New Zealand’s Immigration department has combined the Long Term Skills Shortage List (LTSSL) with the Immediate Skills Shortage List (ISSL) to create the Essential Skills in Demand List, through which LTSSL categories and ISSL categories can be viewed together or separately.
The lists help potential migrants like you to determine which visa entry category is most applicable, based on your experience and skills relevant to particular industries and regions.
Immediate vs. long term skills shortages
The ISSL is not used for migrants hoping to obtain permanent residency in New Zealand, and is used by Immigration New Zealand in relation to temporary work policy. This list determines those occupations for which there is a current shortage of skilled workers, and helps the Immigration Department to streamline your application for a temporary or short-term work visa.
In contrast, the LTSSL is used for both temporary work policy and residence policy. This list exists to identify occupations for which there is an absolute and ongoing shortage of skilled workers. Migrants entering New Zealand under LTSSL requirements may be eligible for residency under either the Work to Residence scheme or the Skilled Migrant Category.
Qualifying for a job on the ISSL or LTSSL enables migrants and their employers to avoid having to prove that there are no New Zealanders available to take the role instead.
What if my occupation isn’t listed?
The Essential Skills in Demand List is reviewed twice yearly by New Zealand Immigration, which can result in occupations being added or removed from the list, as well as changes to the qualifications or experience required for a particular occupation.
The lists are not the only options for skilled migrants to enter and work in New Zealand. If your occupation is not listed, you may want to apply for a temporary work visa/permit (or recruit temporary workers from overseas).
In this case, the occupation does not have to appear on either the ISSL or the LTSSL. Instead, the employer is required to show that they have genuinely searched for suitably qualified and trained New Zealander workers, and await the results of a labour market test. Alternatively, an employer with Approval in Principle may be able to conditionally recruit employees from overseas, with approval required prior to via application.