2016-Aug 19: Skilled Migrant Category Bonus Points

Visa Pak 273 - Advice for staff about Bonus points under Skilled Migrant category.

Visa Paks

19 August 2016

Skilled Migrant Category Bonus Points

SM9.5 allows an applicant to claim 30 bonus points for employment outside the Auckland region.

Some applicants will have sufficient points to meet Skilled Migrant Category instructions without the need to claim these points. Allocating them unnecessarily may result in limiting where the applicant may work and requiring them to provide evidence to verify the location of their employment.

Consequently, bonus points should not be awarded under SM9.5 unless needed to meet the selection criteria for which the applicant’s EOI was drawn.

Bonus points under SM8.5: employment in an identified future growth area or area of absolute skills shortage and SM10.5: Points for partner's skilled employment in New Zealand may be awarded even when not needed to meet the SMC pass mark, as they do not limit the applicant’s employment options.

Deciding an application when bonus points under SM9.5 are not needed

Officers may grant 30 points on the determination tab for region of employment if it is outside Auckland. The requirement for the job to be outside the Auckland region should be waived and a note added to AMS recording that the bonus points were not claimed and consequently not awarded.

Currently instructions (SM4.30.10) require s49(1) conditions to be imposed, even if these bonus points are not awarded. SDP will consider amending instructions to clarify that s49(1) conditions only need to be added if the bonus points are awarded. In the meantime, officers should use their discretion when assessing an application that may be affected by s49(1) conditions. For example, if the applicant has been in skilled employment outside Auckland for two months, the officer may consider waiting one month before approving the application, to avoid having to add the s49(1) conditions.