Qualifications & Occupational Registration
Will your qualification be recognised in New Zealand?
The New Zealand Qualification Framework
New Zealand has an official framework which ranks qualifications from 0 to 10. This framework is also used by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) to rank overseas qualifications. A diploma is 5/6, a bachelor’s degree is 7, a master’s degree is 9, etc.
When assessing your eligibility to migrate to New Zealand, we look up your qualification in a list of pre-approved international qualifications, and if it matches the name, institution, and year granted, it is exempt from doing an International Qualifications Assessment (IQA), saving you time and money. If it doesn’t, you may an International Qualification Assessment (IQA). There are several types of IQAs and add-on that you can choose from, depending on the purpose of the assessment (immigration, teacher registration, skills list, etc.).
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Professional bodies
Certain industries such as in the legal, medical, education, trades, or engineering fields, have a representative body in New Zealand. These professional bodies advocate on behalf of the industry, handle occupational registration for certain jobs, and in some cases, can also recognise your qualifications.
Mandatory VS optional occupational registration
If registration is sometimes optional, for a number of occupations it is mandatory to have it in order to be able to work legally in New Zealand and/or to claim points under the Skilled Migrant Category. This can be a lengthy process that your Licensed Adviser can assist you with. There are requirements specific to each industry and you may need to provide evidence of registration when lodging your visa application. Once again, not doing things in the right order may delay or jeopardise your migration plans.
You may, however, be able to undertake work without registration in certain cases depending on your sub-occupation, or when you work under the supervision of a registered professional, or under a company registration (an ‘employer licence’).
Occupations that require registration by law include:
Anaesthetic Technician
Architect
Barrister
Barrister and Solicitor
Cable Jointer
Chiropractor
Clinical Dental Technician
Clinical Dental Therapist
Dental Hygienist
Dental Technician
Dental Therapist
Dentist
Dental Specialist
Dental Prosthetist
Dietitian
Dispensing Optician
Electrician
Electrical Appliance Serviceperson
Electrical Engineer
Electrical Inspector
Electrical Installer
Electrical Appliance Service Technician
Financial Adviser
Immigration Adviser
Line Mechanic
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologist
Maritime Professionals
Medical Imaging Technologist
Medical Laboratory Scientist
Medical Laboratory Technician
Medical Practitioner
Nuclear Medicine Technologist
Midwife
Nurse
Nurse Practitioner
Occupational Therapist
Optometrist
Osteopath
Paramedic
Pharmacist
Physiotherapist
Plumber, Gasfitter and Drainlayer
Podiatric Radiographic Imager
Podiatrist
Psychologist
Psychotherapist
Radiation Therapist
Real Estate Agent
Social Worker
Sonographer
Substation Maintainer
Cadastral (Land Title) Surveyor
Teacher
Veterinarian
How to calculate points
