Your Skilled Migrant Visa and the Catch 22

Find out why your skilled migrant visa will depend on you having a job offer from a New Zealand employer, what that means for you, and how our powerful Fusion Service will help you solve the Catch 22 dilemma.

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The bottom line is: To get a Skilled Migrant Visa for New Zealand you need a job.

Whether you want to apply for a SMC Resident Visa or an Essential Skills Work Visa, a New Zealand job offer will be the crucial requirement for your visa application.

But you will find it difficult to get a job offer as long as you do not have a visa.

You find yourself in a classical Catch 22: "A dilemma or difficult circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions."

Our Fusion Service will empower you to break through the Catch 22 wall.

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Residence Visa Requirements (Skilled Migrant Category)

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To be eligible for a Skilled Migrant Category Residence Visa you must meet the following minimum requirements:

Health

You must have an acceptable standard of health

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Character

You must be of good character.

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English

You must have proven English language capabilities.

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Age

You must be under the age limit of 56 years.

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Minimum Points

You must have a minimum points score of 100.

‍However, even if you meet all of the above minimum requirements and reach the minimum points score, this will unfortunately not automatically allow you to even start your residence visa process.

The latest selections have shown that the number of Expressions of Interest in the pool on the day of the selection surpassed New Zealand's projected capacity for SMC resident visa applications by far.

As a consequence only EOIs with a points score of 160 and more were selected, and only those candidates were subsequently invited to apply for a resident visa for New Zealand. It is therefore realistic to assume that you will need at least 160 points in order for your Expression of Interest to be successfully selected.

Unfortunately the reality is that hardly anybody can claim 160 points in their Expression of Interest right at the start.

However, you will be able to claim 50-110 points for an offer of skilled employment once you have found a job in New Zealand.

If your partner has a job offer too, that will give you 20 additional points for your Expression of Interest.

It is absolutely realistic to assume that a job offer will lift you well over the 160 points threshold for your Expression of Interest.

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Facit:

A job offer in New Zealand is the key to your work and resident visas.

Feedback from our Licensed Immigration Advisers:

Image of our four Licensed Immigration Advisers at NZIC

"It is highly unlikely that anybody can reach the current minimum score of 160 unless points can be claimed for an offer of skilled employment."

"As long as you do not have an offer of employment, your Expression of Interest will not be selected from the Pool, and you will not receive an Invitation to Apply for a Residence Visa. You are caught in the Catch 22 Dilemma."

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Your Expression of Interest

For your Expression of Interested to be selected from the Pool, you need at least 160 points.

A job offer will give you 50-110 points.

To find out more check out our Self-Assessment/Points Guide.

Gif showing the need for a job offer and animation of EOI selection pool with most successful cases needing a job offer

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What does this mean for you?

How can you find a job if you do not have a visa?

As you have seen, you cannot obtain a visa unless you have a job, but on the other side you will also find it very difficult to get a job as long as you do not have your visa yet.

Whether you are responding to job listings on the internet or talking to employers or recruiters, you will come across comments like: "Only visa holders may apply" or "Please come back once you have obtained your work visa".

You are caught in the well known Catch 22 dilemma.

Read more on how the lack of a visa affects your job search success: Your job search and the Catch 22.
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Your Skilled Migrant Visa and the Catch 22

The bottom line is: To get a Skilled Migrant Visa for New Zealand you need a job.

Work Visa Requirements (Essential Skills)

In your visa application you have to prove to Immigration New Zealand that all of the following requirements are met:

Residence Visa Requirements (Skilled Migrant Category)

To be eligible for a Skilled Migrant Category Residence Visa you must meet the following minimum requirements:

A job offer in New Zealand is the key to your work and resident visas.

Your Expression of Interest

What does this mean for you?

How can you find a job if you do not have a visa?

Our Fusion Service

Visa Service and Job Search Service from under one umbrella.

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