Qualifications and standards

Applying for an IQA for immigration purposes

Contact Immigration New Zealand first

If you intend to migrate to New Zealand, you should first contact Immigration New Zealand to check the requirements. Immigration New Zealand will confirm if you require an IQA and which of your qualifications need to be assessed. NZQA is unable to advise on matters related to immigration, such as what you require to be assessed or immigration points you can obtain, so please be sure to check with Immigration New Zealand first before you begin your IQA application.

Immigration New Zealand confirm that you require an IQA

Once you have contacted Immigration New Zealand and have confirmed that you require an IQA to support your application, please be sure to refer to the flowchart below before applying. The flowchart will help you determine whether you require an IQA for your qualification, and if you need to select the Skill Shortage List Assessment Add-On when you apply.

If you hold multiple qualifications and Immigration New Zealand has confirmed you need to have them all assessed, you will need to submit separate IQA applications for each of your qualifications. Only one qualification can be assessed per IQA application.

IMPORTANT: If you are applying under an Immigration New Zealand Skill Shortage List, please download the skill shortage PDF list from the Immigration New Zealand website as you will need to refer to the Occupation Group column shown in the downloaded PDF document for the flowchart below. The online Skill Shortage List Checker tool on Immigration New Zealand's website does not show the Occupation Group.

Skill Shortage Lists (SSL) - Do you require the Skill Shortage Assessment Add-On?
The Skill Shortage Lists (SSL) are lists published by Immigration New Zealand of occupations where there is a shortage in New Zealand. If you are applying to Immigration New Zealand under an occupation listed on one of these lists, you may need to select the Skill Shortage List Assessment Add-On when applying for an IQA. The add-on will assess your qualification against specific criteria for the occupation you have nominated. Not all occupations require this add-on, so determine if you do require it, please refer to the lists below.

List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment (LQEA)
LQEA refers to Immigration New Zealand’s List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment. If your qualification is on this list, you may not need an IQA for immigration purposes, except if you are applying under a Skill Shortage List. Refer to the flowchart above to determine what you need to apply for (if anything).

What Next?

Once you have referred to the flowchart above and taken note of whether you require the Skill Shortage List Assessment Add-On for your IQA, click below.