You don’t need a degree for New Zealand.

Many people wrongly believe they must have a degree to emigrate to New Zealand.  This is not the case.

Most people moving to NZ do so under the Skilled Migrant Category. This requires you to be SKILLED, not necessarily to have a qualification. This can be a little confusing as the Immigration New Zealand (INZ) policy states that “the applicant (should) be suitably qualified for that work before that work experience.” So how can you be qualified if you don’t have a qualification?

Well, a broad guideline from INZ is that if you have three years of experience in a specific field. It’s equivalent to a diploma, and five years is equivalent to a bachelor’s degree. This is a rough guideline and doesn’t apply to certain professions, such as those requiring a registration – think Doctor. 

Although not often asked, the next question which occurs to me is, “Does all my experience count?”. The simple answer is no. Only relevant experience can count as the prerequisite, and if the experience in a specific position (as defined by INZ) qualifies for points.

For example, if you have been a CFO for two companies for over six years, and before that, you spent five years working as an Accounts Clerk, you will only be eligible for points for the six years in the CFO position. The time as an Accounts Clerk forms part of the pre-requisite experience. 

To find out how we can help you to get the right job in New Zealand, book a free meeting with one of our expert immigration consultants.

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