Predominantly there are four main immigration options open to those who wish to begin a new life in New Zealand. While immigration numbers are steadily increasing, if you fall into one of these four categories, you are more likely to gain entry in this wonderful country. put simply, the immigration categories are thus; the skilled migrant category, the work to residence category, the family member category and the investor category.



In addition to these however, there are certain fundamentals that you must meet in order to gain a successful immigration certificate to New Zealand. The first of these is your health. Ultimately you must be in good health to be viable for immigration. The immigration service of New Zealand will want to see complete medical certification for you as well as all members of your family. If you cannot prove levels of good health, it is doubtful you will be viable for immigration.

Secondly, if you wish to be viable for immigration to New Zealand you must be able to prove you are of good character. This means that you must be able to produce police certification to prove your good character to the immigration service. This is true not just for yourself but for all those in your family who are aged over seventeen years old. Once again, if you have a criminal record and cannot prove that you possess a good character, immigration may be impossible.

The final precursor for immigration is that you should be able to speak and write to a high level in English. While this can vary dependent upon which of the four categories you fall into, it is normal that for entry into New Zealand all members of your party aged sixteen or older must be able to speak, read and write in English to a good level.

If you can pass these fundamentals, it is dependent upon which category you fall into for successful immigration. The skilled migrant category uses a list of job roles and career paths that entrants must fall into. Currently New Zealand is experiencing a shortfall of workers in certain industry sectors. For instance, teachers and those in the medical profession are in especially high requirement as the country attempts to build an effective skills base. These skilled migrants can also be split into a further two categories in terms of the short and long term needs of the New Zealand economy.

Another way to undergo the process of immigration is to convert temporary work in new Zealand into long term residency. While this has a certain cross over with the skilled migrant category, it gives a unique opportunity for some who are already working in the country and would like to stay as permanent residents. To pursue this option you must apply for a work to residence permit and work in that job for two years, after this period you can apply for permanent residency.

If you already have family who have undergone immigration to New Zealand, this can go in your favour when applying. Having family members who have proved their worth to the economy and culture of the country can be extremely helpful in the processing of your application.

The final category of immigration is if you are planning to start a business or invest in a company operating in New Zealand. The first stage is to apply for a long term business visa that will give you three years to get your business up and running before you can apply for residency. This period can be shortened with other entrepreneurial options as you will be showing a clear investment into the country's economy.

Immigration to new Zealand is certainly popular. If you think you may fall into one of these categories and meet the fundamental requirements you may find yourself living and working on the other side of the world sooner than you think.