If you are trying to choose among different countries and still do not know that New Zealand is the best of all the options, then read more about the country on our website.
Of all the developed English-speaking countries, the cost of living, study and immigration costs, 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.
How To Immigrate To New Zealand
Immigration to New Zealand consists of several stages – obtaining or confirming education and work experience, and the availability of a contract from a New Zealand employer. All this will help to score points in the points-based immigration system and apply for permanent residence.
Immigration Through Education
The most popular and advantageous path to New Zealand is through study at a local university.
Most employers want their prospective employees to have work visas prior to hiring them. Very few want to bother with handling it themselves. After completing certain recognised courses of study in New Zealand, you may be eligible for a Post Study Work Visa. Not to mention, if you choose your university carefully, you can gain interesting and topical knowledge, strengthen the skills you already have, and acquire new ones which will help you find employment. Detailed information about immigration through study can be found on our website. You may also acquaint yourself with information on costs in the article “The cost of moving to New Zealand”.
Conditions Of Immigration To New Zealand
There may be several ways to immigrate; below you will find categories for which you could be considered. Please be aware that everything remains very individual and is dependent on your individual data.
At the moment, the Skilled Migrant Category is the main professional category of receiving Permanent residence in New Zealand. You would need to score 6 points in your application to be selected for the pool.
Below are the conditions that should be met:
- Job Offer or current job in skilled employment in New Zealand
- Your job must pay at least the median wage
- Either Education, or Income, or NZ occupational registration
- Extra points for experience in New Zealand
- Age 55 years and under
- IELTS 6.5 band score or its equivalent
More information on the latest changes and scoring can be found by following this link.
How can qualified specialists move to New Zealand?
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.
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.
Can a specialist immigrate without a knowledge of the English Language?
Not every specialist can boast of IELTS score of 6.5. And many of them also do not want to wait – therefore, a popular route is to simply attend English courses in New Zealand. Upon completion, one can obtain the desired IELTS certificate. In addition, it is often possible to find a job offer. This will allow you to get a work visa and additional points for working in the country, and further application toward residency in New Zealand.
How to move through obtaining a higher qualification?
When you already have a higher degree, there is an opportunity to come to New Zealand for further training or confirmation of your current education. This path is one of the most reliable, as it allows you to get the actual knowledge, experience and understanding of the labour market of New Zealand. For the duration of your studies, you will have part-time work rights, and an open work visa after graduation. It greatly facilitates the job search in your industry and obtaining permanent residence.
For study at university, as a rule, IELTS 6.0-6.5 or higher is also required.
More information about the cost of training in various universities in New Zealand can be found in our article.
Feel free to learn the details of immigration in your speciality:
How to immigrate by obtaining a new qualification?
If you do not have a completed higher education, or you want to retrain in a new area, there is an opportunity to obtain a qualification in New Zealand from scratch. It can be any speciality, depending on your personal taste.
For the duration of your studies, you will also have the right to work part-time, and after studying for at least two years (or 3 and more to Bachelor level), you can receive a diploma, which is recognised worldwide, and an open work visa to find a job in your speciality. This method is an exceptionally effective investment for immigration to New Zealand.
For studying, the student needs IELTS of 5.5 and higher.
More about the education system in New Zealand.
How to obtain a business visa?
Conditions for the business category have passed through several stages of change. Today, a businessman or an investor needs a certain level of English language proficiency, namely IELTS 4.0. To obtain the English language skills, as well as to analyse business and investment prospects, entrepreneurs from different countries attend language courses in New Zealand and assess their own prospects.
The rules for obtaining business visas are aimed at attracting high-profit enterprises and experienced businessmen. For this category, the minimum requirements for the amount of Capital investment is NZ $ 100 000, and this amount does not include working capital, necessary for doing business. In addition, for immigration in this category, a points system is also used, similar to the Skilled Migrant Category.
Read more about the Business category on the INZ website.
More information about the Investor Category is on the INZ website: Investor 1 and Investor 2.
Thus, no matter which path you choose, you need a certain level of proficiency in the English language. Language courses are really a good pathway to achieving this. You will be able to evaluate New Zealand as a country yourself, without anyone’s opinion, and analyse your prospects in this country. If you are happy with everything, after the English language courses you may proceed toward further steps for immigration.
You can also get acquainted with all types of visas to New Zealand used in different situations.
We will be happy to help you work out the way from start to finish to choose the most effective options specifically for your case.
Registration of visas is carried out by our licensed immigration consultants.
