There are three fees that you must pay as you go through the Skilled Migrant Category, one at each major point in the process.
EOI fee
You pay the first fee when you submit your Expression of Interest. As the paper application takes more processing, the online EOI is cheaper. The paper EOI costs NZ$500 to submit, and the online version costs NZ$400.
Application for residence fee.
When you are invited to apply, you must pay the second fee alongside your submitted application form. The fee depends on the currency accepted in your processing office. You can use the Office and Fees finder to see how much your fee will be.
Migrant levy
You pay this levy when your application has been approved, and before we place a residence permit or visa in your passport. If you gained residence after being on a work to residence visa or permit, you will have already paid the migrant levy.
The purpose of the migrant levy is to contribute to the funding of programmes intended to assist the successful settlement of migrants. For instance, the levy funds help with costs related to the Language Line telephone interpreting service, the Migrant Employment Assistance service, and the Citizens Advice Bureau Language Link service. The funds also include a contribution towards English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) tuition for adults and children.
The migrant levy is also used to carry out research into settlement issues and the impacts of immigration. For instance, the Longitudinal Immigration Survey: New Zealand (LisNZ) and short-term research on settlement and immigration. The information gained from this research helps Immigration New Zealand develop immigration policies that can best help migrants settle in and contribute to New Zealand.
From 30 July 2007 if you apply for a work to residence visa or permit (after having your SMC application deferred) you will no longer be required to pay the migrant levy before your work to residence visa or permit application is approved. Instead you will pay the migrant levy once your SMC residence application is approved (if this is the case).
The levy is NZ$300 for people aged five and over, and NZ$150 for children under five years of age. If there are more than four people included in a single application, the migrant levy is only payable by the four oldest family members. If you have made your application outside New Zealand, your visa officer will tell you how much the levy is in local currency.