What is the cost to apply for NZ Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Resident Visa?

Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Resident Visa Fee

If you are presently employed or possess an employment offer from an accredited employer and meet the criteria for 6 points based on your skills and work in New Zealand, you can apply for this visa. Start by submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI). Upon acceptance, you will receive an invitation to proceed with the application process.

To apply for Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa, you need to pay immigration cost and apply for residence charges. Apart from the fee, you also need to pay other charges, i.e. Fee for International English Language Testing System (IELTS ), medical and PCC charges, etc.Find below the detailed explanation of fees and charges involved while applying for the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) visa.

Stages	Application Cost
Stage 1 (Expression of Interest)	$00
Stage 2 (Apply for Residence)	$4,890

Note:  The visa fees and requirements given above are subject to change periodically. Hence, you may contact Universal Visa solutions, an immigration expert, to clarify the latest/updated visa fees.

Other Charges involved

You also need to pay for obtaining few crucial documents, which you need to submitduring the process or along with the visa application form, i.e.

• IELTS Test fee - You need to pay for sitting in the IELTS exam and obtaining the test result for English proficiency
• Medical Exam – Medical Examination fee can vary place to place
• Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) – This document cost depends upon the place you are applying.

Explanation of fees/charges:

• EOI (Stage 1) -You pay this feefor your online application submission through Visa or MasterCard. 

• Apply for Residence (Stage 2) - This is the charge for Immigration New Zealand to process your application. You will not get any refund for the application costs if Immigration NZ decline your application.A non-refundable immigration levy is charged and is included in the cost.

Modes of payment

• Online- You can pay for your application online by Visa or Mastercard. 

• By Post- Credit Card/Debit Card/Bang Cheque or Draft/ Personal Cheque

Timeframes

• EOI selection- Normally Immigration NZ select EOIs from the pool every 2 weeks. 

• Invitation to Apply- After selection from the pool NZ will review your EOI within 3 weeks

• Apply- After receiving the invitation to apply for residence, you must submit your complete application and payment within 4 months. 

• Processing- The 90% of applications are presently completed within this 23 months