. It lists occupations with requirements that need to be read together, rather than separating the job title from the rest of the entry.

Check the Green List occupation entries for the actual work being considered. The question is whether duties and the required credentials fit, not simply whether an employer uses similar words in an advertisement.

Keep evidence of what you actually hold. A qualification under assessment, a pending registration and an outcome already issued are different stages. Describe each honestly when discussing the role with a recruiter.

Our article on trade recognition alongside demand explains why a useful labour-market signal still needs a practical recognition plan. An employer's interest does not remove professional conditions.

Tier 1 still needs a suitable job and applicant

Straight to Residence requires an offer of, or work in, a Green List Tier 1 job with an accredited employer. The verified requirements include an age of 55 or younger, English and the relevant pay conditions. The charge starts at NZD $6450.

The name does not mean that a qualification by itself produces residence. Identify the job and employer evidence before treating the route as the basis of a move. The applicant's other conditions remain relevant even when the occupation appears on the list.

Examples in the verified Tier 1 entries include Civil Engineer, Software Engineer and Construction Project Manager. Secondary School Teacher is also listed with Teaching Council registration. These are examples with their own conditions, not permission to treat every related professional title as equivalent.

Our discussion of engineering duties and supervision illustrates the recruitment question behind a professional title. A suitable workplace needs to match your actual discipline and responsibility as well as any immigration category.

Tier 2 needs an auditable work period

Work to Residence requires 24 months of work in a qualifying Green List Tier 2 job within the 30 months before applying. The required wage rate, English and an age of 55 or younger also matter. Its charge starts at NZD $6450.

Examples of Tier 2 entries include Electrician (General), Plumber (General), Motor Mechanic (General) and Welder. A person should still check the full entry for the role rather than assume every workshop or trade position falls within the same conditions.

Prepare a dated employment history that lets someone understand the work actually performed. Keep the role, pay and relevant credential position connected to the period concerned. Time spent living in New Zealand should not be substituted for evidence of qualifying employment.

The official Work to Residence conditions help identify what needs to be established. If the employment changes, review the effect on the evidence instead of assuming the earlier plan continues unchanged.

Pay needs its own check at each stage

From 9 March 2026 the immigration median wage is NZD $35.00 an hour, based on June 2025 data. Green List pay requirements update with that immigration median wage. The relevant rate for the role must be checked rather than applying a single figure without reading its entry.

For Straight to Residence, the verified description requires the role's Green List rate or NZD $35.00 an hour where that is the applicable threshold. The role-specific requirement can therefore matter even when an offer sounds attractive compared with another job.

A threshold is not an estimate of what every migrant will earn. Compare the actual terms and the correct period. Do not replace an immigration threshold with a newer general earnings statistic merely because both are described as medians.

Keep residence evidence apart from recruitment marketing

A well-presented application helps an employer understand what you can do. It does not determine whether an occupation entry, professional board or residence category accepts the evidence. Prepare the recruitment summary and the underlying records as connected but distinct documents.

When you review available jobs, read the actual duties and employer conditions. Our manufacturing category can help compare technical roles where that sector matches your work. A sector label does not identify the immigration status of every position within it.

Use a CV that explains your technical responsibilities without overstating recognition. Distinguish what you designed, installed, maintained, supervised or checked so the reader can assess practical relevance.

Our article about evidence across Skilled Migrant Category routes concerns a separate residence framework. Do not combine whichever conditions look easiest from different categories into an option that does not exist.

Review the evidence before committing to a timetable

1. Identify the exact role and read its complete Green List entry.
2. Separate credentials already held from assessments still pending.
3. Check the offer, employer and applicable pay requirements.
4. For Tier 2, organise qualifying employment evidence by period.
5. Assess the applicant's remaining residence conditions before relying on the plan.

Ask who can confirm each outstanding step. The employer can explain the job, while a professional board determines its own recognition requirements. Immigration eligibility has another purpose. Clear responsibilities make it easier to understand where the plan is ready and where more evidence is needed.

Common mistakes when a tier label sounds decisive

Avoid treating a listed occupation as a job offer, all local employment as qualifying work or a salary above one figure as meeting every pay condition. Keep related residence routes separate and check the role's full entry.

Frequently asked questions

Does a Green List job title establish that I can apply for residence?

The actual role and its qualifications, registration, experience and pay conditions need to match. The applicant also needs to satisfy the relevant residence category.

Can Tier 2 work be counted just because I was employed in New Zealand?

The work must meet the relevant Green List and wage conditions within the required period. Keep the underlying employment history rather than counting all time present.

Is the immigration median wage the same as a typical salary?

It is a threshold used in specified immigration settings. It does not describe every occupation's pay or predict the offer an individual will receive.

Does an employer's shortage remove professional requirements?

An employer may need staff while the role still requires particular qualifications or registration. Recruitment pressure does not replace those conditions.

Can the same evidence be used for every residence pathway?

Some records may be relevant to several assessments, but each pathway asks different questions. Organise the evidence against the route actually being considered.

Key takeaways

• Tier labels identify different residence routes.
• Read the full occupation conditions.
• Keep pay, credentials and work periods connected.
• Use actual offers and genuine evidence.
• Assess each residence framework separately.

Last checked: 2026-10-11 against the official pages linked above.

Every case is different. To review your New Zealand residence evidence, book a consultation with licensed immigration advisers in New Zealand or lawfully exempt professionals.

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