The Skilled Migrant Category visa is for people with qualifications and experience in professions that New Zealand needs – these are professions that are on the Government-created Long Term Skill Shortage List.
In addition to having relevant qualifications and skills, you must also be under 55 years of age and have a job offer. You must also meet basic New Zealand immigration requirements – these cover your ability to use the English language, the state of your health, and whether you are of good character.
Skilled migrant category visas are issued on a points based system. The process of applying is also different to many other visa categories.
You don’t actually start the process with making an application. Instead you send Immigration New Zealand an Expression of Interest. You can only do this after you have completed a self-assessment. This self-assessment will calculate how many points you have. After this you will receive an invitation from Immigration New Zealand to apply for a skilled migrant category visa. This invitation is based on your expression of interest, however, and the number of points you have – you will need at least 160. Therefore, the initial self-assessment and preparation of the expression of interest are crucial parts of the process – to get help or advice on completing these stages, please contact us at Immigration Advisers New Zealand.
You can also get help with submitting your resident application – you must do this within six months of receiving your invitation. So long as the process goes smoothly you will receive your visa to live and work in New Zealand.
The process of getting a resident visa via the skilled migrant category route can be complex. For example, the qualifications you have might not be recognised by the immigration authorities here, or you might not be given as much credit for work experience that you think you deserve. It is, therefore, advisable to get professional help from a licensed immigration adviser. To set up a free initial consultation or to arrange a full consultation to discuss your eligibility, self-assessment, expression of interest, or application, please contact us today.
If you have qualifications and experience in professions that New Zealand needs, you can apply for Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa by completing an Expression of Interest (EOI) form. If you have 160 or more points your EOI will be selected automatically from the pool and you will receive an invitation to Apply (ITA), subject to assessment and credibility of your information.