The best chance for a successful EOI is to have skilled employment, or an offer of skilled employment in New Zealand.

What is ‘skilled employment’?

Skilled employment is employment that requires specialist, technical or management expertise.

Occupations are ‘skilled’ if they are listed as skill levels one, two or three on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO). These are all listed in our operational manual at Appendix 6: List of Skilled Occupations. When you check this list, make a note of which ‘part’ of the list your occupation appears in – A,B, or C.

How do you know if your employment is ‘skilled’?

First, you need to make sure that the description of your job/job offer substantially matches the description of the occupation (including core tasks) in the ANZSCO.

Then, check if your occupation is in part A, B or C of the List of Skilled Occupations.

Occupation in Part A

If your occupation is listed at Part A of Appendix 6: List of Skilled Occupations, you must also have one of the following.

• A relevant recognised qualification. The qualification must be at, or above, the qualification level on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF) that corresponds to the skill level indicated for that occupation in the ANZSCO.
• The relevant work experience that the ANZSCO indicates may substitute the required qualification.
• The relevant requirements specified in column three of the Long Term Skill Shortage List (LTSSL) for your occupation (if your occupation is included in the LTSSL).
• Five years of relevant work experience in a Skill Level One occupation.

Occupation in Part B

If your occupation is listed at Part B of Appendix 6: List of Skilled Occupations, you must also have one of the following:

• a relevant recognised qualification which is at, or above, level four on the NZQF (a qualification at level four must be a National Certificate or a New Zealand Certificate).
• the relevant work experience that the ANZSCO indicates may be substituted for the required qualification; or 
• the relevant requirements specified in column three of the Long Term Skill Shortage List for your occupation (if your occupation is included in the Long Term Skill Shortage List).

Occupation in Part C

If your occupation is listed at Part C of Appendix 6: List of Skilled Occupations, you must also have one of the following:

• at least three years of relevant recognised work experience and a relevant recognised qualification which is at, or above, level four on the NZQF (a qualification at level four must be a National Certificate or a New Zealand Certificate), or
• at least three years of relevant recognised work experience and your employment, or offer of employment, has an annual base salary of at least NZ$45,000.

Exceptions

If your job/job offer does not meet the requirements above, it may still qualify for points for skilled employment if:

• your work will enhance the quality of New Zealand’s accomplishments and participation in the occupational area because you have an international reputation and record of excellence in that field; and 
• you gained the expertise you need for the work through relevant recognised qualifications or work experience.
  

Or, if your job/job offer is in an occupation included in our operational manual at Appendix 7: Occupations Treated as Exceptions, it may qualify for points for skilled employment.

You have to demonstrate that your employment or offer of employment substantially matches the description for that occupation (including core tasks) as set out in the ANZSCO. And, you must have either:

• a relevant qualification which is at, or above, the qualification level on the New Zealand Register of Quality Assured Qualifications that corresponds to the indicative skill level described for that occupation in the ANZSCO; or 
• the relevant work experience that the ANZSCO indicates may substitute the required qualification.

Self-employed?

You cannot claim points for skilled employment if the position is self-employed. If you are, or will be, self-employed and wish to gain residence, you may be eligible under one of our business categories.

Points

If your job is particularly valuable to New Zealand, you will be able to claim bonus points. A job or job offer in an identified future growth area gives you 10 more points. Work in an area of absolute skills shortage, or located outside Auckland is another 10 points each. Additionally, if your partner (as a non-principal applicant on your application) has a skilled job or job offer, you can claim another 20 points.

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