For a Malaysian who wants to stay, the usual route starts with a job offer from an employer accredited by Immigration New Zealand (INZ) to hire migrants, which supports the Accredited Employer Work Visa. The Skilled Migrant Category can then lead to residence through pathways that count a recognised qualification, pay, New Zealand registration or skilled work done there. Graduates of universities on INZ's exemption list for Malaysia, such as the University of Malaya and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, start ahead: their degrees can count without a separate assessment. For a first look, the Malaysian working holiday visa has no education requirement and allows temporary jobs.

First find out which list, if any, covers your degree. INZ's rules for these lists exclude qualifications completed outside the listed country, overseas campuses included, so a foreign university's degree from its Malaysian campus is not covered by its home country's list; like a private Malaysian university's degree, it needs an assessment by NZQA, New Zealand's qualifications authority, to earn points. Malaysia's police certificate, the Certificate of Good Conduct, is applied for only online, on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' e-Konsular portal: the Royal Malaysia Police vet it, consulates cannot apply for you, and once approved you pay and download it within a short window. INZ wants it less than six months old when you apply.

The mistake to avoid is counting on a diploma for Skilled Migrant points. The points-based pathway gives no points for a diploma or other non-degree qualification at bachelor's level or below, even after an NZQA assessment or from a university on INZ's Malaysian list, which covers only degrees. A diploma holder needs points from pay or New Zealand registration, topped up with skilled work there, or another pathway, such as Trades and Technician for listed jobs, which accepts a relevant qualification below degree level. Check which route fits your job before you move.