Red, Amber & Green Lists
At some point in the last few years (and probably due to the pandemic that we dare not speak the name of), our Government became fixated on giving everything a colour coding system, based on traffic lights. I guess its a pretty familiar concept and if the light is green, its all go, if its amber, exercise caution and if its red forget about it. The same colour scheme we use to direct traffic or previously used to determine if we could leave the house, has also been adopted in to our immigration system, starting with the “Green List” and soon to be complimented by the “Amber” and “Red” lists to make the complete set.
Its a cute idea (although possibly too much of a reminder of that pandemic that we dare not speak the name of), but for most migrants, the only colour that makes sense right now is Green, given the Green List that it refers to has been in operation for some time. The Amber and Red varieties are proposals, set to be introduced with other, fairly significant SMC updates in 2026.
Whilst there is no specific policy or rules for the Amber and Red Lists at this stage, there is a pretty strong signal being sent as to what these might mean and how they might impact potential future migrants looking to apply for residence. So in this weeks article we take a look at INZ’s lists, starting off with the Green List and how it functions, and then considering what the Amber and Red Lists might contain when they are eventually rolled out in to the public domain.
The Green List
The Green List is not really a new concept and in fact it was based largely on the previous Long Term Skill Shortage List (LTSSL). Designed to identify the occupations that New Zealand has an ongoing issue in filling - hard to source roles, or technical skills that are generally always in demand. Like the LTSSL, the Green List is used to offer pathways to residence for people in specific occupations and also removes the need for employers to advertise roles for the purposes of a Work Visa, given there is already an established shortage of those skills.
Green For Go
The Green List, are occupations that INZ have identified are in demand and have a direct or two year pathway to Residence.
The main difference however between these two lists is that while the LTSSL did offer people a pathway to residence if they were on on that list, it came after working in that role for two years (for all occupations). The Green List adds a further layer, by splitting occupations in to two groups (Tier 1 and Tier 2). Those occupations in Tier 1 have a direct pathway to residence, without having to accumulate any work experience in New Zealand.
Those who fall into Tier 2 of the list, have a work to residence pathway, very much in the same way that the LTSSL operated. However the Green List also has slightly more specific requirements attached to each role than the former LTSSL had - for example instead of simply having a qualification or work experience requirement, some Green List roles also require a specific salary level.
So while the Green List isn’t exactly an immigration revolution, it does work in a far better way than the LTSSL used to and the addition of the “Straight to Residence” pathway gives those higher skilled and ultimately higher priority roles a very swift way to secure residence - potentially faster than most other countries might offer. For the right candidate, that Straight to Residence process can be completed in a number of weeks, rather than months and very few of our competitors out there can match that.
The Green List is of course updated (periodically) and so far we have very few major changes to the list, although it is something to be aware of. Occupations on the Green List are also not reflective of a steady demand for those jobs and the list is not updated as quickly as the labour market moves, so if you are looking at the options for NZ, and are on the Green List, you also still need to make sure that the jobs are available.
The Amber List
When the Government announced changes to the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) due to roll out in August 2026, they also hinted at the addition of two more lists, one being amber coloured and the other being red. These lists would essentially create restrictions or additional criteria for certain occupations that were aiming to qualify under the SMC system.
Caution…
The amber list will be for roles that can qualify under the new work experience pathway, but will have extra requirements attached.
With the broader changes that were announced, INZ also introduced two new SMC pillars one for trades and technicians and another for those with work experience but who might not have the required degree, registration or income that forms the basis for points in the existing system.
The Amber list was also proposed at the same time and to work alongside the new work experience pathway. In essence, the Amber list will be a short (ish) list of occupations that are skilled, but in order to qualify under the new pathway will have additional criteria applied. So instead of simply meeting the five years of work experience (3 anywhere and 2 in NZ), these occupations will come with additional requirements and applicant will need to meet in order to use them. What those additional criteria will be, has yet to be fully determined and I can confidently say that working out what they will be, will take considerable time and brainpower to achieve.
So why have this list? Well the simple answer to this, is that there have historically been occupations that are considered skilled because they fall within the right levels in ANZSCO (our list of occupations and skill levels) but have often been misrepresented or abused by applicants to try and overstate or inflate their skill level. They are also often very difficult for INZ to assess - for example a “Retail Manager” might be considered a skill level 2 role in ANZSCO but does that mean the person running the corner dairy meets the objective of the SMC system?
These occupations have been the source of significant frustration for both INZ and advisers alike, given genuine applicants with genuinely skilled jobs that fall within the the potential amber list criteria, are often hauled over the coals, because of a misconception that everyone with these jobs is trying to do something a bit shifty.
Personally I think the use of a separate list to identify these jobs and then add some criteria for those looking to use them to qualify is a really good idea. It will ultimately simplify the assessment process for applicants and INZ and tighten up the level of skills we are attracting under this particular scheme. However I only hope that the additional criteria they roll out are sensible, based on both the applicant and the employer and are still achievable for those applicants who are genuinely working in these occupations at the right skill levels.
The Red List
Alongside the amber list, INZ is going to roll out a “Red List” which will effectively create a list of jobs that are excluded from the new work experience pathway entirely. Meaning that if you work in one of these roles, even though they are at the right skill level, according to ANZSCO, you will not be able to use this to qualify for residence based on having work experience alone. The key here however is that you will still be able to qualify for residence, if you do have one of these jobs, if you meet one of the existing SMC pillars, e.g. have a degree level qualification or higher, earn a higher level of income or are registered - although no registered occupations will end up on the red list anyway.
No Go (well sort of)
The red list will be excluded occupations who cannot qualify under the new work experience pathway, but can still qualify under one of the existing SMC pillars.
The red list is an admission that ANZSCO, which is our primary source for working out which roles are skilled or otherwise is far from perfect and there are jobs that simply shouldn’t be able to qualify for residence. The types of roles that will end up here are also open to significant abuse and often the source of some level of exploitation.
Again, there is no indication yet as to which occupations will appear on this list, but having worked in this industry for a while, I could hazard a fairly educated guess. I won’t do that here of course, but most of these occupations will be in the service industry potentially and again are roles that INZ have always struggled to assess because there is a degree of embellishment in terms of the skills involved, on the part of the applicant and often the employer.
These occupations will still be able to qualify under the existing pathways, which simply means that applicants will have to have a higher level of skills to utilise them, and that in itself will help reduce the overall numbers that qualify with these occupations. Again, it is a sensible move, but INZ has to be careful here in terms of which occupations they decide to place on this list (the same goes for the amber list, but to a lesser degree). No matter how you rationalise adding an occupation to this list, there will be arguments for and against from within the industry or sector that is impacted by that addition. Equally there are always people who work in these roles, who are genuinely skilled and completely meet the requirements of that role and of course when you create a list you potentially exclude them by default (or at least make it much harder).
Impacts For Future Migrants
The changes announced to the SMC on the whole open up the category to a far greater number of potential applicants, particularly those trade skills that up until were missing in action and it also allows those without qualifications, a legitimate pathway based on their previous experience to also qualify - however every potential gain, also comes with a possible loss and in this case the introduction of the amber and red lists, will inevitably mean that some people don’t qualify.
I for one, am okay with that. Residence in New Zealand is not something that every person should or can qualify for and in fact making it a little harder for some applicants to achieve is completely understandable and within the overall spirit and intent of the policy. Living in New Zealand should be something that is attainable for those with the skills we need or those who can add value. It was however never intended to the be the end goal for every person who ever managed to secure a job offer here.
Even within these more restrictive lists, INZ has still given people an opportunity to apply, you just have to meet those additional requirements, which for people who are skilled in those professions is likely to be something they can do.
However what all of this does mean is that while we are offering a greater pool of options for applicants, those options have become more complicated and knowing which list you are on, whether you need to be on a list at all or if you are on a list, whether you meet the specific requirements that list contains is going to trip a fair few migrants up along the way.
If you are considering a move to New Zealand and perhaps a little confused by recent announcements or where you might fit within all of theses lists, then get in touch with the team today - 09 486 2169 or email immigration@turnerhopkins.co.nz.
Until next week.
