While planning a trip to the island country, New Zealand you must be wondering about how to do immigration to New Zealand. We are here for you to help you know better about the various rules and regulations you need to follow.
New Zealand is a beautiful country with everything that a tourist wants. Hills, caves, geothermal waters, valleys, and whatnot. But the thing you must understand is that New Zealand is very strict about its customs. As New Zealand is an island country so the introduction of any harmful agent or pest can be dangerous. In order to protect the country and environment, there is a list of strict rules you need to follow.
What is the New Zealand immigration point system?
The immigration point system is for people who are interested, in the skilled migrant category. It is like a guide in which only the immigration officer is allowed to award points during the assessment of the visa application.
New Zealand work visa point system -
Points are awarded for various categories such as age, employment, qualifications, having any family members in New Zealand, previous work experiences if any.
You will need a minimum of 100 points in order to get into the expression of interest.
You will get different points for different categories-
1. Age -
| Age | Points |
|---|---|
| 20-29 | 30 |
| 30-39 | 25 |
| 40-44 | 20 |
| 45-49 | 10 |
| 50-55 | 5 |
2. Family-
You will be getting 10 points if you are having a close family member already living in New Zealand.
3. Employment -
Having a job offer from a company in New Zealand- 50
Currently working in a skilled job in New Zealand (less than 1 year) - 50
Currently working in a skilled job in New Zealand (more than 1 year) - 60
4. Work experience in skilled employment -
| Duration | Points |
|---|---|
| 2 years | 10 |
| 4 years | 15 |
| 6 years | 20 |
| 8 years | 25 |
| 10 years | 30 |
5. Qualifications -
4-6 (such as a diploma) - 40
7-8 (Bachelor's degree) - 50
9-10 (Master's degree or doctorate) - 60
Customs in New Zealand -
When you arrive in New Zealand there are certain things you have to do before you start your trip across the country.
Before you get off from your aircraft or ship you will be given a Passenger Arrival Card, which you need to fill.
You have to complete this Passenger Arrival Card before you get to the passport control center.
Here you have to declare what you are carrying with you to the country and what you are not.
On Arrival -
There are some items which are not needed to be declared and you can take them as your personal effects like your clothing, jewelry, footwear, and toiletries. Only if these items are for your own use.
You will have to tick "Yes" for some substances that you might carry with you to New Zealand.
Customs New Zealand prohibited items-
● Medicine
If you are carrying some medications which are not prescribed to you or having a supply of more than 3 months of prescription.
● Restricted or prohibited goods
Items like weapons, indecent publications, endangered flora or fauna, controlled drugs which are prohibited in the country.
● Alcohol
You cannot carry more than 3 bottles of spirits with you and not more than 4.5 liters of wine or beer
● Tobacco
You cannot have more than 50 cigarettes in total and 50 grams of other tobacco products.
Goods that cannot be purchased duty-free and obtained overseas in New Zealand with a total value of more than NZ$700.
You will have to declare the goods you are carrying for any business or commercial purpose.
If you are carrying any goods on behalf of another person you will have to declare it.
● Cash
You cannot carry more than NZ$10,000 without a declaration.
You will also have to declare the sum of any other currency which is equivalent to NZ$10,000, including traveler's cheques, money orders, bank drafts, etc.
In case of making any false declaration or failing to declare any of the prohibited items, you will have to pay a fine of $400.
Screening
In case you do not have any such item to declare you can head further but in case you have any such item which you are unsure about, you can ask about it to the MPI officer.
Baggage Search
The MPI officers or the Custom officers may search any traveler's baggage at random.
In this process, it may be possible that the officers remove the contents from your bag and examine or may use imaging equipment or even a detector dog.
So, it is always better to ask the officer about possession of any item which you are unsure about to avoid any kind of trouble.
FAQs -
- What are the eligibility criteria for immigrating to New Zealand?
You must be 56 years of age or younger to be eligible to immigrate to New Zealand. Apart from the basic criteria of age, you must have good health and character. You should also know the English language.
- How should I apply for an immigrant in New Zealand in the skilled migrant category?
There are some steps you need to follow -
1. Self-assessment - You can check your point score on your own.
2. You should submit your expression of interest.
3. After you submit your expression of interest, you will soon receive an invitation to apply (ITA).
4. Then you just have to submit your resident application and receive your visa.
