To apply to move to New Zealand under the Skilled Migrant Category a person needs to complete an Expression of Interest form PDF. Once the form is submitted, Expressions of Interest (EOIs) are pooled.
A person can qualify for points if they have an offer of skilled employment, or are currently employed in New Zealand in work that we consider skilled employment. Work experience, recognised qualifications, close family in New Zealand and age are also factors in the number of points that an applicant can claim.
Applicants can also qualify for bonus points for employment in specific industry areas, employment outside Auckland and qualifications gained in New Zealand.
They’ll also need to meet a number of other conditions before they can submit an EOI. These include age, health, character and English language requirements.
Periodically, EOIs are selected from the Pool as follows:
- EOIs that have total points of 140 or more will be selected automatically from the Pool;
- EOIs that have total points of 100 or more but less than 140, and include points for an offer of skilled employment or current skilled employment in New Zealand, are selected (according to their points ranking), in sufficient numbers to meet New Zealand’s Immigration Programme (NZIP) requirements.
If, following the selection process set out above, further places are available, additional EOIs may be selected from the Pool on the basis of additional selection criteria set from time to time by the Minister of Immigration.
Once an EOI has been selected from the Pool, following some checking, the person may be invited to lodge an application for residence.