Overseas teachers can apply for residence permits without any work experience in New Zealand

Overseas secondary school teachers are being moved to the Straight to Residence pathway. (Image: The New York Times)

Overseas secondary school teachers are in demand in New Zealand. Secondary school teachers from other countries moving to New Zealand will be put on a fast track to residency to help address workforce shortages. The New Zealand government has announced that secondary school teachers will move to the Straight to Residence pathway on the Green List of in-demand roles from May 2024.

The government plans to transition secondary teachers from the Green List Work to Residence program to the Straight to Residence pathway. However, Other teachers remain on the Work to Residence pathway.

This move would provide improved certainty and a more simplified, prioritised procedure, with eligible overseas secondary school teachers able to apply for residency from abroad rather than having to get work experience in New Zealand first.

Shortages of secondary teachers, particularly in specific regions and subject areas such as Science, Technology, and Mathematics, have been a persistent concern for the New Zealand education system. Moving secondary school teachers to the Straight to Residence pathway is expected to fill the likely shortage of secondary school teachers in the short to medium term. Other teachers remain on the Work to Residence pathway.

The change allows eligible overseas secondary school teachers to apply for residence from outside New Zealand:

• When they have an offer of employment with an accredited employer, and
• Without needing to work for 2 years in New Zealand first.

One can apply for the Straight to Residence pathway visa if one is currently working, or having a job offer, from an accredited employer, and the role is on Tier 1 of the Green List in-demand. One can either come to New Zealand on a work visa now and apply for the Straight to Residence Visa, or apply from outside New Zealand.

With Straight to Residence Visa one can live, work and study in New Zealand and can also include their partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger in their visa application. Older dependent children under 24 in your application must be single, without children of their own, and only supported financially by you.