Residence FAQs

Skilled Migrant Category: How do I apply?

There are two stages of applying for residence under our Skilled Migrant Category:

• Stage One – you complete an Expression of Interest (EOI). In this EOI, you can claim points for age, skilled employment, work experience, qualifications, etc. Your points total will help you determine whether to submit your EOI.

  • at this stage, no evidence or documentation is required.

• Stage Two – if your EOI is selected from the EOI Pool, INZ decide whether they will invite you to apply for residence  in New Zealand based on the points you have claimed.

  • The general timeframe for EOI verification process is 8-12 weeks. This may vary from branch to branch.

  • Once the residence application with documents is submitted, an immigration officer will asses and decide if residence will be granted. They will communicate with the applicant if further information is required.

  • The general timeframe for residence processing is 6-9 months. This may vary from branch to branch

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Will my EOI be selected?

After you have submitted your Expression of Interest it goes into a pool where it is ranked alongside other EOIs.

Every fortnight EOIs are selected in sufficient numbers to meet the New Zealand Residence Programme (NZRP).

• EOIs with 160 points or more are automatically selected from the pool

• If there are further places available, more EOIs can be selected using criteria which are set every six months by the Minister of Immigration.

If your situation changes while your EOI is in the pool, you are able to update your information.

For example, if you receive a skilled job offer you can amend your
EOI and claim points for the job offer, which will increase your points total and improve your chances of being selected from the pool.

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What is Skilled Employment?

To assess if your offer of employment or current employment is skilled employment, the best starting point is the ANZSCO website.

You can enter your job title on the search menu of the ANZSCO website and find which skill level your job belongs to.

• To be recognised as skilled employment your occupation must be described as a skill level 1, 2 or 3 occupation in ANZSCO and be listed in the Immigration New Zealand Operational Manual.

• Your offer of employment or current employment must also substantially match the description for that occupation as set out on ANZSCO.

• You must also either:

  • have the qualification level and/or work experience specified in ANZSCO for your occupation to be considered skilled; or

  • have a job offer or current employment in a skill level 1 or 2 occupation on the Long Term Skills Shortage List and meet the qualification and/or work experience on that list; or

  • have an offer of employment in a skill level one occupation which is also found listed at the Manual and have current full or provisional registration for that occupation.

If your offer of employment or current employment in New Zealand does not meet the above requirements you may nevertheless still qualify for points for skilled employment if:

• your employment in the occupation will enhance the quality of New Zealand’s accomplishments and participation in that occupational area because you have an international reputation and record of excellence in that field; and

• the required expertise for the occupation has been gained through relevant recognised qualifications or work experience

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When and how can I apply for a permanent resident visa?

You can apply for a permanent resident visa after you have held a resident visa for 2 years without interruption.

You must have also met any conditions imposed on your Resident Visa which can include a sponsorship period of up to 5 years.

If your resident visa is subject to a sponsorship period of five years, you are not  therefore able to apply for a permanent resident visa until 5 years after your first day in NZ as a resident.

If the travel conditions on your resident visa have expired, or will expire while you are outside New Zealand, you will need to apply for either a variation of travel conditions or a permanent resident visa. 

If your resident visa has recently expired because you were outside NZ after the travel conditions on your resident visa expired, you may in some circumstances, be eligible for a second or subsequent resident visa.

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Can I apply for Residence from my home country?

One of the most popular questions we are asked is whether it is possible to apply for a Resident visa without having a job here and if it is possible to apply from your home country. The short answer is YES, you can. However, there are strict criteria and a process is quite slow.