Visa types
Which visa would be best for you?
The New Zealand immigration policy is designed to attract skilled and business immigrants, according to predetermined criteria.
In addition, close relatives of New Zealand citizens and residents can apply for a family sponsored visa, provided they meet the required pre-requisites.
Meeting the criteria is the first step towards obtaining a visa.
Meeting the health and character requirements is equally important.
The New Zealand authorities usually require you and family members who are included in your application to undergo a medical examination by a designated medical practitioner (called a panel doctor and/or panel radiologist).
Furthermore, all applicants over 17 years of age must, at some stage; obtain a police clearance report for every country in which they have lived for more than 12 months in the past ten years.
Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Visa
The aim of the Skilled Migrant Visa is to attract migrants who will contribute to New Zealand's economic growth within predetermined aindustries, but only in certain occupations.
Therefore the New Zealand immigration policy is labour market driven.
If you believe your skills and experience will benefit New Zealand, then your tertiary qualifications may need to be evaluated, you may also need to pass an English test and you must be younger than 55 years old.
Once these criteria have been analysed and fulfilled, you may apply for the first stage Expression of Interest for this points-based visa category.
The practical threshold is actually (at the moment) 160 points and when drawn, you will be asked to apply for the second stage formal Invitation to Apply for residency.
Having a job or an offer of employment in New Zealand will usually increase your points score to above the 160 mark and will therefore enhance your chances of success in obtaining a visa.
Bonus points also apply if your occupation is listed on the Long Term Skilled Shortage List.
Expressions of Interest submitted over a period of two weeks are pooled and ranked according to the score and submission date.
Expressions of Interest remain in the pool for a maximum of six months.
To find out if you may qualify to apply for visa in this category, please use our sophisticated Free Assessment programme which has been designed for instant and reliable results.
Please note that major INZ visa policy changes are expected in mid-2021....therefore up-to-date information (see below) should be obtained before any migration decision is made.
Family Visa
The purpose of the family visa category is to re-unite New Zealand citizens or residents with family from overseas.
Your overseas family member may qualify for residence if a responsible relative in New Zealand is prepared to sponsor them.
To be eligible for sponsorship by a partner, you need to have been in a genuine and stable relationship for at least 1 year with a citizen or resident of New Zealand.
In addition, both partners need to be at least 18 years of age.
A family member may also be sponsored if you are the parent or a child of your relative.
To find out if you would qualify to apply for visa in this category, please contact us by email.
Business and Investor Visa Categories
New Zealand distinguishes several types of business and investor visas.
It must be stressed that these categories are exceedingly complicated, as they require a large degree of verifiable data, business plans and investment money.
To be successful, it is essential that professional advice be sought for most applications in these categories.
Work Visa
Immigration NZ have several avenues to explore to obtain a work visa.
Work visas may be obtained for 1 to 5 years depending on the occupation specialty, the level of skill and the perceived skill shortage.
The most important work visa opportunities are described below.
In the case where you are the partner of a New Zealand citizen or resident, you may qualify for a sponsored work visa.
A work visa can also be obtained when you have a job offer in an occupation on the Immediate Skilled Shortage List.
This enables you to qualify for a temporary visa, which in some cases may lead to a permanent resident visa.
A work visa will also be issued when you have a job offer in an occupation on the Long Term Skilled Shortage list.
This type of work permit can (and usually does) lead to a permanent resident visa.
In case your occupation is:-
- not on the above mentioned lists,
- and you are not considered to be a talent in arts, culture or sport,
- and your profession is not on the list in need of accredited employers,
- and you are not in a relationship with a partner in New Zealand,
then before you can submit your application, you may apply for a work permit if you have an approved job offer based on Labour Market Test criteria.
To find out if you would qualify to apply for visa in this category, please contact us by email.
We then may arrange a formal arrangement for the investigation of your opportunities.
Visitors Visa
The advent of the COVID-19 virus has necessitated the closure of NZ boders to almost all visitors and/or tourists.
Only those people overseas who hold NZ citizenship or permanet residence may apply to re-enter New Zealand.
Again, up-to-date information regarding the rules of entry and quarantine should be sought before any plans are made to visit New Zeland.
It is most likely that only when an effective vacinne can be certifed as having been received by each visa applicant, would any visitor be allowed to enter New Zealand, by air or by sea.