If you want to begin your new life in the land of kiwis you will need a resident visa. If you want to only stay in New Zealand for a limited time, you will need a temporary visa. The Skilled Worker visa is for skilled individuals who want to permanently settle down in New Zealand. This visa uses a point based system to screen applications eligible for immigration in New Zealand. Firstly you need to create a profile on New Zealand immigration site and submit an Expression of Interest (EOI). If you receive an invitation, you can apply to live and work in New Zealand.

The Skilled Migrant visa category information below should only be used as a guide. If you want a better, clearer understanding on your eligibility appropriate for your circumstances, then we would request you to contact us. The team of expert consultants at Visas Abroad will provide you the knowledge, support and understanding needed to turn your dreams of living abroad a reality.

Process for Skilled Migration

Step 1: Check your eligibility for New Zealand immigration

Firstly, before you begin your process of skilled immigration to New Zealand, you first need to check if you are eligible. You can perform a quick assessment through the team of Visas Abroad on Skill Assessment

 Step 2: You submit an Expression of Interest

You first need to create an online profile on New Zealand Immigration website detailing all important personal, educational, professional qualification, language and other skill related information. After successfully completing the application, you will be able to submit an Expression of Interest for immigration to New Zealand under skilled migrant category visa. You need to have the evidence supporting your points to apply for this visa. In order to apply for permanent residency though skilled migration you need to pay visa fees before you can submit EOI.

Step 3: Receiving an ITA from the Expression of Interest applicant pool:

All the applications received under Expression of Interest are entered into a Pool. There is a ranking system based on point system which ranks the applications in the Pool from highest to lowest points claimed. The top scorers from this pool are invited to apply for permanent residence under skilled migrant category. An application remains in Expression of Interest pool for about three months before it’s withdrawn. If your application is selected through this pool you can apply. If you don’t receive an Invitation to apply within 3 months you can apply again by paying the appropriate visa fees.

Step 4: Attach the relevant documents along with the application:

If you have received an Invitation to apply, you need to attach relevant documents (such as passport, educational and professional documents, and relevant certificates) as evidence to support points claim. Attested scanned photo copies and in some cases even original documents are required to be submitted.

Step 5: Decision Making

The New Zealand government will assess your application for residence against its existing residence policy and look at your ability to settle and contribute to the social and economic development of New Zealand. The selection of your application for PR depends on the critical facts related to your language ability, your professional skills and your adaptability to New Zealand life and culture. There are 3 following probabilities:

• Your application may be approved and you will be granted Permanent Residence Visa or Permit
• If you qualify for a job in New Zealand you may be granted a Work visa or Permit
• Your application may be rejected and you would need to restart the application process in case you are still interested in applying

Step 6: Welcome to New Zealand:

In case you are granted a PR or Work Permit visa, New Zealand government will arrange a welcome pack on your arrival along with a contact person who can help you access information you need to help settle in.

Eligibility Criteria for Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa:

Firstly in order to apply for residence visa under the Skilled Migrant category, you need to submit Expression of Interest to New Zealand immigration department. Expression of Interest determines the points you claim as skilled migrant. You would need to score at least 160 points threshold value in order to apply for Permanent Residency through this visa category. For better understanding of point system of New Zealand, you can click here. New Zealand Skilled Migrant Point Based System

Here is a quick list of things that would be required in order to apply for New Zealand immigration under Skilled Migrant visa:

• You must be under 56 years of age
• You must be in good health
• You must be of good character
• You must have good English language ability
• You must have reached a minimum point score of 160 (currently New Zealand is only accepting applicants with a at least 160 points instead of threshold of 100 as before)

Visa Benefits of Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa:

This visa allows you to enjoy the following benefits:

• Live, work and Study in New Zealand
• Stay in New Zealand indefinitely and enter or leave New Zealand any number of times for the first two initial years of stay
• Avail the benefits of New Zealand healthcare system and social security benefit
• If you meet the eligibility criteria you can apply for New Zealand Citizenship
• Sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence
• Travel to and from New Zealand for first two years (After 5 years you would need a resident return visa or another visa to return to Australia)

Checklist of documents for Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa:

 

• Identity:
  • You need to submit original identity documents in case you are applying for permanent residence.
  • A passport that must be valid for at least 3 months after you plan to leave New Zealand
  • If you are applying for permanent residence outside of New Zealand you would need to submit a pre-paid courier envelope to return the original identity document

 

• Character:

To apply for New Zealand residence in case you are invited to apply, you are required to submit Police Certificates. You must provide Police Certificate from:

• Your country of Citizenship
• Any other country where you have spent 12 months or more over the last 10 years (these 12 months may not have been spent all in one month’s)

 

• Health:

In case you are invited to apply for New Zealand Residence, you are required to submit a health certificate. You must have a chest x-ray and a medical examination as proof of your good health.

 

• English Language:

 

When you are applying for residence in New Zealand, you would be required to submit an evidence of proficiency in English Language. If you are invited to apply for residence on or after 12 October 2016, you will need to provide one of these applications

 

• An acceptable English language test result of IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, and FCE as listed below:

 

English Language Test	Average of Reading, Writing & Listening  Qualifying Score
International English Language Testing System (IELTS)	General or Academic Module 6.5 or more
Test of English as a foreign language internet based test TOFEL iBT	79 or more
Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE)	58 or more
Cambridge English: First (FCE)	176 or more
Occupational English Test (OET)	Grade B or more

 

 

• Evidence that you are a citizen of Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom (UK) or the United States Of America(USA), and you have spent at least five years working or studying un those countries, or in Australia or New Zealand.

 

• Evidence that you have a recognized qualification that’s comparable to a post graduate New Zealand qualification which you gained in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK, or the USA. You must have studied for at least one year in any of those countries to get that qualification.

 

• Age:

You must be 55 years or below when you apply for Residence. You will be required to submit a proof of your identity confirming your age.

 

• Skilled Employment:

When you apply for residence, you must provide evidence you are able to work in skilled employment including having the necessary:

• Work experience
• Qualifications
• Occupational registration

 

• Expression of Interest:

To apply for permanent residency in New Zealand, you need to create an online profile sharing your personal and professional details and submit an Expression of Interest. In order to be eligible for submitting an EOI you need to have at least 100 points. But currently New Zealand is only accepting applicants with a score of minimum 160 points. EOIs are valid for 6 months; you would be required to create another profile after 6 months in case you don’t get an invite before that.

 

• Invitation to apply for residence:

It is a primary requirement to receive an “Invitation to Apply” to be able file for permanent residence in New Zealand. You need to attach the following important documents along with an ITA:

• An employment agreement
• A job description
• Your full or provisional occupational registration, if New Zealand law requires you to have it does your job
• Original or certified copies of your qualifications and your course transcripts
• A report from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) confirming any qualification that isn’t on your list of recognized or exempt qualifications
• References, pay slips, tax records or contracts that confirm your work experience
• Birth certificates for any close family who live in New Zealand that show you are related
• Proof that any close family if you claimed points to live in New Zealand

• It’s very critical that you submit all required documents to support your points claim. In case, you are not able to submit original documents you may not be granted visa.

 

• Family and Dependent member are proof:

 

• Your partner and dependent children must meet the requirements for this visa:
  • For your family to be included in an invitation to apply for residence, you must have included them in your Expression of Interest form. If invited to apply you must provide evidence such as:
  • Relationship certificate with your partner and dependent children
  • Your partner and children meet the health, identity, character, health, and English language requirements for this visa

English Language for family:

• To apply for permanent residence in New Zealand, you must ensure that your family meets the English language proficiency requirement. Your partner and children must speak in English in order to apply for residence.
• You can include the following evidence:
  • Have an IELTS certificate score of 5 or more in the General or Academic module
  • Evidence you are a citizen of Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom (UK) or the United States Of America(USA), and you have spent at least five years working or studying un those countries, or in Australia or New Zealand.
  • Evidence you have a recognized qualification that’s comparable to a post graduate New Zealand qualification which you gained in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK, or the USA. You must have studied for at least one year in any of those countries to get that qualification.

 

Processing time for Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa:

Application processing time generally depends on whether you have provided all the documents the government needs to process the application and the type of visa too are applying for. As per the New Zealand government website, the processing of Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa takes about 6 months time duration. But, every case file is unique and requires a fair amount of time for its evaluation. You can track your application online on the New Zealand government website to know the application status.

 

Obligations for Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa:

 

• Entry permission:

 

• You must apply for entry permission when you arrive in New Zealand. You can do this by completing an arrival card, which you’ll be given on the way to New Zealand.

 

• You can be refused entry permission if:
  • You don’t meet the required character requirements
  • Your circumstances have changed since you were granted a visa
  • You refuse to let the immigration authority take your photo or fingerprints or an iris scan, if asked for them

 

• Work related obligations:

 

• If you apply for PR visa through skilled migrant category, you need to abide by the following work related obligations:
• You have been offered employment in Auckland:
  • If you were awarded points for an offer of skilled employment in Auckland and those points were the reason you were invited to apply for residence, you must:
  • Take up that job within 3 months of coming to New Zealand
  • Stay in that job for 3 months
  • You must provide evidence within 5 years of your first day in New Zealand as a resident that you stayed in your skilled employment for at least 3 months.

 

• You have been offered employment outside of Auckland:
  • If you were awarded points for an offer of skilled employment outside of Auckland and those points were the reason you were invited to apply for residence, you must:
  • Take up that job within 3 months of coming to New Zealand
  • Stay in that job for 3 months
  • You must provide evidence within 5 years of your first day in New Zealand as a resident that you stayed in your skilled employment for at least 3 months.

 

• You have current skilled employment in Auckland:
  • If you were awarded points for an offer of current skilled employment in Auckland and you have been working in that job for less than 3 months when you were applied for residence. You must stay in that job for at least 3 months.
  • You must provide evidence within 5 years of your first day in New Zealand as a resident that you stayed in your skilled employment for at least 3 months.

 

• You have current skilled employment outside of Auckland:
  • If you were awarded points for your current skilled employment outside of Auckland and you have been working in that job for less than 3 months when you were applied for residence. You must stay in that job for at least 3 months.
  • You must provide evidence within 5 years of your first day in New Zealand as a resident that you stayed in your skilled employment for at least 3 months.
  • You can be granted visa for the duration of holding a valid passport.

 

• Grant of Visa only for Valid Passports:

 

If you want to travel to New Zealand, your visa will be granted only if you hold a valid passport during your stay in New Zealand. If your passport expires, you must apply for transfer of visa which must include:

• Your old and new passports
• Complete an Application for Transfer or Confirmation of a Visa
• Pay a transfer fee

 

• Travel

You can travel in and out of New Zealand as often as you like until your travel conditions expire. You can travel to and from New Zealand for duration of first 2 years of your first day in New Zealand as a Resident. If you are outside of New Zealand when your travel conditions expire, your visa will expire as well. To travel after that you would need to fulfill one of the following conditions:

• A permanent resident visa
• A variation of your travel conditions, which would allow you to return to New Zealand as the later date