New Zelanad Immigration
Skilled Migrant Entry Category Resident Visa
New Zealand being a developed country, is rated high in terms of the quality of life its residents, health, education system, economic freedom, and stability, on international levels. The service sector plays a key role in increasing the Nation’s economy. The country overtures lot of opportunities for the potential migrants who have skills in the Industrial/Service sector and the regions where it is experiencing a shortage of skilled workers. So, here’s the New Zealand Skilled Migrant Entry Category Resident Visa in place for these candidates who are willing to reside in New Zealand and are holding experience in Skilled employment.
Acceptability Criteria for New Zealand PR
The candidate needs to score a minimum of 100 points to be eligible for lodging the Expression of Interest. Below are the factors considered to check the candidate’s eligibility.
Primary Factors:
- Age limit – Candidates above 56 years are not eligible to apply.
- Education – A valid 3 level or A-Level qualification, assessed by the relevant authority.
- Experience – Minimum 2 years of experience in a current skilled occupation.
- Language skills – Any of the following tests can be taken with a minimum qualifying score [ IELTS/PTE/TOEFL/Cambridge English test/OET].
- Health Standards – Meet the health and character requirements.
Additional Factors:
- Work Experience in New Zealand particularly in areas with an absolute skill shortage.
- Employment offer from the regions in New Zealand with a shortage of skills.
- Full-time bachelor’s degree from New Zealand.
*To get to know how many points are allocated for each category, and check if you are eligible, do reach out to Sanctum’s Immigration team.
PS. The criteria mentioned is what Sanctum follows to process the cases, it may vary from the actual.
The benefits of having for the Permanent Residency in New Zealand:
- On a Permanent resident visa, the candidate can live for an indefinite span of time in New Zealand.
- After completing 5 years of Permanent residency in NZ, one can apply for citizenship.
- A PR holder is free to work in any province in the nation.
- Accessibility to the best education facilities for higher studies.
- Have the benefit of free health services by the New Zealand Government.
- You would be authorized for providing sponsorship to your relatives or family members for the permanent visa provided they meet all the requirements of the visa.
- The residents only have to pay for the domestic costs of the education fee.
A points-based system is used to assess expressions of interest. Currently, New Zealand Immigration department is only selecting EOIs with 160 points or above.
New Zelaand Immigration Process
It is basically a 2 stage process. We have simplified it into the below points for your better understanding.
Stage I:
- Get your Education Assessment done from the relevant accessing body of New Zealand.
- Have the IELTS/PTE test report in place with a qualifying score.
- You need to check if you are qualifying the minimum score of 100 points which is possible if you have all the parameters are checked based on the primary factors.
- If so you need to submit your EOI [Expression of Interest] so that your profile gets into the pool of the skilled migrants applying for the residence Visa.
- Awaiting the Invitation, the waiting time depends on the score of the applicant.
Stage II:
- Once you receive the Invitation, you need to gather the requirements for applying the Residence application.
- One needs to provide the health and character requirements and financial documents.
- If the family is accompanying, they need to provide supporting documents of the family members.
- You will have 4 months of time to fill all the required forms, upload all the necessary documents, and make the visa fee payment.
- Post lodging the application, you need to wait for the Visa decision, which is based on the information and documents you have provided.
First of all, one needs to know what does the skilled employment actually means, to proceed with the process. To assess whether a candidate falls under this skilled employment or not, you need to check if the candidate’s occupation is listed in the ANZSCO [Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations]. Also, it certainly depends on the remuneration one would be receiving for that particular occupation. Once you get to understand that you are a skilled employer, then the next step is to check the parameters for submitting your EOI.
EOI is nothing but an online platform, where all the skilled migrants submit their interest in applying for the Residence visa to New Zealand. The profile asks for all the relevant information of the candidate on the basis of which the system calculates the total points. Here you need to enter your accompanying family members/dependents details if any. This score, in turn, decides the Invitation wait time.
- Our consultants would offer an assessment to check your eligibility criteria before you apply.
- Assistance in the educational qualification assessment.
- We would fill the EOI form and lodge your profile.
- Keeping you posted with the updates on your EOI.
- Providing the customized complete document list required for the second stage, the post you receive the invitation.
- Filling forms, uploading the documents, and submitting the application post your review.
- Checking on the responses received related to your application if any and updating you the same.
Residence visas proposed time frame.
- 50% of applications completed within 7-9 months
- 75% of applications completed within 13-15 months
- 90% of applications completed within 17-20 months
Sanctum Processing time would be 2-3 business days for stage 1 and 1 week for stage 2.
The Processing time is subjected to vary*.
- We aim to provide you with the best services to ensure that you qualify and apply in a manner that results in visa approval.
- We understand that every case is different; so we treat each case individually.
- Save Time & Effort at a minimal cost.
- Visa Updates & Tracking!
- Your documents are safe, secure, confidential and our process is transparent!
- Lodging the application with Realme in the scheduled time.
What is a skilled migrant visa in New Zealand?
- The New Zealand skilled migrant visa is for the potential candidates who are planning to settle in that country. People need to score 100 points minimum to be eligible for applying for the visa.
How long does it take to get a skilled migrant visa for New Zealand?
- The processing time starts from the date the PR application is lodged. It takes almost 8-17 months for processing.
What kind of skilled workers are needed in New Zealand?
- There is a Regional skill shortage list, which contains the list of occupations that is in shortage in certain regions in New Zealand. Contact us for details.
How much is a skilled migrant visa for New Zealand?
- The visa fee for the Skilled migrant visa for New Zealand is about NZ$ 4600- 6600.
Is New Zealand PR easy?
- It is not very difficult to apply for the visa if the right process is followed. The applicant needs to find if he/she is eligible for the visa. If eligible, then submit the EOI and wait for the invitation. The post you receive the invitation to apply, file for the residence visa.
How do I permanently move to New Zealand?
- For a candidate to go to New Zealand for a permanent settlement, there are two ways, one is through the work to residence visa, and the other ways are the skilled migrant residence visa. The applicant can check the eligibility criteria for both the programs, and apply for the one for which he/she is eligible.
What jobs are needed in New Zealand?
- It is absolutely legal to apply for jobs before you get a visa for New Zealand. There are a lot of skills which are in demand in certain regions in New Zealand. Do contact our immigration team for more details.
Is education free in New Zealand?
- For children who are a holder of the New Zealand passport or a PR holder in NZ, have the facility of free education in the government schools between the age 5-19 years.
Is New Zealand expensive?
- The cost of living would be a little expensive for the non-nationals in major cities like Auckland, Wellington.
Is it easy to find a job in NZ?
- It is not that difficult if your occupation is in the demand list in New Zealand. All one needs to do is check for the requirements and apply for the job. It is perfectly legal to apply for the job before a visa.
Can I sponsor my partner to NZ?
- Yes, you can sponsor your partner for the visa application, if you are a New Zealand citizen or a PR holder there.
Does New Zealand need workers?
- There are certain regions in New Zealand which are in shortage of skilled workers. If the applicant’s occupation falls into one of these skills which are in demand, you would be able to get a job in NZ.
What are the occupations that are available in New Zealand?
- There are certain jobs that get shortlisted every year based on which the New Zealand embassy opens the immigrant options to foreign nationals. For more information, reach out to our immigration team.
How do I get sponsorship in New Zealand?
- Yes, one can sponsor for the resident visa another individual related to the sponsor, but the sponsor should satisfy the below conditions.
- Should be currently residing in New Zealand at the time of the application filing.
- Must have been a New Zealand citizen or resident for the last 3 years minimum.
- Or should have lived for 184 days in New Zealand for every year for the last 3 years.
In what way does the Points System work for the skilled migrant visa?
- The points are awarded for the age, work experience, education, IELTS test and there are bonus points if the candidate meets the additional criteria as well. But then considering the basic eligibility factors, one should score a minimum of 100 points to be eligible to apply for a skilled immigrant visa.
Visa processing times?
- The visa processing time might take about a few months once you have lodged the residence application after you receiving the invitation to apply.
What are the English Language Requirements for a skilled migrant visa?
- For IELTS, the individual has to score at least 6.5 overall or above for being eligible for filing the residence application.