How does this category work?
Applying for a residence visa under the Skilled Migrant Category is a two step process:
1. You fill out an Expression of Interest form, in which you tell us about yourself, your family, your skills, and your experience.
2. We accept your Expression of Interest and send you an Invitation to Apply, in which you give evidence for your claims.
We use a points system to judge the ability of a potential migrant to settle and contribute. If your EOI scores over 100 points, it goes into the pool of EOIs for this category.
Periodically, applicants with over 140 points are selected from the pool automatically. After this, those with between 100 and 140 points, and which include points for a skilled job or job offer, are selected. If we still have spaces available, additional selection criteria are set by the Minister of Immigration, allowing lower-scoring EOIs to be selected for invitation.
At this point, you apply. You need to provide us with evidence of your job or job offer, work experience, qualifications, and any other factors for which you claimed points in you EOI. You also give us proof that you and everyone else on your application meet our health, character, and English language requirements. We then assess your application, and let you know our decision.
There are three possible outcomes. We may decline your application. We may grant you residence. Or, we may defer your application and offer you a work to residence visa or permit to help you obtain a skilled job offer. If you are able to get skilled work, we will approve your residence application.
Express your interest
The first step in applying under the SMC is to make an Expression of Interest. In the EOI you tell us about yourself, your skills, and your work prospects. If your EOI is suitable, it will be drawn from the pool and you will be invited to apply.
You can complete an EOI online, or fill in the form and send it to your nearest branch.
Learn about the Expression of Interest.
Apply for residence
When we invite you to apply we will send you an application form which contains the information you provided in your EOI.
Follow the application process step by step, or see the full process diagram.
Please note: The date that you make your SMC residence application with Immigration New Zealand determines the policy that your application will be assessed against. Therefore, the policy that was current when you submitted your EOI, or current when your EOI was selected from the pool, is not necessarily the policy that your SMC residence application will be assessed against.
Further information