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Green List occupations โ€” the fastest residence roles
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ New Zealand ยท Before you choose ยท 8 min read

Green List occupations โ€” the fastest residence roles

Straight to Residence vs Work to Residence roles, the qualifications they demand, and which ones a Bangladeshi graduate can realistically reach.

What the Green List actually is

The Green List is Immigration New Zealand's official register of occupations the country is short of. It has two tiers. Tier 1 roles offer Straight to Residence โ€” you can apply for residence as soon as you hold a qualifying job offer. Tier 2 roles offer Work to Residence โ€” you work in the role for 24 months on an Accredited Employer Work Visa, then apply.

The list is reviewed regularly, so treat the roles below as a planning map, not a legal guarantee. Always confirm the current list and its qualification and pay requirements on the Immigration New Zealand website before you enrol in anything.

Tier 1 โ€” Straight to Residence

Highest-value roles. Most require a recognised degree plus registration, and many require NZ occupational registration that overseas graduates must apply for separately.

Healthcare & registration roles

Registered nurses, midwives, medical laboratory scientists, physiotherapists, medical imaging technologists, GPs and specialists

Highest demandRegistration required
Route in from BD
NZ Bachelor/Master in nursing or health science, or overseas degree + NZ registration exam
Key gatekeeper
Nursing Council / relevant registration body
Typical pay
NZ$75,000โ€“110,000

Nursing is the single strongest study-to-residence pathway available to Bangladeshi students. Budget 6โ€“12 months for registration and competency assessment on top of study.

Engineering (chartered pathways)

Civil, structural, geotechnical, electrical, mechanical and environmental engineers

Christchurch & AucklandChartered status helps
Route in from BD
Washington-Accord-recognised bachelor's, or NZ master's + internship
Key gatekeeper
Engineering New Zealand assessment
Typical pay
NZ$80,000โ€“120,000

If your BSc engineering degree is from an accredited Bangladeshi programme, get an Engineering New Zealand pre-assessment early โ€” it can save you an entire master's degree.

ICT specialists

Software engineers, ICT security specialists, multimedia and systems architects, database administrators

Portfolio mattersWellington & Auckland
Route in from BD
CS/IT bachelor's + NZ master's, or Level 7 diploma + demonstrable projects
Key gatekeeper
Employer, not a registration board
Typical pay
NZ$85,000โ€“130,000

The only Tier 1 family with no registration body โ€” your GitHub, internship and one solid NZ reference do the work a licence does elsewhere.

Secondary teaching & specialist education

Maths, physics, chemistry, technology and te reo secondary teachers

Chronic shortageTeaching Council registration
Route in from BD
Subject degree + NZ Graduate Diploma in Teaching (1 year)
Key gatekeeper
Teaching Council of Aotearoa NZ
Typical pay
NZ$60,000โ€“95,000

Overlooked by South Asian students, and one of the cheapest one-year routes to a Tier 1 occupation if you already hold a maths or science degree.

Tier 2 โ€” Work to Residence (24 months)

Lower entry bar, longer road. You must be paid at or above the specified rate for the role throughout the qualifying period.

Occupation familyTypical qualificationPay rangeNotes
Registered nurses (some specialties)NZ registrationNZ$75k+Aged care and mental health hire fastest
Electricians & electrical techniciansNZ Level 4 apprenticeship + licenceNZ$70โ€“100kLicensing is the bottleneck, not jobs
Automotive techniciansLevel 4 diplomaNZ$60โ€“80kStrong in Auckland and Hamilton
Civil construction supervisorsLevel 6/7 diploma + site experienceNZ$75โ€“95kChristchurch pipeline is deep
Dairy farm managersAgri diploma/degree + on-farm hoursNZ$65โ€“85kFast entry, rural living required
Early childhood teachersNZ ECE degree + registrationNZ$60โ€“80kSteady nationwide demand
Diesel & heavy plant mechanicsLevel 4 trade certNZ$65โ€“90kVery low migrant competition
Telecommunications techniciansLevel 5/6 diplomaNZ$65โ€“85kFibre rollout keeps demand up

Your practical sequence

Green List planning fails when students pick the course first and check the occupation later. Reverse it.

  1. 1

    Pick the occupation before the course

    Choose one Tier 1 or Tier 2 role you would genuinely do for five years. Everything else follows from that one decision.

  2. 2

    Read the exact qualification requirement

    Immigration NZ names the qualification level (e.g. Level 7) and sometimes the specific registration. A master's in an unrelated subject does not substitute.

  3. 3

    Check the registration body before you enrol

    Nursing, engineering, teaching and trades all have separate bodies. Email them with your Bangladeshi transcripts and ask what gaps they see โ€” most reply within two weeks.

  4. 4

    Choose a city where that role is hiring

    Construction supervision in Christchurch, ICT in Wellington, aged care nationwide, dairy in Waikato and Canterbury.

  5. 5

    Get NZ experience during study

    An internship or part-time role adjacent to your occupation is what converts a graduate visa into an accredited employer job offer.

  6. 6

    Track your pay threshold

    Work to Residence only counts while you are paid at or above the specified rate. Check every pay rise and every job change against it.

The leverage point

Almost every Bangladeshi applicant crowds into ICT and business. The least-contested Green List routes โ€” diesel mechanics, telecommunications technicians, secondary maths teaching, dairy management โ€” have shorter queues, cheaper qualifications and employers who will actually sponsor. Less prestige, considerably faster residence.

Do not rely on a list alone

Occupations move on and off the Green List, and pay thresholds change. Never enrol in a two-year programme purely because a role is listed today. Build a plan that still works if the role drops to Tier 2 โ€” that usually means choosing a qualification with a real job market behind it, not just a visa category.

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