Immigration to Another CountryNew Zealand
New Zealand - the land of dreams. Besides the USA, Canada and Australia, New Zealand is one of the traditional immigration countries. New Zealand provides wide ranging professional and private employment opportunities, a Euro-Asian-Pacific life style, a temperate climate with approximately 2,200 hours of sunshine per year and of course breathtaking landscapes.
In the recent years New Zealand has attracted a increasingly large number of immigration applicants and has become a much sought after destination among professionals and businessmen. The flow of people into this country is regulated in terms of those who will benefit the country as well as those in need of a new homeland. Immigration law is a constantly changing due to the economic and social demands of the country. Therefore, it can be a mine field for the inexperienced migrant. It is recommended that immigrants use the services of an immigration consultant in order to minimize the chances of rejection of their application and to ensure a smooth transition to a new homeland. New Zealand offers unparalleled quality of living. It has a excellent education and healthcare system, with state-of-the-art communication systems and an easy, safe and efficient transportation system. Increasingly, New Zealand is being recognized by the rest of the world as an ideal place to live, work and to raise a family.
Immigration
New Zealand welcomes immigrants with proven business expertise or professional skills. Sunrise can assist you in obtaining immigration to New Zealand based on your professional skills or under various business categories. The objective of the business immigration policy is to attract migrants who will contribute to New Zealand's economic growth by actively investing in and participating in business activities within New Zealand. Alternatively, if you are a well educated professional who possess required skills then New Zealand can be your future home.
The main immigration categories for New Zealand are:
General Skills Immigration
The Skilled Migrant Category is designed to minimize the risk of a mismatch between the skills that migrants bring and the skills New Zealand needs.
Successful applicants will be qualified skilled migrants, including those who are already working in skilled employment in New Zealand. We know from research that such migrants settle more quickly and are able to match their New Zealand counterparts in salary levels and standards of living.
Who is a skilled migrant?
We consider a skilled migrant to be a person who wants to live and work in New Zealand, and who has the skills that New Zealand needs to help it prosper nationally and internationally.
How the Skilled Migrant Category works
Applying for residence under the Skilled Migrant Category involves two stages. Briefly, stage one involves you submitting an Expression Of Interest in applying for residence. In this Expression of Interest you determine the points you qualify for against a set of factors that define a skilled migrant. In the second stage we decide whether we will invite you to apply for residence in New Zealand based on the points you qualified for.
The Points System
The points system is designed to allow Expressions of Interest to be ranked so that we can extend invitations to apply for residence to people who have the most to offer New Zealand. Points are available for skilled employment in New Zealand, work experience, qualification and age. Bonus points are available for employment in areas of identified future growth or absolute skills shortage.
From time to time, selections from the Pool would be made and, following some checking, those with the top points will be invited to lodge an Application for Residence in New Zealand. It is not a case of first in, first served!
If your Expression of Interest is not selected from the Pool the first time, it will remain in the Pool for three months. If it is still unsuccessful, you will be told that your Expression of Interest has been withdrawn from the Pool. You can lodge another Expression of Interest if you wish to.
If New Zealand Authorities have not selected any Expressions of Interest over a three-month period, all Expressions of Interest will remain in the Pool until we make the next selection.
Depending on how you are able to demonstrate your ability or potential to successfully settle in New Zealand:
- your application may be approved and you will be granted a Residence Visa or Permit or
- you may instead be granted a Work Visa or Permit, which will enable you to establish yourself in skilled employment in New Zealand and help you gain residence, or
- your application may be declined.
Although a skilled job offer is not a prerequisite, you can see how important it is to consider ensuring that your skills are needed in New Zealand before you sell your home, leave your job and move to New Zealand.
Family Immigration
In the year 1999 some 12.604 applicants had been granted residency under this category. Applications are only accepted if the applicant is supported by direct relatives living in New Zealand as a citizen or at least 3 years on a permanent residence visa.
Direct relatives in this context are spouses, brothers and sisters, parents or children. The varying criteria is complex and only a small number of applicants can gain residency under this category.
Business Class Immigration
The objective of this category is to attract migrants who will contribute to economic growth by increasing New Zealands skills base, encouraging enterprise and innovation and fostering international linkages.
The main categories of business class:
Investor Category
Applicants applying under the Investor Category are assessed by a points system based upon a structure that awards points for age, business experience and investment funds. To apply as an investor you must have the detailed guidance that only a professional organization such as Sunrise Legal Services can deliver.
Long Term Business Visa
The long-term business category is a specific business visa/permit that has been established to cater for potential migrants interested in applying for residence under the Entrepreneur Category and those interested in establishing a business in New Zealand but who do not wish to live permanently in New Zealand. Successful applicants for a business visa would be granted a work visa for up to three years.
Entrepreneur Category
A category for applicants who have successfully established a business in New Zealand that can be shown to be of benefit to New Zealand. Criteria must be met regarding shareholding and personal employment. Those who have been involved in bankruptcy, fraud or financial impropriety or in a business failure in the last five years may not apply. Principal and non-principal applicants may pre-purchase English language tuition if they cannot achieve the standard of IELTS, band 4.
Visit the New Zealand Immigration website for more information.
Our thanks to Sunrise International Legal Services, a recognized leader in the field of immigration with over 35 years of experience at helping guide people through the process of immigration. For more information, please visit their website.