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If you studied outside New Zealand and you are looking at a skilled visa, you will meet three letters early on: IQA. An International Qualification Assessment is a report from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), the government body that runs New Zealand's qualifications system. It states where your overseas qualification would sit on New Zealand's own ladder of qualifications, so that Immigration New Zealand (INZ), the government department that decides visas, can read your degree the same way it reads a New Zealand one. It is the New Zealand twin of Canada's Educational Credential Assessment, and it is worth understanding before you count on your qualification for points.
This post is for anyone with a diploma or degree from outside New Zealand who is thinking about the Skilled Migrant Category or any other visa that asks for a qualification "comparable with" a New Zealand one. If you are still deciding whether New Zealand is the right country for you, start with our New Zealand hub and come back here when your qualification becomes the question.
New Zealand arranges every qualification it recognises on one ladder, the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF). NZQA describes it as ten levels, where each level describes what a graduate is expected to know, understand and be able to do. In plain words:
An IQA answers one question: which of these levels, and which type of qualification, your overseas study matches. It does not say whether the qualification is good or bad, and it does not give you permission to work in a regulated job.
NZQA describes the work in two stages. First it checks that the qualification was formally issued by a recognised awarding body and met the rules of that country's education system at the time. Then it compares the qualification to a level and type on the framework, looking at the entry requirements for the course, how long it took and how much study it involved, and how the quality of the course was checked.
The result is an electronic recognition statement. NZQA says the statement is valid indefinitely, that it keeps your documents for 10 years (so save your own copy), and that employers, education providers and Immigration New Zealand can verify the statement online.
Usually, yes. INZ says that most qualifications from outside New Zealand need an assessment when a visa asks for a qualification that is "equivalent to" or "comparable with" a New Zealand one. The same page names two exceptions:
The List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment is a list INZ keeps of specific overseas qualifications it already accepts at a stated level, so a holder does not need an IQA. INZ publishes it as a search tool on the page linked above; look up your country, institution and qualification there before you pay for anything. If your qualification is not on the list, you need the assessment.
NZQA offers more than one type of IQA. The standard IQA compares one qualification with New Zealand ones and is also the one used for occupational registration; there are separate Skill Shortage List and teaching assessments, each priced on NZQA's fees page. For a skilled residence application, the standard assessment is the usual choice, and this post describes that one.
NZQA's IQA page sets out what it will look at: tertiary qualifications (study after school) and vocational upper-secondary qualifications, awarded by a nationally recognised and accredited provider, with at least 400 notional learning hours, which NZQA describes as roughly 10 weeks of full-time study.
The same page lists what it will not assess: secondary school qualifications, incomplete programmes, certificates of attendance or of work experience, professional training certificates such as CISCO or Microsoft, professional licences, permits and registrations, and apprenticeships with no formal training behind them.
NZQA's requirements for evidence and documents page lists:
Everything must be a full-colour scan of the original; NZQA does not accept black and white copies. Accepted formats are .pdf, .jpg, .png and .docx. An application whose documents fall short is put on hold as incomplete, and NZQA says you have 15 working days to supply what it asks for before it may be cancelled without a refund.
The fee for a standard IQA is NZ$445 for one qualification, and NZQA states that all fees include GST where applicable. A qualification completed before 1998 carries an extra fee of NZ$275, and there is no refund if you cancel. Fees change, so check the page before you pay.
You apply online through the portal linked from NZQA's apply page. That page states the average wait for IQA applications as 10 weeks, not counting weekends or public holidays, and that once your documents have been verified NZQA completes 90 per cent of applications within 3 weeks (15 business days). Those are NZQA's figures on the day we checked; they move.
For the Skilled Migrant Category, INZ's visa page says a qualification can earn points only if it is a New Zealand qualification, has had an IQA from NZQA, or is on the List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment. The level on the statement is what decides the points: a higher level earns more, with a doctorate at the top. Only degrees count, because INZ states that you cannot claim points for a non-degree qualification at level 7 or below, and an honours degree, a postgraduate certificate or diploma, or a master's degree must have a bachelor's degree behind it. The exact figures are on that page and in our SMC guide.
Two things the IQA is not. It is not about your job: the skill level of your occupation is a separate question, decided by New Zealand's occupation codes, which we explain in our NOL guide. And it is not a shortcut around the Green List, where the requirement is usually a named qualification or registration for a named job rather than a points total.
On our New Zealand routes, the full report carries "Get an International Qualification Assessment (IQA)" as a checklist step, described as "Have NZQA assess your overseas qualification against the New Zealand framework for skilled residence", with a link to NZQA's IQA page beside it.
Until you hold an assessment, the report scores your qualification on an assumed level. Two favourable readings are built in and both are disclosed on the report rather than presented as checked: a completed master's or doctorate is taken to imply a bachelor's degree, and an overseas qualification scores in full before NZQA has assessed it. The report says so in a caution attached to the points requirement, and it says plainly that if either turns out differently, your points will be lower than the figure shown. The checklist step stays on the report until the assessment is done. None of this is a verdict on your eligibility: it is a calculation on the level you told us, with the assumption written next to it.
If you want a quick sense of where your qualification lands, try the free SMC points calculator, which walks through each points source. When you are ready for the full picture, including the checklist that names the IQA, start the free questionnaire for New Zealand.
Answer our free questionnaire and see your eligibility summary instantly. You only pay to unlock your full personalized immigration report.