Claim bonus point with no qualification but with 8 years experience

[juandoe]

The points requirement right now to be selected is 160 or more. Without the bonus points, I will not be able to reach 160 points.

I have a skilled job now as a software developer and I have 8 years of relevant experience. I can claim 20 points from my wife because she has a recognized qualification but still not enough to get the 160 points.

Am I able to claim points in an area of absolute skills shortage in Skilled Employment and Work Experience? In the LTSSL, it says that I need to have a qualification and at least 3 years of relevant experience. Can 5 years of my 8 years work experience substitute for the qualification?

Thanks so much.

[JandM]

Sorry to say what you won't want to hear.

No, it can't.

Is your employer accredited? Work to Residence and then Residence from Work could be another route to Residence for you.

[juandoe]

Sorry to say what you won't want to hear.

No, it can't.

Is your employer accredited? Work to Residence and then Residence from Work could be another route to Residence for you.

My employer is not accredited so I can't go that route. My wife was just at the immigration office in Auckland last week and asked this same question, but the person there said that I can claim for bonus points even if I don't have qualification as long as I can prove my work experience. Then another immigration consultant said that I can't claim bonus points that's why I asked in this forum.

It's quite disheartening that I can't claim bonus points.

[juandoe]

By the way, @JandM, I checked out the Work to Residence Visa criteria and it clearly stated there that " you must have the qualifications required by the LTSSL". I believe the reason I cannot get the bonus points in the first place is because of this. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks again.

[JandM]

Here http://onlineservices.immigration.go...anual/6954.htm are the detailed rules about claiming for each possible set of points.

Where did you see that quote? I am looking at the Meeting the criteria page https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-...ZL&applying=no for the Talent (Accredited Employer) page (new name for Work to Residence), and I don't see anything about qualifications.

[juandoe]

I was looking at the Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa.

[juandoe]

Can I also not claim points in Future Growth area also? If I can claim points there then I can probably start looking for work outside Auckland and get 30 points additional for a total of 170 points. Should be more than enough.

[JandM]

I was looking at the Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa.

That is not the same visa. The WTR I linked to (through an accredited employer) lets the employer judge if you are suitable for the job through past experience, even without qualifications. But it's an idea that won't work with your present employer if he's not accredited.

Regarding claiming for Future Growth area, I'm not sure from the regulations. http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@....1?opendocument That's a question to ask ChrisMwn, I think.

But if you're willing to look for another job, it might be worth trying to find one where the employer is accredited.

[juandoe]

That's right, my employer is not accredited so WTR is not for me.

I began talking with people who are in the know with regards to NZ immigration. Someone suggested to me something that I haven't really thought about before. She suggested that I have my qualification assessed by NZQA. I have studied 1 year in Computer Engineering and more than 10 years experience in IT. I also have Cisco Certifications although I don't think they can be assessed and they already expired.

Based on the NZQA website (http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/studying-in-...edit-transfer/), that they recognize knowledge gained outside formal education. I think this is another option for me to get points on qualification.

Do you think this suggestion is brilliant or is there anything that I don't want to know about that you know?

[juandoe]

Hi JandM,

I have learned so much from this site since the first time I have posted this thread. I have decided that NZQA is not the right thing for me as 1 year of college education is not enough to be assessed properly.

Moving forward, I have been doing skilled job here in NZ for almost a year now but with different companies. In one company I spent 1 month full-time contract as a front-end developer, another company I spent equivalent of 1 month of freelancing job as a front-end developer, lastly in another company, I spent 5 months doing full-time contract work as a software developer then eventually this company absorbed me and I'm now a permanent full-time employee.

My question is, can I claim maximum 60 points for skilled employment if I gain 1 year accumulative skilled work here in NZ with these three companies I worked with?

In work experience, can I claim bonus points for 1 year work experience in NZ while at the same time also claim points for work experience in future growth area?

In summary, these are the points I will be claiming in a few months:

20 points: Age
60 points: Skilled Employment (12 months or more)
10 points: Skilled Employment (I work in a future growth area)
30 points: Work Experience (10 years or more). 9 years software developer somewhere else + 1 year in NZ. Can 3 years in IT Networking and Support count as relevant experience?
5 points: Work Experience (New Zealand work experience)
15 points: Work Experience (6 or more years in Future growth area)
20 points: Partner's level 8 qualification gained in NZ

I can potentially get 160 points if I can claim all the points above. Kindly please tell me if I'm correct in claiming the above points.

Thanks in advance.