The Expression of Interest (EOI) is the first step towards applying under the Skilled Migrant Category.
Assess yourself
To make an EOI, you first need to assess yourself to see if you can apply under this category. See the Skilled Migrant quickcheck to find out. Be sure that you meet our health, character, and English requirements.
Learn about claiming points on your EOI. You can get points for skilled employment, work experience, qualifications, and more.
See the points and bonus points that you can claim.
The EOI pool
When you send in your EOI, it goes into the pool. At selection time, those with 140 points or more are automatically selected. If, after the first selection, there are places remaining, we will select as many more over 100 points as we can. Preference will be given to EOIs with points for having skilled employment in New Zealand (or an offer of skilled employment), or which meet any additional selection criteria set by the Minister of Immigration.
You will be promptly informed whether your EOI has been accepted into the pool. You can also check the status of your Expression of Interest and update your details even after it has been submitted into the pool.
An EOI is current for a period of six months from the date of submission to the pool. If selection(s) of EOIs occur within the six-month period and yours is not selected, we will automatically withdraw your EOI at the end of the six-month period. If your EOI is selected from the pool but later returned to the pool by an immigration or visa officer (for example if you are not awarded some of the points you claimed, but still have at least 100 points), your EOI will also be automatically withdrawn from the pool, six months from the date it was first submitted.
If your EOI is withdrawn, you can submit another one if you wish.
Online application and services
You can send us your completed EOI form, or do it online. We recommend that you submit your Expression of Interest online. It’s cheaper than using the printed form, and you can securely pay by credit card. You'll also be told straight away whether your EOI has been entered into the pool.
If you do not apply online, you can still request to have online services set up for you at an INZ branch. You may find this useful if you want to check the status of your application, or change any details.
Change of circumstances
If, while your EOI is in the pool, your circumstances change in a way that relates to the number of points you are claiming, you will have to inform us. You can do this through our online services, or at any Immigration New Zealand branch.