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About New Zealand immigration scheme and how you & your family can work and live there.

Migrating to New Zealand, land of the Lord of the Rings is fast becoming a popular idea. Whether you hope to immigrate or migrate to New Zealand for working purposes or just to retire and live the rest of your life there, there are steps to take in order to apply for citizenship and permission to working and living in New Zealand permanently.

1. Generally, New Zealand immigration scheme comprises of two stages. The lodging of an Expression of Interest and the Invitation to Apply for Residency.
   
   
2. In order to be able to lodge an Expression of Interest you must have a minimum of 100 points. (The points system is further explained below.)
   
   
3. On average, Expressions of Interests to move or live in New Zealand that receive the Invitation to Apply for Residency are those who score at least 165 points.
   
   
4. To be considered for immigration to New Zealand as a Skilled Migrant there is a list of prerequisites and basic requirements. They are:
   • Good health.
   • Good character.
   • Decent standard of English.
   • Age 56 and below
   
   
5. In order to get a basic 100 points to lodge an Expressions of Interest to emigrate from US or other countries for that matter to New Zealand, there are some general requirements that include the above basic prerequisites such as:
   • Whether or not you are married
   • Do you have children and if so how old and how many
   • Have you been offered work at New Zealand
   • How much work experience do you have
   • What kind of work do you do
   
   
6. Apart from basic information, in order to migrate to New Zealand, you can get bonus points for:
   • Employment in areas of growth
   • Employment in shortage areas
   • Employment outside of Auckland
   • Work experience
   • Age
   • Qualifications
   


7. In order to count whether or not you have enough points to lodge an Expression of Interest or even qualify for the Invitation to Apply for Residency, you use Point Calculators that are available online at Immigration sites.
   
   
8. Once you have lodged an Expression of Interest to immigrate to New Zealand, all you can do is wait and hope that you will receive an Invitation to Apply for Residency.
   
   
9. If your application is selected and you are invited to apply for residence, your full application will be assessed against current migration regulations in determining your ability to reside in New Zealand successfully.
   
   
10. Before you can start moving to New Zealand though, your background, qualifications, and work experience will also be fully verified against what you claimed in your original Expression of Interest.
    
    
11. If your subsequent application is approved, you will receive an approval letter setting out the requirements that apply to you and your family migrating with you to New Zealand.
    

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The complete guide to New Zealand immigration