Expressions explained
Skilled employment
Future growth area
Absolute skill shortages
Recognised qualification
English proficiency
 

Are you Eligible for a Permanent Residence Permit under the Skilled Migrant Category?

 

Find out what your chances are by doing a quick self-check

 

Quick Self-Check

Our Self-Check Guide will give you a first glance at the requirements of the Skilled Migration Category and enable you to briefly check your chances of obtaining a residence permit under New Zealand´s Skilled Migrant policy.

 

The minimum requirements for an application under the Skilled Migrant Category are:   


• Good health
• Good character
• Good English language capabilities
• Age limit of 55 years
• Points score of at least 100

 

Points are awarded for the following factors:

Please add your points and read on.

Some of the expressions used in the table below are explained in the column on the left hand side.

 

current skilled employment in NZ for 12 months or more
60
offer of skilled employment in New Zealand or current skilled employment in New Zealand for less than 12 months
50
Bonus points for employment or offer of employment in:
an identified future growth area
10
an area of absolute skill shortage
10
region outside of Auckland
10
partner employment or offer of employment
20

Work experience:
2 years
10
4 years
15
6 years
20
8 years
25
10 years
30
Additional bonus points for work experience in New Zealand:
1 year
5
2 years
10
3 years or more
15
Additional bonus points for work experience in an identified future growth area:
2 to 5 years
5
6 years or more
10
Additional bonus points for work experience in an area of absolute skills shortage:
2 to 5 years
10
6 years or more
15

Qualifications:
recognised basic qualification (e.g. trade qualification, diploma, bachelors degree, bachelors degree with Honours)
50
recognised post-graduate qualification (Masters degree, Doctorate)
55
Bonus points for:
basic recognised NZ qualification or two years of full-time study in New Zealand towards a recognised NZ qualification
5
post graduate recognized NZ qualification (Masters or Doctorate)   10
qualification in an identified future growth area
10
qualification in an area of absolute skill shortage
10
partner qualifications
20

Family Support:
Close family support in New Zealand
10

Age (20 to 55 years):
20 - 29 years
30
30 - 39 years
25
40 - 44 years
20
45 - 49 years
10
50 - 55 years
5

 

 

If you score 100 points or more and meet health, character, language and age requirements, you might be eligible to submit an Expression of Interest, EoI.

Please note that most applicants will not be able to score 100 points without having obtained a job offer in New Zealand.

Because a job offer is an important pre-requisit for most residence applications, we have established a Job Search Service for Skilled Migrants.

The jobsearch experts from jobs4migrants will be more than happy to advise you and make a suggestion on how to develop a strategy for your employment search.

Our immigration and job search specialists are working hand in hand, providing seamless assistance with your migration.

 

So what happens next?

You are welcome to ask us for an assessment of your chances

 

If you would like to learn more about the application process before contacting us, read on and find out what the next steps will be for you.

 

You have established that you will be able to claim 100 points for your Expression of Interest.

In principle you are now eligible to submit your

Expression of Interest, EoI.

However, all Expressions of Interest received by Immigration New Zealand are placed into a Pool, ranging from highest to lowest points scores.

Every two weeks Immigration New Zealand is drawing only those EoIs with the highes points scores from the Pool of EoIs.  This process is called Selection.

Only EoIs selected from the Pool will have a chance to proceed with the residence application process.

 

How many points will you really need?

In order for your Expression of Interest to be successful, you need to claim as many points as possible, as only those EoIs with the highest points scores are selected from the Pool.

 

The Selection Point

The Selection Point is the number of points required for an Expression of Interest to be selected from the Pool.

It is determined by two factors:

  1. the number of Expressions of Interest in the Pool on the day your Expression of Interest is to be drawn and
  2. the number of immigrants New Zealand is aiming to obtain during the current year.

 

History of the Selection Point and Additional Selection Criteria:

 

In early 2004 the Selection Point was at 195, permitting only candidates who were able to claim points for an offer of employment in New Zealand to apply for residency under the Skilled Migrant Category.

Until very recently the Selection Point was at the absolute low of 100, allowing skilled applicants to successfully submit their Expressions of Interest without necessarily having to obtain an offer of employment at that stage of the process, an advantage appeiciated by many immigrants.

In the meantime Immigration New Zealand has introduced additional selection criteria for selecting EoIs from the Pool.

These criteria apply when there are places available in the Pool after all applicants who score between 100 and 140 points and have a New Zealand job or job offer have been selected. When this happens, other EoIs may be selected on the basis of specific criteria which the Minister of Immigration sets every six months.

For the latest developments of the Selection Point, please check our News section, which is constantly being updated:

 

                                             

     

                      

What happens once your EoI has been successfully selected?

EoIs that have been selected are undergoing a preliminary check by Immigration New Zealand. If Immigration New Zealand is sattisfied that all requirements are met, the applicant will receive an

Invitation to Apply for a Residence Permit.

At this stage the applicant will finally submit the actual residence permit application accompanied by all relevant documentation, proving the points claims made in the Expression of Interest.

We are more than happy to assess your chances for you and give you a realistic idea of what might be involved for you and your family to obtain your residence permits.

To contact us and ask us for a

Free professional Immigration Assessment

 

  "We are looking forward to hearing from you."

"Migrants who make this country home are important to New Zealand's heritage, culture and economy"
Department of Labour


Free professional Immigration Assessment



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Last update on Mar 11th, 2010