2016-Aug 15: New Zealand Qualifications Pre-August 2003

Visa Pak 272: Best practice guide for applicants who gained a New Zealand qualification before August 2003 and how Immigration Officers can seek guidance from the NZQA.

Visa Paks

15 August 2016

New Zealand Qualifications Pre-August 2003

Recently there have been instances of Expressions of Interest (EOIs) where applicants have not been awarded points for qualifications obtained in New Zealand prior to 2003. This loss of points and any associated bonus points has led to the EOIs being incorrectly declined.

In order to claim points for qualifications under the Skilled Migrant Category, applicants with New Zealand qualifications should provide evidence of the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF) level of that qualification by submitting a ‘Qualification Overview’ report. The NZQF is available online. To check the level and status of a New Zealand qualification visit the NZQF page.

The Qualification Overview section of the website provides a summary of information for every qualification listed on the NZQF – this can be found by searching for a qualification on the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) website.

One of the fields listed for each qualification is the field labelled “created”. For most qualifications listed, this field records the date that the qualification was listed on the NZQF. The exceptions are those qualifications approved and listed on the NZQF prior to 14 August 2003. The “created” date for these qualifications is the date the NZQF database was populated – August 2003.

If an applicant gained a qualification prior to 2003, and the qualification is recorded in the database as being “created” in August 2003, the qualification may still have been approved and listed at the time the applicant was studying.

In these situations, it will be necessary to confirm with NZQA the actual date of approval and listing for any qualification that has a “created” date of August 2003 when an applicant gained that qualification at an earlier date. Immigration officers should check the actual date of approval and listing for any qualifications in this situation by contacting NZQA directly.

For qualifications listed as being “created” in September 2003 or later, you can be confident that this is the date that the qualification was approved and listed on the NZQF.