In this article, we will cover not all, but the most popular ways to immigrate to New Zealand from Pakistan: professional, educational, and business emigration.
General requirements for immigration from Pakistan
For all potential immigrants, regardless of the chosen method of immigration, the New Zealand government puts forward certain requirements.
Health
Long-stay visa applicants of any type should not have major health problems. “Serious problems” are infectious diseases that pose a risk of spread and require expensive medical treatment. For example, people who need kidney dialysis are not allowed to enter the country. The same goes for those suffering from hemophilia, tuberculosis, and other serious ailments.
No criminal records
An immigrant from Pakistan should not be sentenced to 5 years or more in prison. And also should not be in prison for a year or more in the past 10 years
English level
Almost all long-term visa applicants from Pakistan must meet certain language requirements. This does not apply to some categories of visitors.
Professional registration
This requirement applies only to holders of work visas. Certain specialties in New Zealand are required to register officially with a government agency.
Professional immigration from Pakistan
One of the most popular ways to immigrate to New Zealand is through professional immigration. Moreover, several types of visas are available on this line, each with its own nuances and requirements.
Skilled Migrant visa
This is a resident visa of a sought-after professional. The advantage of the Skilled Migrant visa is that dependents can be entered into it. That is, the children of an emigrant will not have to obtain a separate visa.
Applying for a Skilled Migrant visa involves two steps:
Determination of expression of interest points – Expression of Interest (EOI). This is an indicator that establishes what interest a particular person is for the New Zealand state. This takes into account factors such as age (not older than 55), availability of a job offer, qualifications. You can apply for an EOI online. You will have to pay a fee of 530 New Zealand dollars (approximately 350 US dollars).
Application submission. Only those with a high enough EOI score can apply. They receive a special invitation, which may come within 6 months after submitting the information for the EOI. Or not at all. In this case, you have to start all over again.
Quite often, a Pakistani applicant is denied a Skilled Migrant and is offered instead a “search visa” valid for 9 months. During this time, the person must find an employer and reapply for a visa or leave the country.
Work to Residence visa
This visa is only suitable for those who already have an offer from an employer in New Zealand, as long as the inviting company provides a full-time job, a decent income, and meets some other requirements.
Work to Residence is issued for 30 months. Its owners, having worked for 2 years, can apply for resident status. Holders of this visa cannot “enter” their family members on it. Those will have to obtain their own visas. Three categories of immigrants can apply for Work to Residence:
- People on the Long Term Skill Shortage List (LTSSL) – a list of jobs that the government considers in short supply in the long term. All applicants must be no older than 53 years old;
- Persons of outstanding talent in the arts, sports, or science (not older than 55);
- specialists who have received a job offer from a company that has state accreditation for recruiting personnel abroad (not older than 55).
Silver Fern visa
The purpose of this short-stay visa is to attract young professionals to the country. This visa, in turn, also has several varieties.
Silver Fern Job Search Visa – visa for job search. It is issued for 9 months, and you can get it only once in a lifetime. 300 such visas are issued annually. To qualify for the Silver Fern Job Search, you need to meet the following criteria: age from 20 to 35 years old, minimum bachelor’s degree, relevant qualifications, and 4,200 New Zealand dollars ($ 2,800) in the account.
Silver Fern Practical Experience Visa – visa for work. It is issued for 2 years to those Silver Fern Job Search Visa holders whose job search has been crowned with success. In this case, applicants must receive a job offer for a period of at least 12 months. This visa can be renewed, but only once.
Essential skills
This is a short stay visa that is issued for a maximum of 3 years. Only those Pakistanis who have a job offer can get it. At the same time, the employer must prove that he cannot find specialists in New Zealand, and the employee must receive a decent assessment of his qualifications according to the ANZSCO system.
Essential Skills visas are also received by those who are included in the list of specialties that the country needs in the short term – Immediate Skill Shortage List (ISSL). However, visa holders may not always be able to obtain resident status later. Since by the time the visa expires, the need for their professional services may disappear.
Immigration from Pakistan for investors
Businessmen from Pakistan, wishing to open their own business in New Zealand receive an Entrepreneur Work Visa. It is issued for 3 years, which are divided into two stages: the startup stage (12 months) and the balance stage (24 months). One year is given to take a closer look, start or buy a business. To stay in the country for another 2 years, you need to take specific steps:
- capital import;
- buying a property;
- conclusion of contracts and so on.
The following requirements apply to visa applicants:
- have cash capital of at least $ 100,000 NZ (approximately $ 68,000);
- score at least 120 points on a scale that determines the likelihood of business success;
- have a business plan;
- have not had any bankruptcy cases in the last 5 years;
- not be involved in past money and fraud.
By the way, there are no language requirements for businessmen.
Investors (Migrant Investment) can immediately apply for resident status in New Zealand. There are two categories of investors:
- Investors wishing to invest NZ $ 1.5 million (over $ 1 million) – age restrictions and English language requirements apply;
- Investors looking to invest NZ $ 10 million (approximately US $ 6.8 million) – can be of any age and do not know the language at all.
- It is noteworthy that the requirements for health and relations with the law remain unchanged, regardless of how much money the investor intends to bring to the country.
Study Immigration for Pakistanis
Emigration by studying at a New Zealand university is the second most popular way. A person enters a local educational institution, receives a student visa, and after graduating from university remains as a specialist, but with a work visa.
To obtain a student visa, you need to be enrolled in any degree program of at least 3 months duration. The maximum visa validity period is 4 years.
Applicants for a study visa must meet the following requirements: confirmation of admission to an educational institution, availability of medical and travel insurance, sufficient funds for the study, accommodation and return home.
“Sufficient funds” means the following amounts: $ 1250NZ ($ 850) per month if the total period of stay in the country does not exceed 9 months, and $ 15000NZ ($ 10,200) per year if the period of study is more than 9 months.
A student visa allows you to work:
- 20 hours per week during the study period
- full time during the holidays.
But there are a number of requirements that the curriculum and work activity must meet in order for a student to be allowed to combine them.
If a student plans to complete 3 consecutive programs of study, he can receive a student visa type Pathway. It allows you to stay in the country for up to 5 years and does not require renewal during this period. But only students of certain educational institutions have the right to apply for it.
While in New Zealand, you can change your training program. However, in order to do this, you must first issue a special document confirming the variation of conditions or obtain another student visa. Students who fail to do so may be deported.
To transfer from student status to worker status in New Zealand, there is a special graduate visa – A post-study work visa. It is designed only for graduates who have a sufficiently high level of qualification by identifier. It’s called the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF). This level should be higher than seven points for shorter study periods. Or slightly lower – with a sufficiently long training (over 60 weeks).
You must apply for a Post-study work visa no later than 3 months after the expiration of the student visa.
There are two types of post-study work:
- open – for those who are just going to look for a job (issued for 12 months). To receive it, you need to have the minimum amount of funds on the account – $ 4200NZ ($ 2800);
- tied to the employer – for those who have already received a job offer (issued for 2 or, if it is necessary to undergo professional registration, 3 years). The vacancy must strictly correspond to the specialization received at the university.