If we invite a person from overseas to apply for residence under the Skilled Migrant Category we make another assessment of how well they’re likely to settle into life in New Zealand and make a contribution here. This may involve a structured interview.
If the overseas worker qualified for points for particular factors we’ll assess them as having the ability to settle and contribute. If we make this assessment their application will be approved-in-principle.
To be assessed with the ability to settle and contribute…
A person from overseas needs to have:
- an offer of, or already be working in, ongoing skilled employment in New Zealand
or
- undertaken full time study for at least two years in New Zealand and as a result have earned:
Find out about the added requirements people need to meet before we can grant them a Residence Visa or Permit.
What if the applicant doesn’t meet these requirements?
We’ll need to further assess them for their potential ability to settle and contribute.
In exceptional cases we may determine someone has the ability to settle and contribute despite not meeting these requirements. In such cases we may still approve the application in principle.
What happens after a Residence Permit is granted?
There may be some further requirements the applicant will need to meet after they've been granted a residence permit.