If you’re a UK-trained General Practitioner considering a move to New Zealand, there may be several visa options available to you, including the Accredited Employer Work Visa, Straight to Residence Visa and Skilled Migrant Category. The right pathway will depend on your job offer, your eligibility for New Zealand medical registration, your personal circumstances, how long you want to move for and whether you plan to bring your family with you.
As a UK-based Licensed New Zealand Immigration Adviser, I help doctors understand their immigration options and navigate the visa application process, so they can plan their move with greater confidence.
Start by completing my free Eligibility Assessment to help establish which immigration pathways may be suitable for you.
New Zealand’s Green List identifies occupations where workers with the required skills are needed. The list has two tiers, with different residence pathways depending on whether your occupation is listed in Tier 1 or Tier 2.
General Practitioners are included on Tier 1 of New Zealand’s Green List. This means that eligible GPs may be able to apply for residence through the Straight to Residence pathway without first spending time working in New Zealand on a temporary work visa.
However, being a GP does not automatically mean you qualify. You will need to meet the applicable requirements for your job, employer and medical registration, as well as the general residence visa criteria.
You can check the current occupation-specific criteria on Immigration New Zealand’s Green List roles page.
General Practitioners are in demand in New Zealand, especially those with a primary medical degree from the UK or Ireland. Tahatū’s current salary information shows that GPs most commonly earn between NZD $130,000 and $258,000 a year, although earnings vary by role, experience, employer and location. 
If you’re a qualified GP, you may be eligible for one of the following visa categories:
The Straight to Residence Visa may allow eligible GPs to apply for residence before moving to New Zealand.
You don’t need to work in New Zealand first, but you must have a suitable full-time job or job offer (at least 30 guaranteed hours a week) with an accredited employer that pays at least the New Zealand median wage, and meet the requirements for a Tier 1 Green List role.
The main requirements include:
Being aged 55 or younger when you apply.
Having a qualifying full-time job or job offer with an accredited employer that pays at least the New Zealand median wage
Meeting the specific requirements of the Green List for General Practitioners, through obtaining the applicable registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand.
Meeting the English language, health and character requirements for residence.
If your application is approved, the Resident Visa allows you to live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely. It initially has travel conditions which allow you to travel in and out of New Zealand for a period of two years. And you may then be able to apply for a Permanent Resident Visa after holding residence for two years in a row, provided you meet the relevant requirements.
A Straight to Residence Visa is therefore not the same as a Permanent Resident Visa, although it can be a route towards permanent residence.
Partners and dependent children can be included in your Straight to Residence Visa application if they meet the relevant partner and dependent child immigration instructions.
An Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) may be an option if you have a suitable job offer from an accredited New Zealand employer and meet the visa requirements.
This is a temporary work visa, for a period of up to five years, linked to the relevant employment. It can allow you to work in New Zealand while you establish your professional and personal life there. Or may be your preferred choice if you know you only want to have a temporary stay. You will still need to obtain Medical Registration in New Zealand to work there on a temporary visa.
Your partner and dependent children cannot be included directly in an AEWV application. However, you will generally be able to support their relevant temporary visa applications, if they meet the eligibility requirements.
The Skilled Migrant Category may also provide a route to residence. Depending on the registration they hold and the current points criteria, some GPs may be able to claim six points through eligible New Zealand occupational registration without needing to claim additional points from New Zealand work experience. The requirements need to be checked against the individual’s circumstances.
There is no single visa route that is best for every GP.
You may be able to apply for residence directly, while another doctor may want to consider a temporary work visa first. Your plans, timescales, budget and family circumstances can all affect the options available to you.
Before committing to a particular route, it’s worth understanding how the immigration requirements apply to your situation and whether there are any issues to address before applying.
If you’re not sure where to start, fill out our Eligibility Assessment as a first step, and we can guide you from there.
Medical registration is an important part of planning your move. And it is a required document for submitting your visa application.
Immigration eligibility and professional registration are separate matters. You must meet the relevant immigration requirements, but you must also be eligible for the appropriate registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand to practise as a doctor and to apply for a visa.
For General Practitioners, the specified Green List requirement is to obtain registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand ( General, Vocational, Provisional General, Provisional Vocational, or Special Purpose Locum Tenens). A letter of eligibility from the Medical Council is also accepted. You will need to have a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in order to get registration.
The registration pathway that applies to you will depend on your qualifications, training and experience. It is important to establish which route may be available to you and what you need to do before you can practise in New Zealand.
The Medical Council of New Zealand provides information about the different registration pathways for doctors, including overseas-trained doctors.
I can help you understand how registration requirements relate to your immigration application, but the Medical Council is responsible for assessing your professional registration.
I also partner with Transition Medical, who can help you obtain both your Medical Registration and employment in New Zealand.
Yes, your family may be able to join you, but the options and requirements depend on the visa pathway you choose.
If you apply for a Straight to Residence Visa, you may be able to include your eligible partner and dependent children in your residence application, provided they meet the relevant requirements. For a Resident Visa to be granted to your partner, you must have been living together in a genuine and stable relationship for at least 12 months and be able to provide evidence of this.
If you apply for an Accredited Employer Work Visa, you may be able to support a work or visitor visa for your partner and visitor or student visas for your dependent children. Minimum income thresholds can apply.
The rules for supporting partners and dependent children differ between temporary and residence visas (including upper age limit for children, and duration of living together for partners). It is important to consider your family’s circumstances alongside your own immigration plans.
If you are bringing a partner, you will also need to consider the evidence requirements for demonstrating that you are living together in a genuine and stable relationship.
Visa processing is prioritised for GPs (as a Green List Tier 1 role), and this applies both to the Straight to Residence Visa and Accredited Employer Work Visa. The exact timings do vary, though, so it is worth keeping an eye on the relevant Immigration New Zealand visa page. It is also worth bearing in mind that processing times can vary depending on the circumstances of the application and can’t be guaranteed.
As well as considering visa processing times, you also need to factor in the timings for all the stages of the process, including:
Before you commit to a visa pathway, it is worth understanding your options and what each route would mean for you and your family.
An eligibility assessment can help you establish which immigration pathways may be available, identify any requirements that need attention and understand the next steps for you and your family.
If you’re not sure where to start, complete my free Eligibility Assessment.
As a Licensed New Zealand Immigration Adviser based in the UK, I can help you understand your immigration options and guide you through the application process.
Depending on your circumstances, my service includes:
Assessing your eligibility for relevant visa pathways.
Advising on the immigration requirements relating to your job offer and chosen visa.
Considering how your partner and children’s visa options fit with your plans.
Providing a tailored Document Checklist.
Checking your supporting documents against the applicable immigration requirements.
Preparing and submitting your visa application and supporting cover letter.
Liaising with Immigration New Zealand and responding to requests for further information.
My role is to help you understand what is required, identify potential issues and prepare an application that clearly addresses the relevant immigration criteria. And I’m here to support you and your family throughout.
Yes. The role of a General Practitioner is listed as a Tier 1 Green List occupation. You must still meet the specific requirements for the role, have an eligible job or job offer with an accredited employer, and satisfy the other visa and Green List criteria.
Yes. You will need an eligible job offer from an accredited employer before you can apply for a Resident or Work visa.
If you meet the Straight to Residence requirements, you are able to apply from overseas without first working in New Zealand.
For General Practitioners, the specified Green List requirement is to obtain registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand ( General, Vocational, Provisional General, Provisional Vocational, or Special Purpose Locum Tenens). A letter of eligibility from the Medical Council is also accepted. Visit the Medical Council registration pathways page for information about professional registration.
If your partner is including in your Straight to Residence Visa application, or you apply for an AEWV and support them to get an open Work Visa, and their visa is approved, they will be able to work for any employer in New Zealand, full or part-time, or be self-employed.
No. A Straight to Residence Visa is a Resident Visa that allows you to live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely, subject to its conditions. It comes with travel conditions that allow you to travel in and out of New Zealand for two years.
After holding residence for two years in a row, you may be able to apply for a Permanent Resident Visa, which provides indefinite travel rights if you meet the requirements. Alternatively you may be able to extend your travel conditions.
Yes, you may be able to apply from overseas if you meet the requirements for the visa you are applying for. You will still need to meet the relevant job, registration, health, character and other criteria.
Your parents cannot be included as dependent family members in your GP work or residence application. However, recently there have been a few positive changes within the Parent Category which make it a bit easier for parents of New Zealand Residents to come to New Zealand. You can find out more about the Parent Boost Visitor Visa and the Parent Resident Visa on our Parent Visa page.
Another pathway, such as an Accredited Employer Work Visa or a different residence category, may be worth considering depending on your circumstances. An eligibility assessment can help clarify which options may be available to you.
If you’re considering a move to New Zealand, the first step is to understand which immigration pathways may be suitable for you.
Complete my free Eligibility Assessment to help establish your options and identify what you may need to do next.
Start our Eligibility Assessment.
If you already have a job offer and are ready to get started with your visa, please get in touch.
If you’d like to understand the work and residence visa process in more depth, these pages and resources explain the main visa pathways, professional registration requirements and Green List options that may be relevant to GPs considering a move to New Zealand.:
Accredited Employer Work Visas
Skilled Migrant Resident Visas
New Zealand Professional Registration Boards
See our GP recruitment partner’s blog on how they help GPs with recruitment and Medical Registration