Expression of Interest Guide

Acceptable Trades

Lambton Quay Wellington If your qualification is assessed as occupying Level 4 of the Register, points will only be awarded if the qualification is in an acceptable trade. These trades are listed under the List of Acceptable Trades.

The following are ‘Acceptable trades’ for the purpose of awarding points on the Register unless a particular trade qualification is specified as qualifying for points on the List of Recognised Qualifications:

English language requirements

Auckland City The NZIS require people to have a reasonable standard of English to ensure they have the best opportunity to settle readily into work and life in New Zealand.

Minimum standard of English language for principal applicants

  1. Applications under the Skilled Migrant Category must be declined if the principal applicant has not met the minimum standard of English.
  2. Principal applicants under the Skilled Migrant Category meet the minimum standard of English if:
  3. they provide a Test Report Form (no more than 2 years old at the time the application is lodged) from the
    International English Language Testing System (IELTS), showing they achieved an overall band score of at least 6.5 in the IELTS General or Academic Module; or
  4. they provide evidence that their recognised qualification(s)
  1. they have current skilled employment in New Zealand for a period of at least 12 months that qualifies
    for points or
  2. they provide other evidence which satisfies a visa or immigration officer that, taking account of that evidence
    and all the circumstances of the application, they are a competent user of English. These circumstances may include but are not limited to:
    • the country in which the applicant currently resides;
    • the country(ies) in which the applicant has previously resided;
    • the duration of residence in each country;
    • whether the applicant speaks any language other than English;
    • whether members of the applicant’s family speak English;
    • whether members of the applicant’s family speak any language other than English;
    • the nature of the applicant’s current or previous employment (if any) and whether that is or was likely
      to require skill in English language;
    • the nature of the applicant’s qualifications (if any) and whether the obtaining of those qualifications was
      likely to require skill in the English language.
    • In any case, a visa or immigration officer may require an applicant to provide an IELTS certificate in terms
      of paragraph (b) (i). In such cases, the IELTS certificate will be used to determine whether the principal applicant meets the minimum standard of English.

      English language requirements for non-principal applicants

      A.) Unless where bonus points are claimed for the partner’s skilled employment or recognised qualifications applies, partners and dependent children aged 16 and older, who are included in Skilled Migrant Category applications, must:

    • show that they meet a minimum standard of English to enable successful settlement in New Zealand, or
    • pre-purchase ESOL training, or
    • provide other evidence which satisfies a visa or immigration officer that, taking account of that evidence and all the circumstances of the application, they are a competent user of English (see SM 5.5 (b)(iv) above).

B.) Non-principal applicants meet the minimum standard of English if:

  1. they provide a Test Report Form (no more than 2 years old at the time the application is lodged) from IELTS,
    showing they achieved an overall band score of at least 5 in the IELTS General or Academic Module, or
  2. (if they are the partner of a principal applicant), they have current skilled employment in New Zealand for a period of at least 12 months that qualifies for points; or
  3. they provide evidence of one of the following:

C.) In any case, a visa or immigration officer may require an applicant to provide an IELTS certificate. In such cases, the IELTS certificate will be used to determine whether the applicant meets the minimum standard of English.

The Register

Level Description Points
10 Doctorates 55
9 Master’s Degree 55
8 Postgraduate diplomas and certificates, Bachelors degrees with Honours 50
7 Bachelors degrees, Graduate Diplomas 50
6 Graduate Certificates 50
5 Diplomas 50
4 Certificates (Acceptable trades only—no points will be confirmed for 50 other qualifications at this level) 50
3 Certificates (Acceptable trades only—no points will be confirmed for 50 other qualifications at this level) 50
2 Certificates 0
1 Certificates 0

Non-principal Applicant

If you are including other people in your Expression of Interest we consider them to be the non-principal applicants. This includes partners and dependent children.

NZQA

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority is the government agency responsible for quality assurance of qualifications.

If your qualification does not align with those listed in the List of Recognised Qualifications , you will need an NZQA assessment. NZQA’s check focuses on the qualification and the institution that has awarded it. See Preliminary assessment report, Interim assessment report, Qualifications assessment report.

Occupational Registration

People working in some occupations in New Zealand are required by law to be registered with the professional body of their occupation. Most often registration is required in medical and health occupations but it also applies to a range of business and trade occupations. You will only gain points for qualifications required for these occupations or employment in these occupations if you can prove you have either full or provisional registration.

Occupations requiring registration

In New Zealand registration is required by law in order to undertake employment as one of the following:

Note: Psychologist – (this applies only if the principal applicant is claiming points for an offer of employment in the State sector or in an institution licensed under the Mental Health Act 1992).

Effect of occupational registration on eligibility for points

The requirement for occupational registration to undertake the occupations listed above in New Zealand can affect eligibility for points for qualifications and offers of employment.

Effect on points for qualifications

  1. This section applies to principal applicants whose recognised qualification is required for employment in one of the occupations listed above.
  2. Such qualifications only qualify for points if the principal applicant:
    1. provides evidence of full registration in that occupation in New Zealand (if full registration is required to practise in New Zealand), or provisional registration (if only provisional registration is required to practise in New Zealand); or
    2. has current skilled employment or an offer of skilled mployment in an occupation that does not require registration; or
    3. has post-qualification work experience in an occupation for which registration is not required in New Zealand, and were employed in that occupation for the same or a greater period of time than in an occupation for which registration is required by law in New Zealand.

Note: For teachers, ‘provisional’ registration includes both ‘provisional’ and ‘subject to confirmation’ registration. For medical practitioners, ‘probationary’ registration is considered to be ‘provisional’ registration.

Effect on points for skilled employment

If a principal applicants qualifications are affected by registration requirements, the principal applicant’s current skilled employment or offer of skilled employment in New Zealand will only qualify for points if the principal applicant:

  1. provides evidence of full or provisional registration in New Zealand, if full or provisional registration is required by law in New Zealand to undertake that employment; or
  2. has current skilled employment or an offer of skilled employment in New Zealand in an occupation that does not require registration.

New Zealand Occupational Registration Bodies (include linkage later)

  1. Architects Education and Registration Board# Dental Technicians Board
  2. Dental Council of New Zealand
  3. Electrical Workers Registration Board
  4. Engineers Registration Board
  5. Medical Council of New Zealand
  6. Nursing Council of New Zealand
  7. New Zealand Law Society
  8. Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand
  9. Physiotherapy Board of New Zealand
  10. Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board
  11. Real Estate Agents Licensing Board
  12. Registration Boards Secretariat
  13. The Survey Board of New Zealand Office of the Surveyor-General Land Information New Zealand
  14. New Zealand Teachers Council
  15. Veterinary Council of New Zealand.

Skilled Employment

Skilled employment is work that requires you to use significant specialist, technical or management expertise. You may have gained this expertise through completing a recognised qualification or through work experience in which that expertise was a key component.

Skilled employment is employment that requires significant specialist, technical or management expertise:

  1. obtained through the completion of recognised qualifications; or
  2. obtained through work experience that has enabled a person to gain a comparable level of skill to that which would have been gained through the completion of a relevant recognised qualification; or
  3. developed through work experience in which that expertise was a key component.
  4. An offer of employment or current employment in New Zealand will therefore be assessed as skilled employment if:
    1. it is relevant to the principal applicant’s recognised qualification; or
    2. the employer considers, and the NZIS is satisfied, that the employment requires significant technical, specialist or managerial expertise that the principal applicant has obtained through relevant previous work experience in which that expertise was a key component.
  5. Generally, despite (a) and (b) above, employment in occupations described in the following Major Groups of the New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations is not assessed as skilled employment unless the NZIS is satisfied that:
    1. there is a special case for recognising the contribution of that employment to New Zealand’ s economic
      growth and capacity; or
    2. the principal applicant’s employment will enhance the quality of New Zealand’s accomplishments and
      participation in that occupational area because the principal applicant has an international reputation
      and record of excellence in that occupational field:
      1. Major Group 3 (Technicians and Associate Professionals) except those Group 3 occupations listed
        in (d) below
      2. Major Group 4 (Clerks)
      3. Major Group 5 (Service and Sales workers)
      4. Major Group 6 (Agriculture and Fishery workers)
      5. Major Group 8 (Plant and machine operators and assemblers)
      6. Major Group 9 (Elementary occupations).
    3. Employment in occupations described in the following Major Groups of the New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations is assessed as skilled employment if it meets the requirements for skilled
      employment set out in (a) and (b) above:
      • Major Group 1 (Legislators, administrators and managers)
      • Major Group 2 (Professionals)
      • Major Group 7 (Trades workers).
      • Major Group 3 (Technicians and Associate Professionals) in the following occupations:

31111 Physical Science Technician
31121 Quantity Surveyor
31122 Quantity Surveyor’s Technician
31123 Clerk of Works
31515 Agricultural Inspector
31516 Quality Inspector
32111 Life Science Technician
32112 Medical Laboratory Technician
31143 Other Electronics Engineering Technician
31144 Avionics Technician
31151 Mechanical Engineering Technician
31161 Chemical Engineering Technician
31191 Other Engineering Technician
31192 Non Destructive Testing Technician
31211 Computer Programmer
31213 Computer Support Technician
31331 Medical Radiation Technologist
31332 Other Medical Equipment Controller
31333 Sonographer
31411 Ships’ Engineer
31421 Ships’ Officer (Deck) including Master
31422 Launch Master
31423 Other Ships’ Deck Officer and Pilot
31431 Aircraft Pilot and Flight Crew

31124 Other Civil Engineering Technician
31131 Electrical Engineering Technician
31141 Telecommunications Technician
31142 Computer Systems Technicians
32111 Life Science Technician
32112 Medical Laboratory Technician
32121 Agricultural Technician
32122 Forest Technician
32211 Dispensing Optician
32221 Dental Therapist
32231 Physiotherapist
32232 Occupational Therapist
32233 Osteopath
32236 Chiropractor
32234 Orthotist/Prosthetist
32235 Podiatrist
33171 Valuer
33411 Social Worker
33413 Case Worker
33412 Probation Worker
33421 Employment Programme Teaching Associate Professional
33612 Reporter
33613 Editor
33614 Sub-Editor

31433 Flying Instructor
31434 Helicopter Pilot
31441 Air Traffic Controller
31511 Safety Inspector
31512 Meat Inspector
31513 Noxious Weeds/Pest Inspector
31514 Health Inspector
31515 Agricultural Inspector
31516 Quality Inspector

33631 Graphic Designer
33632 Fashion Designer
33634 Interior Designer
33644 Singing and Music Teacher
33652 Dancing Teacher and/or Choreographer
33662 Artistic Director
33811 Acclimatisation Field Officer
33812 National Park Ranger