The main visa pathways at a glance

Last reviewed 2026-06-28

This lesson is a general map of the broad visa pathways Immigration New Zealand publishes, and what each one is published for, in enough detail to work out which pages to read next on the official site. It is educational background only. It does not tell you which pathway is right for you, and it does not assess whether anyone meets a pathway's rules. The official pages at immigration.govt.nz are the authoritative source, and the details change over time.

The broad groups

Immigration New Zealand groups its visas by purpose. At a high level:

• Visitor pathways are published for short stays, such as tourism or visiting family.
• Work pathways are published for temporary employment. The main one people ask about is the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), which is employer-assisted: part of the published process depends on the employer holding accreditation and the role passing a job check, before a person applies.
• Student pathways are published for study with approved education providers. Some published pathways let you move from study to a post-study work visa after you finish.
• Residence pathways are published for living in New Zealand long term. The Skilled Migrant Category uses a published points system; the Green List pathway is published for people in specific in-demand roles; and some residence pathways are based on family relationships (such as being a partner of a New Zealand citizen or resident) or on a period of skilled work in New Zealand.

How the pathways connect

The pathways are not separate from each other. The published system often connects them in a sequence: for example, a student pathway can lead to a work pathway after study, and a work pathway can lead toward a residence pathway. Reading the pathways as a connected map, instead of one at a time, helps you understand where a published process is heading.

Where to go next in this site

• The planning worksheet restates the published steps for a pathway so you can organise your own plan. You choose the pathway; the worksheet does not choose for you.
• The timelines page shows the published order of those steps.
• The self-check tools let you add up your own attributes against a published threshold. The result is your own total, not a decision about your eligibility.

For advice about which pathway fits your own situation, a Licensed Immigration Adviser is the right person to help. This course only describes what is published.