If you’re looking for an opportunity to immigrate to New Zealand, this article might be useful for you. Of all the developed English-speaking countries, the cost of living, education and immigration, as well as the time it takes to obtain residency, New Zealand will stand out from the rest. And all of this in a safe, incredibly beautiful and very friendly multi-ethnic country.
Read more about New Zealand in our article to understand why many people choose this country
Content:
- How to immigrate to New Zealand
- Conditions for professional immigration
- Immigration through education
- Immigration for qualified specialists
- How to move through obtaining a higher qualification
- How to immigrate by obtaining a new qualification
- Obtaining a business visa
- Immigration through investments
How To Immigrate To New Zealand
Let’s start with the ultimate goal: successful immigration. You may consider it’s done once you’ve obtained New Zealand passport. To apply for New Zealand citizenship and a passport, you must live in the country for 5 years as a resident.
This residency status in New Zealand one can obtain through various categories: skilled (professional), business, investment, or family/partnership-based pathways.
The most common pathway is the skilled migrant category. This means you’ll need either a job offer from a New Zealand employer or a confirmed employment contract. Securing a job remotely can be quite challenging, but you can begin by reading our guide: How to Find a Job in New Zealand.
One of the most common routes to employment is through studying in New Zealand. While this doesn’t guarantee success, it greatly increases your chances of finding a job and obtaining residency.
Each case is individual, depends on your background, and should be considered separately. You can book a personal consultation by submitting a request on our website. Meanwhile, in this article, we will cover all the current and relevant ways to move to New Zealand.
Conditions for professional immigration
Skilled immigration to New Zealand is available to individuals up to the age of 55 (inclusive), with English proficiency at the IELTS 6.5 level, and a job offer or employment from an accredited New Zealand employer.
There are several types of skilled immigration pathways:
- Points-Based System (Skilled Migrant Resident pathway)
- Green List Pathway (for occupations in high demand)
- Sector-Specific Pathways (e.g., Care Workforce and Transport Sector Agreement pathways)
To better assess your chances and learn how the point system works, we recommend reading our detailed article Immigration through work.
Immigration Through Education
The most popular and reliable way to move to New Zealand is through obtaining local education. This process not only helps you adapt to life in the country, but also increases your chances of finding employment afterward. Most employers in New Zealand first ask whether you already hold a valid work visa. And very few are willing to deal with visa-related issues remotely.
By completing a professional program in New Zealand (typically lasting 1 to 3 years), you may become eligible for a Post Study Work Visa, which allows you to stay and work in the country after graduation. Choosing the right institution and program is crucial, as it can equip you with valuable and in-demand knowledge, strengthen your existing skills, and help you gain new ones that will improve your chances of employment.
You can learn more about immigration through education on our website. Also, you can explore potential costs in the article “The cost of moving to New Zealand”.
How can qualified specialists immigrate to New Zealand?
Even if you already have a profession, finding a job in New Zealand remotely is quite difficult for most people. In addition, English language skills often need improvement for those who are not from English-speaking country. That’s why it’s quite common for professionals from these countries to come to New Zealand for English language courses. After completing the course, they can obtain an IELTS certificate, which will be useful later when applying for residency.
Moreover, during the course, there is an opportunity to look for job offers. Being physically present in the country significantly increases your chances with New Zealand employers. If you receive a job offer from an accredited employer, you may be able to apply for a work visa and later immigrate to New Zealand. However, this path is not guaranteed, and there are more reliable options, which we will discuss next.
You can find more information about the work visa on the official INZ website.
Also, read more about the most cost-effective English language courses in New Zealand and how to prepare for the IELTS exam.
Qualified in-demand specialists
If you are a qualified in-demand specialist with related work experience and an IELTS certificate, you can try to go through the Green List pathway. However, you need to find a job for an accredited employer first. Workers with in-demand occupations have an opportunity to immigrate to New Zealand using the Straight to Residence Visa or Work to Residence Visa.
This process can take from 6 to 24 months, but requires minimal investment.
So, the presence of your occupation in the Green List means that when you receive your job offer, your prospective employer will not have to prove to the Immigration Service of New Zealand that they could not find such a professional among the existing citizens of the country. This somewhat simplifies your job search too.
You can find more information on the latest changes and scoring by following this link.
How to move through obtaining a higher qualification?
If you already have a higher or vocational education, there is an opportunity to come to New Zealand for upskilling or recognition of your current qualifications. This path is considered one of the most reliable, as it allows you to gain relevant knowledge, local experience, and an understanding of New Zealand’s job market.
During your studies, you will have the right to work part-time, and after completing at least one year of study (in some cases two), graduates become eligible for an open post-study work visa, which greatly simplifies the job search in your field and the process of applying for permanent residency later.
To study at a university, you will need an IELTS Academic score of 6.0–6.5 or higher.
You can learn more about moving to New Zealand through education in our dedicated article.
Also, for more information about the cost of studying at various New Zealand universities, refer to our article on that topic.
How to immigrate to New Zealand by obtaining a new qualification?
If you don’t have a completed degree in your chosen field or would like to start a new career, you have the opportunity to study from scratch in New Zealand. This can be in any area of specialization.
While studying, you’ll also have the right to work part-time, and after completing at least two years of study (or three years or more for a Bachelor’s degree), you not only become eligible for an open post-study work visa to look for a job, but also gain a globally recognized British-style qualification. So, we consider this path to be an exceptionally effective investment for immigration to New Zealand.
To study in a specialized program, students need an IELTS Academic score of 5.5 or higher.
Also, you can find more details in our article about the education system in New Zealand.
How to obtain a business visa?
The conditions for the business category have undergone several changes. So, today, a businessperson or investor is required to have a certain level of English proficiency, specifically an IELTS score of 4.0. To gain this language skill and assess the business and investment opportunities, entrepreneurs from various countries often come to New Zealand to attend English language courses and evaluate their prospects.
The business visa regulations are designed to attract high-yield enterprises and experienced entrepreneurs. This category includes minimum capital investment requirements — NZ$100,000, not including working capital needed to operate the business.
In addition, the immigration process under this category also uses a points-based system, similar to the Skilled Migrant Category.
Also, find more details in our article and visit the official INZ website to read about entrepreneur resident visa or entrepreneur work visa
Immigration through investment
Immigration through investment requires a minimum contribution of NZ$ 5 million into the New Zealand economy for a period of at least 4 years.
Also, you can find more details about the Investor Category on our website and the official INZ website
You can also get acquainted with all types of visas to New Zealand used in different situations.
Fill out the form, and we will be happy to help you work out the way from start to finish and choose the most effective options specifically for your case.
Registration of visas is carried out by our licensed immigration consultants.
