Can I get a New Zealand Straight to Residence Visa as a GP or Radiologist?

What are the options for residence in New Zealand?

New Zealand is a popular destination for doctors looking to relocate overseas. The country offers a high quality of life, excellent healthcare system, and strong job market.

Doctors are in high demand in New Zealand, and the government is keen to attract more GPs to the country.

There are 3 skills-based residence pathways that require you to have a job offer in order to apply:

• The Skilled Migrant Category residence pathway
• The Green List pathway (Straight to Residence and Work to Residence)
• The Sector Agreement residence pathway (Care Workforce and Transport Sector Work to Residence)

We will talk about the Straight to Residence Visa in this blog.

Green List Straight to Residence Visa

One of the most popular visa options for GPs and Radiologists moving to New Zealand is the Straight to Residence Visa. You can apply for the Straight to Residence Visa from either New Zealand or overseas, and, unlike most of the other Skilled Visa options, there is no requirement to work in New Zealand before applying.

This visa allows you to live, work, and study in New Zealand, and to include your partner and dependent children in your application.

To be eligible for the Straight to Residence Visa, you must:

• Have a full-time job offer (at least 30 hours per week) from an accredited employer, for a role on Tier 1 of the Green List
• Be paid at least the New Zealand median wage (currently NZ$29.66 per hour)
• Meet the requirements of the Green List for your role
• Be aged 55 or younger
• Meet the English language requirements
• Meet the health and character requirements for residence

Meeting the requirements of the Green List

The role of a GP or Radiologist is included in Tier 1 of the Green List.

In order to meet the requirements of the Green List, a GP or Radiologist will need to have New Zealand provisional general, general, provisional vocational, vocational or special purpose locum tenens registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand (or a letter of eligibility for one of these forms of registration issued by the Medical Council of New Zealand).

Meeting English Language requirements

The principal applicant, their partner, and any dependent children aged 16 or over will need to meet a minimum standard of English language.

There are a number of ways that this can be demonstrated, which can include your country of citizenship, your qualifications or by taking an English Language Test (such as IELTS).

The best way to understand how you can meet the English Language requirements (and the other eligibility requirements for this visa) is to talk to a Licensed Immigration Adviser. Our Immigration Advisor, Nicola, will be able to give you guidance on the requirements of the visa and what route is best for you and your family.

How long does it take to get a visa for NZ?

Visa applications are generally allocated and processed in the order they are received by Immigration New Zealand. However, a new priority processing order has been introduced to recognise the importance of Tier 1 Green List roles.

Straight to Residence Visa applications have been given the highest priority (along with certain high paid roles and well qualified Skilled Migrant applicants). This means that immigration officers will assess these applications before other skilled residence applications.

For more information on the Straight to Residency visa, please do get in touch with our team. We’ll need to secure you a GP or Radiology job first and Nicola will guide you through the process for the most appropriate visa for you.

More information on Nicola’s services to GPs or Radiologists relocating to New Zealand. 

See our GP jobs for New Zealand

See our Radiology Jobs for New Zealand