Nab That Job in New Zealand!

We knew the Silver Fern Visa would be astoundingly popular, and difficult to get a place on, even if you were able to log on to the New Zealand Immigration website at 10am on April 27th.  We even expected that the limited 300 places would likely be filled within one hour of the Silver Fern Visa opening.

However, we were surprised to learn that all 300 places on the Silver Fern Visa were filled within 30 minutes!  That means if anyone did not log on to the website until 10.30am, or did not submit their application by then, they missed out.

From our understanding, there is still a chance that places may become available if any of these first 300 applicants are unsuccessful due to not meeting the criteria for the visa.  We therefore recommend regularly checking the website by logging on here: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/secure/default.htm.

If you were able to get your application in, we'd love to hear from you on the forum! 

If you were unable to get your application through on time, it may be that you still qualify for migration to New Zealand under their Skilled Migrant category.  This web link is a great place to start your research: http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/work/skilledmigrant/ .

To qualify for the Skilled Migrant category for New Zealand, you must meet certain criteria, which includes:

• Being aged between 20 and 55 years of age; and
  
• Meeting New Zealand Immigration standards of health, character, and English language proficiency.

Your first step towards making an application for Skilled Migration in New Zealand is to submit an Expression of Interest, claiming points for your skills, experience, and other factors. 

Next, if you have claimed 100 points or more on your Expression of Interest, your application goes into what they call the "Pool".  Then, every fortnight, all Expressions of Interest with over 140 points,  are selected for an invitation to apply.   If you have less than 140 points and meet other criteria, you may also be selected for an invitation to apply.  For example, if you have skilled employment in New Zealand. 

If you receive an invitation to apply under the Skilled Migration Category for New Zealand, you need to be able to show evidence of the claims you made in your Expression of Interest.  For example, proof of your English language ability, documentation in regards to your skills, experience and qualifications, and medical and police certificates.

Receiving an invitation to apply for Skilled Migration, does not automatically mean that you qualify.  you still need to meet the criteria set out in this migration category, and this is the reason for sending through your official documentation as mentioned above.  Your application will then be assessed to determine whether you qualify.

Your ability to be able to settle successfully in New Zealand will also be assessed, as part of this process.

If you are found to meet all criteria under the Skilled Migration Category, you will be offered a residence visa or permit.  In some cases, you may only be offered a work to residence visa or permit, so that you can obraing an offer of skilled employment in New Zealand for up to nine months (similar to the Silver Fern Job Search Visa).  If you successfully find skilled employment during this time, your New Zealand residence application will be approved.

To find out whether you meet New Zealand's requirements for the Skilled Migration Category, click here.

If you require assistance preparing your CV for the New Zealand job market to increase your success rate applying for work in New Zealand, click here to send us your CV.