Visas & Advice Detail
The New Zealand visa application
So you’ve done your research and made up your mind that New Zealand really is the country for you?
It's time to move on to the next stage in the emigration process and this is where things really start to get complicated. The first thing you need to do is take a good look at your options. Do you have family already residing in New Zealand? Are you a skilled professional? Are you highly qualified or exceptionally talented? Do you own a business that could potentially be relocated Down Under? Your answer to these questions will help you determine which visa category to apply under.
The majority of applicants will be using the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC). Success under this category depends on the principal applicant's formal qualifications, any job offer they might have received in New Zealand, their profession and work experience and their spouse's qualifications. You can increase your chances of being successful through obtaining a job offer prior to your application, and by checking up on the INZ website. Taking a look at the skills shortage lists posted on this site will give you a better idea of how attractive your application will be to the INZ.
In the meantime, however, your chances of success will generally be higher if you answer 'yes' to the following questions:
1. Are you 55-years-old or under?
2. Are you, your partner and your children all healthy?
3. Do you, your partner and your children have no criminal convictions?
4. Can you competently speak, read and write English?
5. Have you been offered a job offer in New Zealand
6. Do you have a tertiary or trade qualification
7. Do you have at least two years work experience?
Once you've assured yourself that you have enough points for the Skilled Migrant Category (or are eligible to apply under one of the other categories), you can lodge an Expression of Interest (EoI). You will have the option of submitting one of these either through the post or online, but the latter is generally preferable as you are able to see immediately whether your application has been accepted into the pool.
It is worth thinking carefully about when to submit an EoI. The skills shortage list is constantly updated, and it may be that your application will be more attractive at certain periods and under certain conditions. If you are in doubt about this, then the best thing to do is to contact the INZ. They can advise you on the current skills shortages, and the best time for your to apply. Once your EoI is submitted, there will be a nail-biting period when all you can do is wait. For most people, this is the hardest part of the whole process. Luckily, the INZ generally only take a period of a few weeks to rank the pooled EoIs and inform you of success or failure. During this time, you can check the status of your application and, if necessary, change your details on their website.
Your EoI will then either be rejected, or you will be sent an official invitation to apply for residence. If (fingers crossed) it is the latter, then you will be required to send in the necessary documentation to support the claims made in your EoI. If you find your head swimming at the very thought of all the paperwork you will have to go through to get a visa, then it may be worth employing a migration consultant to act for you.
Mike Walker of Immigration New Zealand Group advises that you look for a consultant with at least five years experience. "You should be able to have a free assessment and should negotiate a fixed fee and a budget of the fees payable to INZ and for medicals, shipping," he says. "If the fees charged by consultants are opened ended then some people end up paying several thousand pounds! In my opinion, a fixed fee of £1,200 to £1,500 is the range they should be looking at per family for an application under the Skilled Migrant Category and about half this amount for an application under the Family Category.
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