Hi. If you apply under Skilled Migrant Category, your application will be processed in London. You quoted $180 above for an immigration lawyer fee. I think this could be an hourly rate! However, whether you need an adviser or lawyer depends on your circumstances. Graphic Designers can come under "Identified Future Growth Area" - but you can only get the points for this if you have a job offer in NZ. Do you have a degree? If so is it on the List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment - see
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/opsmanual/45795.htm. If you have a degree and it is not on this list, you will need to get your degree assessed by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority - see
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualificatio...ns-assessment/. Would you be heading to NZ with your partner as well as the children? If so, does your partner have a qualification? My
guess from what you have told us so far is that you are going to need a job offer to get sufficient points to apply for residence under SMC (you need 140 points without a job offer and 100 points with a job offer. Since the job offer counts as 50 points, at 28, you would get 30 points for age, a few years of relevant work experience and/or a suitable qualification would make you eligible. Hope that takes you a little further.