New Zealand Skilled Migrant Category or SMC visa allows skilled workers to live, work and reside in New Zealand. Skilled workers with relevant skills and work experience who can contribute to the economic growth of New Zealand are invited to apply for this visa. To apply for this visa program, a candidate has to submit Expression of Interest (EOI), mentioning all the required details about his/her work experience, qualifications, and employment in New Zealand. In this page, get the brief idea about New Zealand Skilled Migrant Category that includes factors like eligibility criteria, process, documents checklist, benefits, etc.
Check: Calculate your points on New Zealand Point System
a) You can live, work, and reside in New Zealand.
b) You can include your partner and dependent children (24 and below) in your residence application.
c) You can stay permanently on this visa program.
a) Age should be 55 or less than 55 years at the time of applying for residence.
b) You must meet health and character requirements.
c) You have to submit Expression of Interest (EOI).
d) Your partner and dependent children have to meet the requirements of this visa if they are included in the visa application.
e) Your qualification, skills, and work experience must be recognized by New Zealand Immigration authorities.
Step – 1: Candidates with score of 100 points on NZ Points system and have fulfilled health, character and English language requirements can apply for residence visa through submitting Expression of Interest (EOI). Candidates applications are entered into a pool and the one with high score receive invitation to apply (ITA) to apply for residence visa through Skilled Migrant Category.
Step -2: Once you get ITA , you can submit the visa application for residence. Normally, Applications with a skilled job offer or NZ’s Master or Ph.D. qualification have the highest chances to receive positive approval and other applications are kept on hold for a year and issued with SMC Job Search visa. If candidates manage to get a secured and permanent job offer in 9 months from the day of their arrival then their applications will be approved, and if they are unable to find a secure job offer in 9 months from arrival it will get declined.
You have to meet all the requirements and calculate points on New Zealand Points system. Candidates have to score at least 100 points to be selected in the Selection pool.
You have to submit Expression of Interest (EOI) online.
To receive Invitation to Apply (ITA), you have to score 160 points or above.
Once you have received the Invitation to Apply (ITA), you have to submit a resident application under the Skilled Migrant Category.
If your application gets selected, you will be provided with a resident visa.
Check: How to apply for NZ Permanent Residency Visa ?
New Zealand Skilled Migrant Category Visa is suitable for people with recognized qualification/ skilled work experience / skilled job offer. If you have applied outside the nation and without skilled employment offer from an employer in New Zealand, you have to meet the below requirements to attain 160 points to qualify this visa:
a) Your age should be less than 40 years,
b) Minimum 10 years of work experience with at least 6 years in Absolute Skill Shortage Area;
c) Recognized and Approved Degree, Masters or Ph.D. qualification;
d) Your spouse has a recognized Degree, Masters or Ph.D. qualification.
Check: Sponsor your Family memebrs for NZ Permanent Residency Visa
It usually takes 8-12 months for the processing of this visa program depending on all the aspects of your visa application and verification. The cost of this visa is $2,710.
It consists of two stages. The first stage is the submission of Expression of Interest and Second Stage is to ‘Apply for Residence’.
New Zealand Immigration authority selects EOIs from the Selection pool every fortnight. And, If your file gets selected from the pool, time of 3 weeks is taken by the authority to review the EOIs.
The processing time of 90% of the applications takes place within 11 months and if you receive an invitation to apply for residence, you will be given with 4 months period to complete your application along with payments.
For availing more information about Skilled Migrant Category, call on the official helpline +919625212959 Email your queries to info@makevisas.com .
