One of the visas available for foreigners is the skilled migrant visa in New Zealand. This document, as its name suggests, represents a paper that can be requested only by persons who have gained a certain level of expertise in a given field or who have a degree. This visa category can be used as a way to relocate here on a permanent basis and obtain New Zealand citizenship as well.
This document can be used as a way to migrate to New Zealand and in order to be taken into consideration for this type of immigration document, the applicant must first make an Expression of Interest. Through this, the applicant lets the New Zealand authorities know that he or she wants to arrive here under this visa, and then, the local authorities will provide a response, in the sense that they will issue an invitation.
Skilled migration visas are available if you will be moving from USA to New Zealand, along with other types of visas, such as the working holiday program, the temporary work visa, the business visa.
A foreigner is entitled to apply for these visas while being outside New Zealand, or after arriving here. For work, there are many options foreigner can choose and skilled migration is highly encouraged in New Zealand.
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Application requirements for the skilled migrant visa in new Zealand
Our immigration lawyer in New Zealand can present the process of obtaining this document, but below we have prepared an outline of the most important aspects the applicant should be aware of. The application for the skilled migrant visa in New Zealand is based on a point system, and for the applicant to be considered for this type of visa, the application must have at least 100 points, the following being available:
• the applicant must have a maximum age of 55 years old;
• currently, the New Zealand Immigration Office will consider only the applications that have a minimum of 160 points;
• the skilled migrant visa in new Zealand provides the right of bringing here close family members (the spouse and the children with an age below 24 years old);
• if the applicant brings a partner here, the person must have good knowledge of English (IELTS 6.5 minimum);
• when the couple will apply for the New Zealand residence permit here, the applicant’s spouse’s English tests results must be of less than 2 years old.
The process of Expression of Interest is done through an online list in which the applicant will provide in-depth information on his or her professional life and, based on this information, the New Zealand authorities will assess the application on the point-based system. The applicant for the skilled migrant visa in New Zealand should present information on his or her age, details on their employment in New Zealand, on their level of qualifications, the previous work experience, but also on their partner.
What is the point-based system in new Zealand?
As we presented above, the applicant for the skilled migrant visa in New Zealand will have to present a set of details on his or her personal and professional life. Based on the information provided, the person will receive a number of points that will indicate whether the application can be continued or not. With regards to the point system, one should be aware of the below mentioned aspects:
• the highest number of points can be obtained for younger applicants (ages between 20-29 are awarded with 30 points, while ages of 50-55 with only 5 points);
• having a close family member living here provides additional 10 points;
• the offer or employment in this country provides 50 points;
• the applicant’s work experience receives more points as the years of experience increase (work experience of up to 2 years is granted with 10 points, while experience of more than 10 years receives 30 points);
• a bachelor’s degree is awarded with 50 points, while master’s degree will receive 60 points.
Once the applicant completes this form and the information submitted returns a minimum of 160 points, then the foreigner will be entitled to enter the formal skilled migrant visa in New Zealand process. This means that the applicant will receive an invitation to apply, which will create the opportunity of applying for a residency in this country.
Our immigration lawyer in New Zealand can present the process of applying for a New Zealand residence permit in this country and can provide more details on how to obtain this document. At the end of this procedure, the person can receive the residence visa and can successfully migrate to New Zealand.
As presented earlier, if the applicant arrives here with the spouse, the partner must have proven English proficiency. This is also the case of the applicant, of course. Besides this requirement, he or she must meet health requirements and prove that the requirements for a good character are met (not having debts, not having criminal offences in the home country).
Moving to New Zealand under this type of visa will often mean that the holder will wish to apply for NZ permanent residency, as soon as he or she meets the criteria.
A foreigner is entitled, in principle, to obtain residency in New Zealand on a permanent basis under any of the following situations:
- the foreigner has a business in this country;
- the person has spent a sufficient amount of time that can allow permanent residency;
- the person has his or her tax residency here;
- the person has made certain investments in this country.
An alternative for foreign nationals is to apply for the New Zealand investment visa, as opposed to the one for skilled employment. We can provide details if this option is a suitable one.
Our lawyer can offer additional information on the skilled migrant visa in New Zealand and can also advise on other types of visas that can be obtained in this country. We invite you to contact our immigration lawyer in New Zealand for legal representation on the process of obtaining this visa. Our lawyer can also present the types of visas which will enable the right of applying for New Zealand citizenship.
