This toolkit is designed to assist applicants who have been issued with an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for residence under the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC).

It provides links to the resources which will assist you to complete your residence application. Please take it step by step and be sure to read the materials carefully – we are able to action complete applications in a more timely fashion than incomplete ones.

Application tools

Please carefully read the letter that accompanied your ITA. Take note of the expiry date of your ITA – your application will need to be lodged with Immigration New Zealand (INZ) before then. You should also note that a checklist was sent to you with your ITA. Please check the items off as you assemble the application.

1. Carefully read the document entitled ‘Tips for Lodging Residence Applications under the Skilled Migrant Category’. This document answers many of the questions people have when assembling an application – you can find a copy on our tips page.
   
   These ‘Tips’ should be read in conjunction with the Application for Residence Guide which was included in your ITA pack.
   
2. All applicants must supply medical certificates (see Section C of the Application for Residence Guide for details). You should consult our panel doctor list to find the one nearest to you.
   
   If you live in a country where there are no panel doctors (e.g. the United States of America) you should have the medical completed by a registered medical practitioner.
   
   You should also read the ‘Health Requirements Leaflet’ which is available by clicking on Health Forms on the left hand side of the forms page. This gives general information about the health assessment process. If you live in a country with no panel doctors you can also download the Medical and Chest X-Ray Certificate forms here (form number 1007).
   
3. All applicants aged 17 years or older must supply police certificate(s) (see Section B of the Application for Residence Guide for details).
   
4. Read your ITA letter, check the checklist and ensure that you have read each of the relevant headings in the ‘Tips for Lodging Residence Applications under the Skilled Migrant Category’.

Application progress tools

Processing times are updated regularly at the London branch home page - click on the ‘Tips and processing times’ links on the left hand side of the screen. Please note that these details are only updated when a change has occured.

If you have submitted an application without an offer of skilled employment but then obtain one we will prioritise assessment of your case. Please fax us a copy of the offer, clearly marked ‘Attention Skilled Migrant Team’. Our fax number is listed on our contact details page.

Job finding tools

Applications submitted with offers of skilled employment in New Zealand always receive priority processing. If you submitted an application without a job offer and wish to find one you may find the following links useful.

• Helping you find work in New Zealand

There is a great deal of useful information about New Zealand on the NewZealandnow.govt.nz website. This will help you to continue learning about what to expect!

To find out more about what life is like in New Zealand visit www.newzealandnow.govt.nz.

To find out what is happening in New Zealand now, these are some of our main news websites:
www.nzoom.com
www.nzherald.com
www.stuff.co.nz