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How much will it cost to migrate to New Zealand?

Migrating to a new country is an expensive undertaking.

We are often asked by our clients how much money they are going to need to cover all costs of their move.

The obvious points

  • The cost will depend on your plans for New Zealand and the type of visa you will need.
  • The cost will depend on your private living standard requirements.
  • The cost will depend on how long it will take you to find a job and get a visa.

Our Advice

  • Good forward planning will save you money and nerves.
  • It is important that you know what to expect right from the start and set a budget.
  • It is important to avoid any unnecessary delays which will eat into your savings.
  • A lot of work can be done before you arrive!

Ask us for the best way to turn your plans into reality and we will give you an overview over the costs involved with your migration process, enabling you to set up a budget for your move.

The migration related costs at a glance

Visa Application Fees - Government Fees

You will have to pay a visa fee to Immigration New Zealand when you submit your visa application.

How much your visa will cost depends on the type of visa you are applying for. We can specify the fee once we have assessed your background and determined the best visa policy for you.

Government Fees for different visa types:*

  • Work Visa:  298 or 393
  • Work Visa Partner: 318 or 413
  • Resident Visa: 3000
  • Study Visa: 277
  • Visitor Visa: 184

* Fees are NZD

Government fees are subject to change at any time.

Please note that Immigration New Zealand will not refund any fees if your application gets declined.  

New Zealand Qualification Assessment Fee

If your overseas qualification is required to be assessed by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, NZQA, you will have to pay a processing fee.

The processing fees depend on the pathway you are choosing for your qualification assessment:

  • Pre-Assessment, PAR: 138
  • Full Assessment, IQA: 746

Ask our Licensed Immigration Advisers wether you will need to apply for a qualification assessment by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority and which of the two options is best for you.

Professional Registration Fee

You might have to apply for your professional registration with the professional board in charge of your profession.

The processing fee will be different from one professional board to another.

Our advisers will be able to point you in the right direction for further information.

Translation Costs

Your documents will have to be submitted to the authorities involved in English. If your original documents are not already written in English, you will have to provide translations.

Translations have to be done by professional translators who are recognised by the New Zealand authorities.

We can put you in touch with translators who are experienced in working with migrants and recognised in New Zealand. They will provide you with a quote before commencing their work for you.

Our Licensed Immigration Advisers will specify exactly which documents will have to be translated and which not, potentially saving you money for unnecessary translations.

As a ballpark figure you can expect to pay between NZD50 and NZD500, but might have to pay in excess of  that, depending on the circumstances of your case.

Costs for certified copies

You will have to provide all evidence in the required format.

Our Licensed Immigration Advisers will give you a list of documents and document guidelines to specify exactly which documents will have to be submitted as originals and which ones will have to be certified.  

Based on our instructions you will be able to engage a Notary Public, a Justice of the Peace or a similarly authorised person, either in your country of residence or in New Zealand.

The cost for obtaining certified copies can vary considerably.

Costs for Police Clearances

Police certificates can cost anything from NZD0 to NZD50, depending on your country of citizenship or residence.

Our Licensed Advisers will let you know how to obtain your clearances and from which countries you have lived in you might be required to submit a report.

Costs for Medicals

Medical reports and X-ray certificates are expensive.  They will cost several hundred dollars, depending on the country you are in at the time of your examination.

Please note: police clearances and medical reports will only be valid for a limited time from their dates of issue. To avoid having to re-apply for those reports, we will let you know when the time is right to obtain them.

Other costs related to moving to New Zealand and starting a new life: Your moving and living costs.

You will of course need enough funds to pay for your travels as well as  your accommodation and other living costs.

However, the level of expenses you will have will mostly depend on your personal lifestyle and it is therefore not possible to give you a reliable figure for the costs you have to expect for the first few months here in New Zealand.

Our advice: Be prepared to cover the first few months from your savings!

Running out of money is a mayor factor for determining your stress levels and it will put a high level of pressure on you.

We cannot stress enough the importance of good preparation!  The better you prepare your arrival in New Zealand, the faster you will be able to find a job, obtain a visa and settle into your new life.

While this advice is quite obvious, it is probably one of the most important factors that will contribute to your successful immigration process!

Our Fees

Our fees will be part of your overall migration costs.

They are a solid investment for a successful and smooth migration process.

Our fee structure is easy to understand and transparent right from the start.

The fees will depend on the level of work required for your process.

To prove to you that we are fully committed to the success of your visa process and your job search, we offer you a fee structure that is vastly success based.

We only commit to starting a cooperation with clients who have been carefully pre-assessed by our Licensed Immigration Advisers and our Job Search Professionals.

Why working with us will save you money

A typical migrant concern:

"Hi, I am concerned about going to New Zealand with no work lined up, because I would burn through my reserves pretty fast. I would need the assurance of knowing that I am able to work and earn in the local currency. "

The solution: Our Job Search Program will speed up your job search.

Our Job Search Professionals will work on getting you through your job hunt as smoothly as possible, starting by getting you ready long before you even arrive in New Zealand.

Building a solid base for your arrival will enable you to hit the ground running and save a lot of time usually necessary for finding your feet in a new environment. Our continued support will then give you a further powerful boost for your job hunt, allowing you to get results faster and speed up your job search process.

This will not only save you money for hotels, travels to interviews etc, but it will also put you in a position to generate an income in New Zealand within the shortest time possible.

To get a clear picture of the total cost of your immigration process ask our Licensed Immigration Advisers and our Job Search Professionals for a Free Professional Assessment.



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