Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa processing time: current New Zealand figures

Immigration New Zealand currently reports that 50% of Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa applications are processed within 71 working days, and 80% within 106 working days. These are working days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and New Zealand public holidays.

The figures are a guide based on current processing timeframes, not a deadline or promise for an individual application. Missing information, application complexity and peak demand can make a case take longer.

Where this wait fits in the Skilled Migrant route

INZ’s current Skilled Migrant Category route begins with an expression of interest (EOI). Its official guidance says a person needs a skilled job or job offer from an accredited employer and must qualify under one of the current pathways. If INZ accepts the EOI, it invites the person to submit the resident-visa application.

The 50% and 80% figures above describe the visa-processing distribution represented in INZ’s processing-time tool. They are not a combined timeline for finding a qualifying job, building eligible work experience, submitting an EOI, receiving an invitation and then receiving a visa decision. GovWait does not add guessed durations for those separate steps.

Route facts checked October 2, 2026 against INZ Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa guidance. Eligibility and visa conditions can change; the official page controls.

History we have recorded

INZ does not provide a source update date for this tool. We therefore date a value when GovWait first observes it and add a new history row only when the official value changes.

How to read New Zealand’s 50% and 80% processing-time figures →