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New Zealand is a fantastic place to
visit, and an even greater place to live and because of this there
is a huge demand on both the government and the people to maintain
a healthy and stable population. In charge of all of this is the New
Zealand Immigration Service (NZIS). The NZIS is responsible for
all aspects of New Zealand’s immigration policy, including permanent
residence, temporary entry, refugees and border control. Visit www.immigration.govt.nz
for the official Government website.
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The following section is designed to give you
an overview of how the system works, answers to frequently asked questions
and links to various organizations or agencies that my assist you
in your own migration process. Please note, the information provided
is not intended as legal advice, and individuals should consult the
NZIS or a professional consultant prior to applying.
Migration may only seem to be a few hours flight, but in real life
it is a long process involving a lot of formalities, paperwork, cost
and planning. One of the most important things to consider when making
an application to live her permanently or even for a temporary stay,
is to assess your eligibility from the very beginning. After all,
the majority of your other plans will depend largely on whether the
New Zealand Government will provide you with a visa, allowing you
to live and work here.
There are five primary immigration categories under which candidates
for residency may apply. These are the Family, Investor,
Long Term Business Visa, Work to
Residence and Skilled Migrant Categories.
Family Category
This requires a parent, sibling or adult child to sponsor the applicant.
The sponsor must have lived in New Zealand as a resident for the three
years prior to the application. The whereabouts of other family members
can have a bearing on the validity of the application.
Investor Category
This category requires the principal applicant to be under 55 years
of age, have a minimum of 5 years business experience and have NZ
$2,000,000 that must be invested in low interest bearing government
bonds for 5 years. During the 5 year investment period the family
must have made New Zealand their permanent home.
Long Term Business
Visa
This category requires the applicant to present a business plan to
the immigration service outlining their plans for a business venture.
Currently the interpretation being administered by the Immigration
Service requires very strong benefits to New Zealand. Not only does
the applicant require prior business ownership experience, it must
be relevant to the proposed business. Also the new (or existing) business
must produce a significant benefit to New Zealand, such as improving
exports, introducing new business concepts, technologies or products,
or increasing employment significantly (say five or more new employment
opportunities), or resurrecting a failing business. The simple purchase
of all or part of an existing business and adding little to it other
than new ownership is, in itself, no longer sufficient.
Work to Residence
Under this category the principal applicant must either have a job
in a role on the Long Term Shortage List, be employed by an accredited
employer or have a job under the special talents (arts and sports)
section.
After two years employment an application for residence may be made.
There is a maximum age of 56 for this category and in many circumstances
there is a minimum annual base salary of NZ $45,000.
Skilled Migrant
Category
This is a points based system. Points are allocated for the principal
applicant’s various attributes under the following categories.
• Age
• Qualifications
• Bonus Qualification Related Points
• Work Experience
• Bonus Work Related Points
• Offer of Employment
• Employment Offer Bonus Points
Family Sponsorship
At the initial stage an “expression
of interest” is lodged with the Immigration Service. You require
at least 100 points to lodge an Expression. Expressions exceeding
the 100 point barrier are entered into a pool. Currently every two
weeks the Immigration Service Management will allocate a pool pass
mark and all cases in the pool meeting or exceeding the score will
be checked. If they appear to be genuine then those applicants will
be invited to apply for residence.
e-Migration New Zealand Ltd has offices in Auckland, Tauranga and
Christchurch. They are able to assist people contemplating living,
working or visiting New Zealand. The initial meeting or assessment
is completely free of charge and in most cases any work undertaken
will be guaranteed.
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