Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa

The Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa re-opened on 9 October 2023 with new criteria.

Overview

The changes include:

• a new points system
• skilled job or job offer requirements
• the number of applications that will be accepted and processing times, and
• a Skilled Migrant Category Interim Visa.

Some visa criteria and conditions have not changed. These are summarised in the section ‘Some requirements have not changed’’.

New points system

You need 6 points to apply for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa.

You can claim 3 to 6 points from your:

• New Zealand occupational registration
• qualification (Bachelor’s degree or higher), or
• income from your job or job offer (earning at least 1.5 times the median wage in New Zealand).

You can only claim points from 1 of the above skill categories. You cannot combine points from multiple skill categories. For example you cannot combine points from your qualification with points from your New Zealand occupational registration.

You can also claim 1 point for each year of skilled work in New Zealand, up to a maximum of 3 points.

The points you claim from skilled work in New Zealand can be combined with points from your New Zealand occupational registration, qualification or income.

Skilled job offer

You must have a skilled job or job offer with an accredited employer in New Zealand to apply. This requirement applies even if you are claiming the maximum amount of points available. To be considered a skilled job, the job or job offer must be:

• at least 30 hours a week.
• either in an ANZSCO Level 1 to 3 occupation and paid at or above the median wage, or in an ANZSCO Level 4 to 5 occupation and paid at or above 1.5 times the median wage.
• on a permanent contract or fixed-term contract for at least 12 months.

Some requirements have not changed

Some of the requirements for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa have not changed. These include:

• character requirements
• health requirements
• English language requirements
• age requirements (you must be 55 years old or under to apply).

You can include your partner and any dependent children up to the age of 24 in your application. They also must meet our English language, health and character requirements.

Your standard of English

You (the principal applicant), your partner, and dependent children aged 16 and over must all speak and understand English.

Who does not need English language test results

You do not need to provide test results if one of the following applies to you.

• You are a citizen of Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom or the United States, and you have spent at least 5 years working or studying in those countries, or in Australia or New Zealand.
• You have a qualification similar to a New Zealand level 7 bachelor's degree gained in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States, and you studied for at least 2 years in any of those countries to get that qualification.
• You have a qualification gained in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom or the United States, which is comparable to a postgraduate New Zealand qualification. You must have studied for at least 1 year in any of those countries to get that qualification.

If you need test results for your application they must be 2 years old or less at the time you apply.

English language test results for principal applicants

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) — General or Academic ModuleOverall score of 6.5 or more

Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT) Overall score of 79 or more

Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) Overall score of 58 or more

Cambridge English B2 First (FCE )Overall score of 176 or more

B2 First for Schools (FCE for Schools) Overall score of 176 or more

Occupational English Test (OET)

Paper or Computer Based Test (OET) Grade B or higher in all 4 skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking. 
You need this score in all 4 skills because there is no overall grade for this test.

Claiming points for qualifications

Points available for occupational registration

Points available for income

Non-degree qualifications

If you have a non-degree qualification at NZQF Level 7 or below, you cannot claim points. However if you were invited to apply before 9 October 2023 under the previous visa criteria - you can still use non-degree qualifications at NZQF Level 7 or below to claim points.

Claiming points for skilled work experience in New Zealand

If you are planning to use skilled work experience in New Zealand to claim further points, you must meet the wage threshold throughout the skilled work experience period.

For example, if you are claiming 4 points for being paid 2 times the median wage, you must earn this wage during your 2 years of skilled work experience in New Zealand.

You must provide evidence that you met the wage threshold at both the beginning and end of your skilled work experience period.

Skilled work requirements

The skilled work experience must be:

• in a full-time job (minimum of 30 hours a week), and
• on a permanent contract, a fixed-term contract for at least 12 months or a contract for services for at least 6 months.

There is also a wage threshold depending on the ANZSCO level of your job:

• If your job has an ANZSCO level of 1 to 3 you must earn the median wage or above.
• If your job has an ANZSCO level of 4 to 5 you must earn 1.5 times the median wage or above.

•Straight to Residence Visa New Zealand

Acceptable employment is when:

• you work for an accredited employer or you have a job offer from one
• your role is on Tier 1 of the Green List
• you meet the role's requirements, such as median wage or salary threshold, registration, professional membership, or qualifications
• your employment is full-time and genuine
• the role is permanent, or fixed term for at least 12 months, or a contract or contracts for at least 6 months or more.

You can check tier 1 and tier 2 occupation list by clicking here. 

•Work to Residence Visa New Zealand

Apply for this visa if you currently work for, or have a job offer from, an accredited employer, and have worked in a Tier 2 Green List in-demand role for 24 months.

• At the time you apply you must be working for, or have a job offer from, an accredited employer.
• Your employment must be full-time, and permanent or fixed-term for at least 12 months.
• You must have worked for 24 months in a Green List Tier 2 in-demand role.
• If your partner or children have, or have applied for, visas to study, work or visit based on their relationship to you, you must include them in your application.

• When you apply, you must hold a work visa or a Critical Purpose Visitor Visa that allows you to work
• For the full 24 months before you apply, you held must have held 1 or more work visas, a Critical Purpose Visitor Visa that allowed you to work, or an Interim Visa which we gave you when you: applied for another work visa, or a Critical Purpose Visitor Visa that allowed you to work.

• You must have worked in New Zealand for at least 24 months in a Tier 2 job on our Green List of in-demand roles
• If your Green List role is removed from the list after you start working, your time in that role still counts towards your 24 months of work.

• 24 months' work

Documents you can provide include:

your employment agreement and job description

a letter from your employer that describes your role, hours of work and length of employment — especially if your pay and conditions have changed since you applied for your work visa.

• Calculating 24 months' work

You must have been working in your role for at least 24 months in the 30 months before you apply.

To make up the 24 months you can:

• have been working in Green List roles for 24 months

• work for some of the time in a role that is not on the Green List, but, for that work, your pay must be twice the median wage or more

• count annual, bereavement or other leave you are legally entitled to, such as parental leave

• complete it in several stretches — for example, you could work for 2 lots of 12 months with a gap of 6 months in between.

• Level of pay on your work visa

Documents you can provide to show what you have been paid during your 24 months' employment include:

• payslips or full bank statements showing your salary payments

• a summary of income from Inland Revenue.

• Your Green List role is paid at least the median wage

• For the full 24 months before you apply for this visa, and at the time you apply, you must have been paid at least the median wage.

• There is an exception. If you applied for your work visa or Critical Purpose Visitor Visa before 29 September 2023, you only need to be paid the median wage at the time you apply for your residence visa. This exception does not apply if your work visa is an Accredited Employer Work Visa.

• Your Green List role has a specific pay rate

For the full 24 months before you apply for this visa, and at the time you apply, you must have been paid at least the rate specified for your Green List role.

• You must have the offer of a job or already have a job with an accredited employer

Documents you can provide include:

• an employment agreement

• a fixed-term contract

• a letter offering you a job that describes your role, hours of work, length of employment and what you will be paid.

Your job

Your job with an accredited employer must be:

• full time

• on Tier 2 of the Green List of in-demand roles, and

• permanent or fixed-term for at least 12 months.

You can check tier 1 and tier 2 occupation list by clicking here. 

Partnership Residence Visa NZ

If your partner is already in New Zealand, or you and your partner are applying for a visa to come to New Zealand together, you may be eligible for a New Zealand resident visa based on your partnership.

Immigration New Zealand defines partnership as two people of the opposite or same sex, who live together in a genuine and stable relationship in any of the following:

• legal marriage
• civil union
• de facto relationship.

To apply for a residence visa NZ, you and your supporting partner must:

• be aged 18 or over, or if they're aged 16 or 17 years, have the consent of their parents or guardians
• have met each other before applying for a visa based on your partnership
• not be close relatives
• must meet the partnership requirements listed below

Partnership Requirements for the Residence Visa New Zealand

You must be able to show INZ that you're living together in a genuine and stable relationship before INZ can grant you a visa based on your partnership.

A partnership is genuine if it has been entered into on a long term and exclusive basis. A partnership is stable if it is likely to endure.

Living together means sharing the same home as your partner, which doesn’t include:

• spending time in each other’s homes while you each maintain your own home
• sharing accommodation while on holiday
• flatmate arrangements.

Partnership Assessment

To grant you a residence visa for New Zealand, INZ assesses your partnership based on:

• how long you’ve been together
• how long you've been living together as a couple
• your living arrangements
• whether you support each other financially
• how you share financial responsibilities
• how committed you are to a life together
• whether you own property together and/or share your property
• any children you have together, including your arrangements for their care
• whether you share common household tasks
• whether other people recognise your relationship.

Evidence of Partnership

In case you want to apply for a Partnership residence visa NZ, you and your partner must provide enough evidence to show INZ that you're living together in a genuine and stable relationship.

Your evidence will be more credible if it's from official sources. For example, a joint tenancy agreement showing the date that you and your partner started renting a property together is better than your friend writing us a letter to tell us how long you've been living together.

You don’t have to provide all of the documents listed as examples, but the more evidence you provide, the easier it will be for INZ to make a decision about your application.

Evidence to show that you're in a genuine and stable relationship while applying for a New Zealand resident visa can include:

• marriage or civil union certificates
• birth certificates for any children you share
• cards, letters, emails, and social media conversations
• photos together
• evidence that others recognise your relationship
• evidence you make decisions and plans together
• evidence that you parent together
• evidence you spend leisure time together
• a joint rental agreement or home loan
• mail addressed to you together at the same place and time
• joint bank accounts
• evidence that you own assets together
• joint credit cards or hire purchase agreements
• joint utility accounts, like power or phone bills.
• time spent living apart

If you and your partner have spent time living apart, you should provide information about your separation, including:

• the reasons you were living apart
• how long you were living apart
• how you kept in touch while apart.

Supporting Partner - Character Requirements

Your partner must provide a police certificate from any country they have spent 12 months or more in over the last 10 years. This applies to whether the time was spent in one or more visits. Your partner will not meet our character requirements if they have any convictions for domestic violence or sexual offences. If your partner does not meet INZ‘s character requirements, INZ will consider whether they are eligible for a character waiver.

Eligible Supporting Partner

To be eligible to support your resident visa application, your partner must not:

• have supported a successful residence application for more than one previous partner
• have supported a successful residence application for a previous partner in the last 5 years
• have included a previous partner in a successful residence application in the last 5 years
• have been included as a partner in a successful residence application in the last 5 years
• be liable for deportation, or have their deportation liability suspended.