The Skilled Migrant category (SMC) is a category which requires applicants to score points under a range of criteria. The intention of the category is to allow Immigration New Zealand to more actively target those migrants with the requisite skills to benefit the country and to have more control over migrant numbers.

 

Under the SMC, prospective migrants must register an Expression of Interest ('EOI') as the first step to applying for residence. Applicants must be fluent in the English language (to IELTS 6.5 level) and should have an acceptable tertiary or trade qualification or work experience relevant to an offer of skilled employment in New Zealand.  However applicants with a suitable offer of skilled employment may be able to qualify for residence without holding a qualification.

The criteria to assess SMC points entitlement is not as straight-forward as it may appear and most applications require a detailed assessment to clarify what points may be claimed.  Most difficulties are experienced in whether any employment satisfied the required residence policy. 

All EOI applications which meet the minimum requirements are coordinated and logged into a centralised Immigration New Zealand database. INZ will, every two weeks, make a selection from the EOI pool of those applicants at a points/criteria level sufficient to deliver the number of migrants required to achieve the annual target. Selected EOIs then undergo further verification checks which, if favourable, will result in INZ issuing an invitation to apply for residence and the residence application documentation. The residence requirements can then be completed and the application lodged.

More information and the Points Table.........
Current Selection Criteria.......

One person is nominated as being the principal applicant for a residence application and the application can include their partner and dependent children.

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This page was last updated on 25 September 2009