LIVE IN NEW ZEALAND ON A PERMANANT BASIS

What are my options?

The Skilled Migrant Category

The Skilled Migrant policy addresses migrants who want to move to New Zealand on a permanent basis and are planning to take up employment in their area of professional expertise.

A resident visa under the Skilled Migrant Category will allow you to

  • Live, work and study in New Zealand
  • Include your partner and your dependent children aged 24 and under.

The resident visa application process under the Skilled Migrant Category consists of two main stages, the Expression of Interest and the actual Resident Visa Application.

Stage 1 – The Expression of Interest, EOI

In your online Expression of Interest you will claim points for your qualifications, work experience, age etc.

All Expressions of Interest received will be ranked from highest to lowest points and placed into a selection pool.
Every fortnight Immigration New Zealand selects the Expressions of Interests with the highest point scores from the pool.

The number of points you will need for your Expression of Interest to be selected from the pool depends on the quality of the other competing candidates who have entered their Expression of Interest at the same time as you.

In most cases you it is prudent to have a job offer in New Zealand to claim the 50-70 additional points that may make the deciding difference for the successful outcome of your Expression of Interest.

Expressions of Interest that have been successfully selected from the Pool will undergo a preliminary assessment and only applicants who have successfully passed this stage will then receive an Invitation to Apply for a Resident Visa.

Stage 2 – The Residence Application

At the start of this second stage of the application process your application for a Resident Visa will be submitted to Immigration New Zealand, including all documents proving the point claims made in the Expression of Interest.

Once your resident visa application has been lodged, Immigration New Zealand will  assess it against residence policy. They will also look at your potential to settle successfully and make a real contribution to New Zealand’s social and economic development.Depending on how well you are able to demonstrate your ability or potential to successfully settle in New Zealand, your application

    • may be approved and you will be granted a Resident Visa,

or

    • you may instead be granted a Work Visa, which will enable you to establish yourself in skilled employment in New Zealand,

or

  • your application may be declined.

Work to Residence Visa

  • You can apply for a work to residence visa if you’re 55 or under. You can apply for residence after 2 years of working in an occupation on the LTSSL.
  • You can’t include a partner or dependent children in your work visa application, but they can apply for visas based on their relationship to you.