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HomeNewsDeferral of Skilled Migrant Category applications

Deferral of Skilled Migrant Category applications

The Government has decided to defer some Expression of Interest selections associated with some residence programmes, including Skilled Migrant.

 With international travel severely restricted for the foreseeable future, and with countries significantly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, it does not make practical or humanitarian sense to offer residence visas to individuals who are unlikely to be able to activate their visa in time.

INZ advised that they don’t want to create any potential public health risk by encouraging travel by individuals while we are at a heightened alert level. INZ acknowledges that there’s a lot of interest in these EOI selections and that this will be disappointing for a number of applicants.

The deferrals are a temporary measure in response to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. INZ will continue to reassess when EOI selections can take place as the COVID-19 situation develops.

Skilled Migrant Category

The Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) is subject to a two-step process that requires intending applicants to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) and then be invited to apply. An application must be made within four months of a person being invited to apply and must contain all information required for INZ to make a decision.

The fortnightly selection of EOIs from the SMC pool will be deferred until further notice due to the difficulty in obtaining the required documents and evidence to submit an application and INZ’s limited visa processing capacity during the COVID-19 outbreak.