Green List
Straight to Residence · Work to Residence
For applicants in eligible Tier 1 or Tier 2 roles who meet the occupation-specific qualification, registration and remuneration requirements under the current Green List.
Residence & Immigration
New Zealand pathways for skilled people, investors and business owners.
New Zealand offers skilled residence through Green List and Skilled Migrant settings, alongside dedicated routes for qualifying investors and experienced business operators.
Discuss your profile
Route typesGreen List · Skilled Migrant · Investor · Business
Core dependenciesRole, employer, skills, funds or business experience
Planning focusResidence conditions and long-term family fit
At a glance
A route comparison built around your real circumstances.
The strongest New Zealand route depends on the exact role, employer, qualifications, registration, remuneration, points, investment structure or business plan. MAYA GROUP helps turn those requirements into a practical sequence for the applicant and family.
Program rules, selection priorities and processing conditions change. Every strategy therefore begins with a current-rule check and an individual review; public information is a starting point, not personal immigration advice.
Principal pathways
Routes to understand first.
These are high-level summaries. Eligibility and evidence should be confirmed against the rules in force when an application strategy is prepared.
SMC
Skilled Migrant Category
A skilled-residence route for applicants with qualifying employment or an offer from an accredited employer who meet the applicable points, skills and supporting requirements.
Active Investor Plus
Investor Residence
For experienced investors committing qualifying funds to acceptable New Zealand investments under the Growth or Balanced category and meeting applicable investment and presence conditions.
Business Investor
Business Investor Work Visa
For experienced business people investing in and actively operating an eligible established New Zealand business, with a potential residence pathway if ongoing conditions are met.
Decision standard
The exact role, investment or business—not the broad label—determines the route.
Green List eligibility is occupation-specific. Skilled residence depends on the applicable settings. Investor and business pathways require careful review of acceptable investments, business viability, management involvement and presence conditions.
Important considerations
Green List eligibility depends on the exact occupation and its current registration, qualification and pay requirements.
Skilled Migrant Category settings are changing on 24 August 2026 and should be rechecked before launch or engagement.
The Entrepreneur Work Visa is closed to new applicants; current business planning should use the Business Investor framework.
Investment and business routes require independent legal, tax, financial and commercial due diligence.
How Maya coordinates the journey
A disciplined path from first review to next-stage planning.
Objective and profile
Map skills, role, employer, investment capacity, business experience and family priorities.
Current-rule check
Confirm the exact occupation, points, employer, investment or business conditions in force.
Route design
Compare the realistic residence pathway, timing dependencies and ongoing obligations.
Evidence coordination
Organise documentation and authorised specialist workstreams for the selected route.
Move and continuity
Connect education, banking, property, business and settlement needs around the migration plan.
Frequently asked questions
Questions to resolve before choosing the route.
These answers are general and do not replace an assessment by appropriately authorised professionals in the relevant jurisdiction.
Eligible Tier 1 roles may support a Straight to Residence application. Eligible Tier 2 roles generally require qualifying New Zealand work before a Work to Residence application. Exact role conditions must be checked.
Skilled routes generally depend on qualifying employment or an eligible job offer, while investor routes follow a different framework. Employer accreditation and role requirements may apply.
The Active Investor Plus Visa can provide a residence route for qualifying investors who meet investment, acceptable-investment and presence requirements under the relevant category.
No. The business, investment, applicant experience and active-management plan must meet current criteria. Independent commercial due diligence is essential.
New Zealand private assessment
Begin with your profile, evidence and long-term objective.
Tell us why New Zealand is under consideration, who the plan needs to include and what the move should make possible. MAYA GROUP will use that context to frame an initial route review.
Private & confidential
Tell us about your plans.
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