SR6.15 SKilled Residence: Care Workforce Work to Residence requirements for 24 months of work in New Zealand (31/10/2022)

1. Applicants must have worked for at least 24 months in New Zealand in an occupation on the Care Workforce sector occupation list in Appendix 14, on and after 29 September 2021.
2. To be considered as having worked in a Care Workforce sector occupation, applicants must be paid at or above the Level 4 rate per hour for the duration of the 24 month period.
3. Applicants must have held an Accredited Employer work visa for the 24 month period of work in New Zealand or an interim visa granted while the applicant held an Accredited Employer work visa and had applied for a further Accredited Employer work visa.
4. Despite (c) above, applicants who held or had applied for one of the following visas before 4 July 2022 and were working full-time (at least 30 hours a week) in a Care Workforce sector occupation listed in Appendix 14 can count their work towards the 24 month period:
   1. any work visa; or
   2. a critical purpose visitor visa with work conditions.

      Note: With the exception of an Accredited Employer work visa, work on any work visa applied for on or after 4 July 2022 cannot be counted towards meeting the 24 month period.

5. The 24 months of work must be gained during the 30-month period immediately before the date the residence application is made.
6. For the purposes of these instructions, any parental leave taken can be counted towards meeting the 24 month work requirements.
7. Despite (a) above, where an occupation is removed from the Care Workforce sector occupation list in Appendix 14, after the applicant has started to count work in New Zealand towards the 24 months required, the work can continue to be counted if:
   1. the applicant remains in the occupation; and
   2. continues to be paid at or above the Level 4 rate per hour in a Care Workforce sector occupation for the duration of the 24 month period.
8. If an applicant has worked in New Zealand for at least 24 months in the last 30 month period but has not maintained a role in a Care Workforce sector occupation for the full 24 months, they can still been considered for the grant of residence if they meet the acceptable work in New Zealand requirements for the balance of the 24 months in one or more of the following:
   1. the Green List Work to Residence visa (SR3.15) or
   2. the Highly Paid Resident visa (SR4.15)

Note: The 24 months of work in New Zealand does not have to be gained consecutively and can be a total of different periods, for example two 12-month periods with a gap of six months between. Additionally, it can be made up of different types of work in New Zealand, for example 18 months in a Care Workforce sector occupation and six months in a Tier 2 Green List role.

Effective 31/10/2022