Immigration New Zealand has announced that the Government is adding 32 new health sector roles to the Green List.

Additionally, all health roles on the Green List will move to the Straight to Residence pathway of the Accredited Employer Work Visa.

Eligible health professionals can apply for work visas from 29 May 2023.

The roles are across the healthcare system

The occupations New Zealand are adding to the Green List are across the healthcare system.

Immigration New Zealand has also indicated these roles are critical to the delivery of health services in New Zealand.

These are the roles:

1. Addiction Practitioner/Alcohol & Drug Clinician
2. Audiometrist
3. Chiropractor
4. Clinical Dental Technician
5. Clinical Physiologists (Sleep, Renal, Exercise, Respiratory, Neurology, and Cardiac)
6. Counsellor
7. Dental Specialists
8. Dental Technician
9. Dental Therapist
10. Dentist
11. Dietician
12. Dispensing Optician
13. Drug and Alcohol Counsellor
14. Enrolled Nurse
15. Genetic Counsellor
16. Medical Laboratory Pre-Analytical Technician
17. Medical Resonance Imaging Technologist
18. Nuclear Medicine Technologist
19. Nurse Practitioner
20. Optometrist
21. Oral Health Therapist
22. Orthotic and Prosthetic Technician
23. Orthotist/Prosthetist
24. Osteopath
25. Paramedic/Emergency Medical Technician
26. Perfusionist (Cardiac)
27. Pharmacist
28. Physiotherapist
29. Play Therapist (Hospital)
30. Social Worker
31. Speech-Language Therapist
32. Sterile Processing Technician

Roles on the Work to Residence pathway moving to the Straight to Residence pathway

Eight existing healthcare roles on the Green List are moving to the Straight to Residence pathway:

1. Anaesthetic Technician
2. Audiologist
3. Medical Imaging Technologist
4. Medical Laboratory Technician
5. Medical Radiation Therapist
6. Occupational Therapist
7. Podiatrist
8. Sonographer

This move means that professionals working in these eight occupations don’t need two years of relevant work experience in New Zealand before being able to apply for residence.

They must, however, still meet these requirements:

• Working for an accredited employer or having a job offer from one
• Meeting the criteria set out on the Green List for their occupation
• Having a full-time job (at least 30 hours a week), genuine and permanent or at least a 12-month fixed-term contract. Independent contractors are also eligible under certain circumstances.

Existing roles on the Straight to Residence pathway

The Green List’s Straight to Residence pathway already includes eight occupations. These roles are as follows:

1. Clinical Psychologist
2. Medical Laboratory Scientist
3. Medical Practitioners
4. Midwife
5. Orthoptist
6. Physicist (Medical)
7. Psychologist
8. Registered Nurses

Applications for the new health roles open at the end of May

Immigration New Zealand announced that applications for the 32 new occupations on the Green List open on 29 May 2023.

You don’t have to wait until then to get the ball rolling, though. You can start today by determining if you meet all the requirements to apply for a work visa. Simply book your consultation call with our licensed advisor on our website.

The sooner you start, the quicker you can submit your application once applications open.