The Essential Skills Work Visa intends to fill temporary skill gaps, you must have the necessary skills and / or qualifications to perform the role you have been offered. It allows you to work in New Zealand for an employer who has offered you a full-time job, The Visa is time limited it allows you to work for up to five years. It can also lead to permanent residence in some circumstances; Visa is assigned on a skill-band based on the pay-rate.
How this visa will work:If you have been offered by full time job offer with required qualification and work experience to work in that job you can apply for this visa.
Eligibility:
- Must have a written full time job offer from a employer in New Zealand.
- Your Skill should be in essential skilled visa list, have required qualification and relevant work experience.
- ANZSCO is Australia and New Zealand standard classification of occupations which are projected in ABS website. This will tell you the level of the skill and based on that the visa requirements change. The remuneration paid to you will decide on which level of application you fit into when you apply for this visa. This level of application will decide the eligibility.
- Under skilled list there are 3 bands of skills: lower-skilled, mid-skilled, and higher-skilled
Comparison Table:
| Remuneration | ANZSCO 1-3 | ANZSCO 4-5 |
| $36.44+ per hour | Higher-skilled | Higher-skilled |
| $20.65 – $36.43 per hour | Mid-skilled | Lower-skilled |
| Less than $20.65 per hour | Lower-skilled | Lower-skilled |
Validity: Validity of this visa: 5 years.
English Language requirement:
- NZ Government will accept PTE, IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge, and OET For this visa you have to get competent score.
- PTE: Competent score is 50 in each module (listening, speaking, writing, and reading).
- IELTS: competent score is 6 in each module.
- TOEFL: competent score is 12-listening, 13-reading, and 21-writing, 18-speaking.
- Cambridge: competent score level is “C”
Uses:
- With this visa you can do full time work, you can study up to 3 months to 12 months.
- You may work only in the specific occupation, for the employer and in the location specified on your visa.
Family: If you get this visa you can apply for your partner and child.
Cost: 298 NZ $
Processing time: 3months.
Eligibility of the sponsor: Sponsor need to provide “employer supplementary form” describing the work you have been Offered, employer must also provide evidence they have made genuine attempts to recruit New Zealanders, unless employer need to satisfy any one condition:
- The job you’ve been offered is on one of the Essential Skills in Demand Lists and you meet the qualification and work experience requirements listed for your nominated occupation.
- You are applying to continue working in the role you have currently offered and have been invited to apply, or have applied, for a Skilled Resident Visa based on your current employment.
More evidences:
- Sponsor can include evidence of website advertisement and news paper advertisement.
- Have proofs of engaging with new recruitment company.
- Finally need to provide outcome of recruitment efforts.
Essential Skills work visas for lower-skilled employment:
If your skill band is lower-skilled, you cannot support visas for your family members, unless one of the following applies:
- Your partner or dependent child held a visa based on their relationship to you on 28 August 2017. You can continue to support your family for visas while holding an Essential Skills visa for lower-skilled employment.
- You previously studied in New Zealand, then subsequently held a post-study work visa. If you were eligible to support your partner for a work visa or your children for student visas while you held a student visa, and subsequently supported them for a visa based on the relationship while holding your post study work visa, you may continue to support family for visas while holding an Essential Skills visa for lower-skilled employment.