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.).

More about IQA

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