Australia or New Zealand?

Australia and New Zealand sit side by side, share a labour market for their citizens and attract many of the same skilled migrants. The two countries still handle residence, citizenship and family differently. Australian Shores and New Zealand Shores advise on both, so this guide sets the two systems out together to help you choose.

Australia and New Zealand at a glance

Rules for both countries change often, so use this table to compare approaches and confirm figures before you decide.

Getting residence in Australia as a skilled worker

Australia offers three main skilled routes. The Skilled Independent 189 needs no sponsor. The Skilled Nominated 190 and Skilled Work Regional 491 need nomination by a state or territory. Employer-sponsored visas need a job offer from an approved sponsor. Our guide to moving to Australia without a job offer compares them.

All three skilled routes begin with a SkillSelect EOI, a positive skills assessment and evidence of English. Once invited, you have 60 days to lodge a 189 application. State nomination timelines vary.

Getting residence in New Zealand as a skilled worker

New Zealand’s Skilled Migrant Category now has three pathways: points-based, skilled work experience, and trades and technician. Your pathway depends on your occupation, qualifications, experience in New Zealand and overseas, and remuneration. Where a pathway sets a wage test it is linked to the median wage or a threshold that is attached to a specific occupation.

New Zealand has a stronger link between a skilled job and residence for many applicants, while Australia’s 189 allows an offshore applicant with a high enough score to apply with no job at all. For a New Zealand assessment, speak to New Zealand Shores.

If you hold a New Zealand passport

Most New Zealanders who enter Australia on a New Zealand passport are issued a non-protected Special Category visa (subclass 444) on arrival. It is held electronically, and it lets you live, study and work in Australia indefinitely. The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade notes that it is technically a temporary visa.

• Since 1 July 2023, New Zealand citizens who have lived in Australia for four years or more can apply directly for Australian citizenship without first obtaining a permanent visa. The Home Affairs rules apply to New Zealand citizens holding a Special Category visa.
• Dual citizenship. If successful you become a dual national and can keep your New Zealand passport.
• If Australian authorities find that a New Zealander does not meet the character requirements, they can cancel all visas, including the 444 and any permanent visa. This can lead to removal from Australia.
• Non-citizen family members cannot use the 444 and need their own visa.

Careers and cost of moving

• Occupation lists. Both countries assess your occupation, but the lists and the weight they carry differ. Our skilled occupation lists cover Australia.
• Licensing and registration. Trades, health and teaching roles often need local registration in both countries, which can take months. Start early.
• Upfront costs. Add the visa charge, skills assessment, English test, medicals and police certificates. See our cost of migration guide.
• Pay and thresholds. Australia’s temporary and employer-sponsored visas use income thresholds, with the Core Skills Income Threshold at A$79,423. Compare real salaries for your occupation in each country, not just national averages.

Which country suits you?

Australia may suit you if you have a high points score, a skills-assessed occupation and no job offer, or if you want a permanent visa that is not tied to an employer. New Zealand may suit you if you have, or can secure, skilled employment, or if a New Zealand pathway fits your experience and pay. A New Zealand citizen who already has the right to live in Australia should look at the citizenship route, rather than a permanent visa.

Many families run both assessments side by side. A visa eligibility assessment with Australian Shores can compare your Australian options, and New Zealand Shores can assess your New Zealand pathways.