Do I qualify for immigration to New Zealand? Which class should I apply under? What conditions do I need to satisfy? Well, the New Zealand immigration system is quite complicated but here is a brief summary.
Essentially, there are five main ways to immigrate. The usual categories for permanent residence classes are:
SKILLED MIGRANT
FAMILY
BUSINESS
INVESTOR
The other option is to apply for a TEMPORARY visa.
SKILLED MIGRANT CATEGORY
Applying under skill categories has
always been the most popular visa class for permanent residency in New Zealand.
All applicants for this visa class must be under 56 years of age and are
required to meet a minimum of 100 points and meet the health, character and
English
language prerequisite before an Expression of Interest can be lodged
with Immigration New Zealand.
Points are awarded for an offer of
employment in New Zealand, work experience, qualifications and age. Bonus points
are available for employment in areas of identified future growth, cluster or
absolute skill shortages. Bonus points are also available for employment outside
Auckland and for New Zealand qualifications.
Expressions of Interest are
pooled and then ranked by Immigration New Zealand according to specific
selection criteria. Those applications that meet the selected criteria will be
selected in sufficient numbers to meet the places available and will be invited
to lodge an Application
for Residence in New Zealand. It is not on a first
in, first served basis. Applicants will then need to send all the necessary
documents to support the claims made in their Expression of Interest.
The best chance for a successful EOI is to meet the above prerequisites AND
have an offer of skilled employment (or current skilled employment) in New
Zealand. Skilled employment is employment that requires specialist, technical or
management expertise. Employment or an offer of employment in an occupation
included as a skill level one, two or three occupation in the Australian
and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) (click
here)may be considered skilled employment (providing certain requirements
are met).
Recent changes to the New Zealand Skilled Migration policies
mean that applicants with skilled jobs in New Zealand or an offer of skilled
employment prior to applying have a greater likelihood of being selected and
invited to apply for residence.
Migration
Bureau - with its team of Licensed Immigration Advisers and New Zealand
Employment Consultants can assist you with the lodgment and processing of your
visa application as well as the coordination of your job search in New
Zealand.
Back to top
FAMILY
The family class is divided into
four sub-classes: Partnership, Parent, Sibling/Adult Child and
Dependant Child.
You may apply as a partner if you are legally
married to a New Zealand citizen or resident OR Australian citizen OR if you are
in a genuine and stable de-facto (common law) or same-sex relationship of at
least 12 months duration.
You may apply as a parent if you satisfy the
“centre of gravity” test, meaning you have an equal or greater number of adult
children living in New Zealand than in any other country. Dependent children
with a parent in New Zealand may also be eligible to apply for permanent
residence. You may also be eligible to migrate to New Zealand if you have a
parent or sibling who is a permanent resident or citizen.
Parent Retirement Category
The main objective of this visa category
is to provide residence to those already with family ties in New Zealand and who
wish to make a contribution to New Zealand’s economy. The new category will
prioritise high net worth individuals already looking to migrate under the
existing Family Category – Parent Class. Currently the Family Parent Category
is capped and has a lengthy processing time frame of approximately 2 years.
Applications under the new Parent Retirement Category will be processed quicker.
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Have an adult child who lives in New Zealand and is either a NZ citizen or
resident;
- Be able to meet the ‘centre of gravity’ test under the Family Parent Policy;
- Be able to nominate funds/assets of at least NZ$1 million and undertake to
invest that money in New Zealand for a period of four years
- Be able to show that they own the (legally acquired) funds/assets;
- Be able to transfer and invest the said funds in an acceptable investment in
New Zealand;
- Be able to nominate funds of NZ$0.5 million of settlement funds and
demonstrate ownership of these funds;
- Have an annual income of at least NZ$60,000.
In this category, the applicant may include his/her partner and dependent
children in the application. The principal applicant, partner and dependents
must also meet the health and character requirements. Should you be successful
in your application, you will need to transfer and invest your funds in New
Zealand within 12 months of your approval in principle. If you fail to do so
your application will be declined.
(See below for Temporary Retirement
Visa)
Back to top
BUSINESS
The Long-term Business Visa
(LTBV)/Entrepreneur visa pathway is generally open to business owners,
senior managers, company directors or those applicants with a successful history
of self-employment or business ownership.
To immigrate to New Zealand
under this class there is no minimum capital or past business ownership
requirement. Instead applicants must prepare a viable, well-researched business
plan and possess sufficient funds and relevant business experience to establish
or purchase the proposed business in New Zealand. It is important that the
business must be of benefit to New Zealand, in terms of creating employment for
New Zealanders, increasing foreign exchange earnings or exports, revitalizing an
existing business, or introducing new products, services or technology into the
New Zealand market place.
The process to immigrate to New Zealand on this
pathway involves two visa applications. Firstly, you will be issued with a
long-term business (work) visa, for an initial period of nine months, to enter
New Zealand to establish or purchase your business. Upon satisfying the
visa
officer of this, you will then be issued a further work visa for up to a maximum
period of 3 years, allowing you to continue establishing and running your
business. Permanent residence is applied for under the Entrepreneur
Class, once the business has been successfully established in New Zealand
for at least 2 years and meets the prevailing criteria. The success of the first
stage (LTBV) largely depends on the quality of your business plan, so make sure
that you seek professional advice from a Migration Consultant on this
aspect.
Entrepreneur Plus - a category for those already holding a
LTBV, which will offer a faster path to residence for applicants who create at
least three full-time jobs for New Zealanders and invest at least $500,000 in
their business.
Back to top
INVESTOR CLASS
The Migrant Investment Policy
is divided into 2 categories –
Investor Plus: For those investing
at least $10 million in New Zealand for three years. The age and English
language requirements are relaxed for this category.
Investor: For
those investing at least $1.5 million in New Zealand for four years. Applicants
must be 65 years or younger, with at least $1 million in settlement funds and at
least 3 year’s business experience. There are more requirements relating to
English language and minimum
annual time spent in New Zealand.
All
applicants under both categories must meet health and character requirements.
The main advantage of this visa stream is that there is no requirement to
actively own or operate a business in New Zealand.
Back to top
TEMPORARY VISAS
A number of temporary visas
are also available;
Work visa: If you are offered a job that
cannot be filled by a New Zealander and the New Zealand employer is willing to
“sponsor” you, then it may be possible for you to apply for a work visa. The
visa is issued for the duration of the employment contract or 3 years, whichever
comes first.
Important note: New Zealand employers can sometimes be reluctant to sponsor offshore candidates unless there are specific skills shortages, and the candidate is able to start work within 4-6 week so check your employment opportunities first.
Working Holiday Visa: Citizens of certain countries who
are aged between 18 years and 30 years may consider obtaining a Working Holiday
Visa. This visa enables you to work and travel for 1 year (2 years for citizens
of the United Kingdom) but work must be restricted to casual
positions and
you must not undertake permanent employment.
Student visa: If you
are enrolled into a qualifying course at a New Zealand tertiary institution, you
can apply for a student visa. This visa allows you to study and to work up to 20
hours per week.
Temporary Retirement Category: This is an extension visa designed for
people who wish to stay in New Zealand longer than the 12 months of a visitor’s
visa. Applicants will be issued with a 2 year multiple entry visitor’s visa
which allows for travel in & out of New Zealand. It is only a temporary
visa. At the end of the 2 years, applicants must leave New Zealand or re-apply
for a further visa under this category, subject to meeting the requirement of
this visa.
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Be aged 66 or over; and be able to nominate funds/assets of at least NZ$0.75
million and undertake to invest that money in New Zealand for a period of two
years;
- Be able to show that they own the (legally earned or acquired) funds/assets;
- Be able to transfer & invest the said funds in an acceptable investment
in New Zealand
- Be able to nominate funds of NZ$0.5 million of maintenance funds and
demonstrate ownership of these funds; Have an annual income of at least
NZ$60,000.
In this category, the applicant may include his/her partner but dependent
children cannot be included. Both the principal applicant and partner must also
meet the health and character requirements and hold and maintain comprehensive
travel and or health insurance for the two year duration. Should you be
successful in your application, you will need to transfer and invest your funds
in New Zealand within 3 months of your approval in principle. If you fail to do
so your application will be declined.
(See above for Parent Retirement
Visa (permanent)
Back to top
Free Eligibility
Assessment - Take a FREE initial
assessment .
CAUTION: Immigration regulations can change without
advance notice. For the LATEST NEWS on New Zealand immigration policies
and laws, please click
here.
(Information in this page has been verified by Christine Yap,
Licensed Immigration Adviser (IAA) No.200900258 as at 1st July
2011.)
