by Are you a healthcare or support worker dreaming of moving to New Zealand? Learn how to migrate to New Zealand as a care worker, step-by-step guide to permanent residency in 2025 and you can move with your family and children below the age of 24. The New Zealand launched a visa called the care worker forced residency, which was in 2022, the pathway was closed, but they now open it again.
If you’re a care worker living in the UK, you don’t want to live in the UK for 10 years to get permanent residency. You can do just that in two years. Two years and you get your permanent residency in New Zealand and you can go with your family.
If you’ve been looking for ways to migrate permanently to New Zealand as a care worker, this post is exactly what you need. Let break it down how the care workforce pathway to residency works, who qualifies, the step-by-step process and what to expect as you begin your journey to permanent residency in New Zealand.
What is the Care Workforce Pathway?
This information gotten from the official New Zealand website, you can check it out too. In December, 2023, the New Zealand government introduced the care workforce work to residency pathway, and it’s part of the brother skilled residency pathway. It allows qualified care workers to apply for permanent residency after working in New Zealand for two years.
This pathway is designed to attract skilled and experienced workers in sectors that are essential to New Zealand population, especially aged care, disability care, and mental health supports.
Who qualifies?
To qualify for this:
You must meet the following key criteria:
- You must be working in a qualifying care role, such as aged or disabled carer, nursing support worker, personal care assistant, mental health care assistant,
- You must hold an accredited employer work visa sponsored by an employer listed on the New Zealand accredited employer scheme.
- You must earn above New Zealand median wage. The median wage threshold is set for care workers, 28 New Zealand dollars per hour, but you need to constantly check the New Zealand website. If there’s any new updates to that.
- You must have at least 24 months, that’s two years of eligible work experience in New Zealand, in a qualifying role under the accredited employer work visa.
- You must meet the standard health character and English language requirements.
Step-by-Step Application Process
For you to apply for residency for care workers, New Zealand have different category of work visa. They are:
- Green list one
- Green list two
- The care worker.
Some skills qualify for straight residency right from your country, but for care workforce residency, you must live in New Zealand for two years and work for an accredited employer for two years. Once you’ve done that, then you qualify to apply. So, once you meet all these criteria, live in New Zealand for two years, have a good character and good English language, then you qualify.
For you to get started or for you to apply,
- Get a Job
You have to get a job offer, apply for jobs in New Zealand care sector through accredited employers list. Make sure your role and employer are eligible under the care workforce lists.
- The second step is you need to apply for accredited employer work visa
Once you have been hired in New Zealand, your employer will support you to get your visa application done. You must show that you meet the job and health requirements.
- The third step is to move to New Zealand and begin working
So, once you’ve gotten your job, you’ve gotten your visa, you start your employment and you track your work hours, your job role is consistent. You must stay in the same or similar role for that two years to qualify for residency.
Then after you’ve worked in New Zealand for two years, you can then apply for your residency after you’ve completed your two years with eligible employment.
The criteria to be able to move to New Zealand is that you must be 55 years or younger, by the time you’re making an application.
You can travel with your dependents, not above the age of 24, unlike the UK, which is 18. But this one, if you have a child or dependent that is above 18 years old, but no more than 24 years old, you can travel with them.
Then you need to work with an accredited employer. So they have a list of employers who are accredited to sponsor oversee care workers.
So if you’re already in the UK as a carer, honestly, what is the guarantee that if the new law on having to be in the UK for 10 years is passed, though it’s not official, that if you migrate to the UK, you must live in the UK for 10 years before you get your indefinite leave to remain. What is the guarantee that after the 10 years, you’re not going to change the laws again.
When countries like Australia, New Zealand, Canada are giving permanent residency. Canada even opened a new care workforce residency pathway as well. And all of these, just all you need is have a job in that country. In the UK is the same thing. If you are experienced, if you’re qualified, and this is something you’ve been doing for long, it shouldn’t be a struggle for you to get a job.
READ ALSO:
Required Documents
You can go with your family to New Zealand. All you need to do when you are ready to apply for permanent residency in New Zealand, after you’ve worked there for two years:
- Show your employment letter, your salary, your visa status, and prove of good character.
- Evidence of two years of continuous working in New Zealand.
- Police clearance from every country you’ve lived in for the past 12 months. But again, you would have been living in New Zealand for two years, so you might not really need that.
- Medical certificates, which is like chest rate and blood tests.
- English language proof, that’s IELTS.
Family inclusion (partners & children)
You, your partner, your dependent children, if you are including them can also get permanent residency as well. As long as you prove to them that you have a genuine relationship.
Kids, you need to provide documents like marriage certificate, birth certificate, to prove your relationship with your partner and your dependent children age 24 or younger.
Processing Time
Processing time for the residency visa normally take between three to six months, depending on your applications, completeness and immigration, New Zealand.
If you’ve gotten a job in New Zealand with an accredited employer and you want to apply for your visa to travel to New Zealand to work, which means you will be going through the accredited employer work visa. Processing time is four months, it takes a while, not as quick, and not easy to get but get it in genuine way and have rest of mind.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
So not working with an accredited employer or changing roles without checking if it’s still on the resident lease, (8:22) not meeting the minimum salary hours or missing the English language requirements in New Zealand will not give you a permanent residence. You have to follow all the rules.
Final tips & how to apply
You have to track your employment period properly and make sure you are working for accredited employer. If you get a job from an accredited employer in New Zealand, why do you want to change?
New Zealand working system is so good and the New Zealand government is really keen on making sure that employers are not exploiting migrants. They have migrant support system, when you go to New Zealand.
If it’s something you’re considering to know, you need more information, all this information is gotten from the official New Zealand website.
This is not a licensed New Zealand immigration lawyer website. I am just sharing this based on the information on their platform. So do go ahead and do more research and you alone can do this for yourself.
This is a full breakdown on how to migrate to New Zealand as a care worker and become a permanent resident. If you’re in healthcare or you’re in support work, this is a real chance for you to build a long-term future in a country that values your skills.
Whether you’re a personal care assistant, mental health support worker, or aged/disability carer this is your guide to gaining permanent residency in New Zealand by 2025, migrate to New Zealand as a care worker.
