New ‘Silver Fern’ Visa for New Zealand
New Zealand Immigration have announced a new visa programme called Silver Fern, which is intended to attract young, highly skilled people to work long term in New Zealand. The scheme will be launched in April 2010, so if you want to live in New Zealand, are aged 20 to 35 and hold a national diploma, bachelor degree or trade qualification with at least two years experience, then Silver Fern could be for you. Only 300 Silver Fern visas will be issued each year. The initial visa will give the holder nine months in which to enter the country and obtain relevant skilled employment. Once you have this employment in place then you can move towards permanent residency. The Silver Fern policy consists of two sub-policies: the Job Search policy and the Practical Experience policy. Together, these components offer a two-stage pathway to residence. To be successful, applicants must: • Be aged between 20 and 35 years.
• Make the application using the online system set up for this purpose.
• Be outside of New Zealand at the time of lodgement.
• Have a recognised qualification which is either a:
- bachelor degree or higher
- trade qualification and a minimum of two years’ work experience in that trade
• Be able to meet English Language requirements.
• Have funds available to support their stay in New Zealand Applicants must submit evidence to Immigration New Zealand in order to show that they meet the requirements.