New Zealand Visa
Application Process

Quick online assessment

The first step in your emigration process is find out which visas you are eligible for in New Zealand. This can be done quickly and easily with our Quick Check Online Assessment – just click the green button at the top of your screen.

If we believe the results are promising, we’ll invite you to complete a detailed, appraisal to allow us to determine all your visa options.

Appraisal and consultation service

We appreciate that emigration to a new life in New Zealand can be daunting and often overwhelming when trying to tackle it alone.

• Do you know which visa you eligible for, and is really right for you?
• How do go about applying, what are the pitfalls to avoid?
• How do you find a job in New Zealand?

An appraisal and consultation is your opportunity to find out.

Without committing yourself, our experts will independently assess your eligibility in detail, to ensure you meet the criteria required for migration. We will then advise on which visa options could be available to you, and highlight any concerns.

At your consultation you will have an opportunity to talk directly with an experienced consultant, who can advise you on all aspects of migration. We’ll discuss: -

• How we approach the visa process
• How to organise employment in New Zealand
• What the exact costs are for your application
• Timelines to complete an application
• Arranging your relocation needs

Prepare!

So you know what visa you can apply for and you’re starting the process. Before you consider lodging a visa application to New Zealand, there are many things you must do in advance. Failure to prepare the right paperwork or take the right assessments beforehand could leave you with a failed application.

Depending on which visa is best for you, you may need to complete a qualifications assessment. This is highly dependent on your occupation and qualifications you hold, but can often be an essential first stage in your application. It is important that you understand whether you require this assessment before lodging a visa application.

Some applicants will need an English language test, again it is essential that you know what is involved with this, whether you need it and if so, what score you must achieve to be eligible.

Do you need registration in your occupation to be allowed to work in New Zealand? Many skilled trades do, along with many health and professional occupations too. Without this, it could cause your application to delay or even fail completely.

Once you’ve completed the necessary processes above, it is then important to prepare all the paperwork for your visa lodgement in advance. You must understand what documentation the immigration department will want from you, and in what format. When it comes to the time that you need these documents, you won’t have to stress about where everything is.

As a client with The Emigration Group, we will organise all the preparation work, and submit any applications necessary to get you in the right position for a successful visa application.

Job offer

It is becoming more common now that applicants for a New Zealand skilled visa will require a job offer. A good job offer in your occupation can contribute substantially toward your point score, and can give you a stable income on arrival. Understanding whether you need a job offer in your application for a visa is critical.

Should you need one, how do you go about finding one? It’s easier said than done when you’re 11,000 miles away from your potential employers! You’ll need to know who to speak to, how to handle the process, what salaries to aim for and what areas are best for employment in your occupation. At The Emigration Group, this is a major part of our process with you, and will assist in many ways to get you in front of the right employers to secure a position.

Once a job is secured, it’s then very important to know what needs to be in the contract of employment. New Zealand Immigration will want to see some specific data in this document, and missing key information can cause delays or failures in visa applications. Your Visa manager at The Emigration Group will review your contract of employment with you, to ensure it meets all criteria for your application.

Expression of interest

When lodging an expression of interest, you are telling the New Zealand immigration department what visa you are applying for and showing them you are eligible. With this stage, the devil is in the detail - it’s critical that all information entered and points claimed are 100% accurate, as one mistake could cost you your entire visa application, wasting significant time and money.

As a client with The Emigration Group, we will prepare and lodge the Expression of Interest on your behalf to ensure no mistakes are made and the application is as stress-free as possible.

Selection and Invitation to Apply

So you’ve lodged your Expression of Interest and the New Zealand Department of Immigration have verified your information and invited you to apply for residence. You must now lodge a formal visa application, including all the necessary medicals and police checks; we can advise you on how to obtain these, what you need and where to go for it.

All the planning and preparation from stage 3 will now pay off, as you won’t have to scramble for the various documents and evidence you need.

Visa Lodgement

When you lodge an application to New Zealand, it is essential that all paperwork and evidence is 100% accurate. Your Visa Manager at The Emigration Group will compile this for you and lodge the application on your behalf, ensuring that nothing is missed or incorrectly formatted.

When you lodge an application, you will pay your fee to the New Zealand government. This varies depending on the visa subclass. Get this part wrong, and you are likely to lose this fee. One mistake can be very costly, and is just one reason why our clients will engage with us to ensure this doesn’t happen.

Migrant Levy

All residence visas for New Zealand have a migrant levy which must be paid at the end of your visa process, which will allow New Zealand Immigration to release your visa to you. This migrant levy is a fixed cost, but does vary depending on how applicants are on your application and what age they are.

Visa Approval

Your visa is granted and your move to New Zealand can now commence! Time to celebrate your success and finalise plans for moving you, your family and belongings to your new life. You will have a time window in which you must enter New Zealand, which varies depending on the visa you’ve applied for. As your supporting agent, we will guide you through your visa validation entry, your move to New Zealand, setting up your new life in the country and even obtaining citizenship.