We help people choose between New Zealand and Australia, plan a move across the Tasman, and pick the right Australian visa. NZ-side strategy from us, Australian filing from our MARA-registered partner Aparna Prakash at Crystal Migration.
Important: Australian immigration rules change frequently. Subclass 482 was restructured to the Skills in Demand visa on 7 December 2024, and from 1 July 2023 New Zealand citizens have a direct citizenship pathway (no PR step required). Always confirm the current requirements at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au before making any decision based on this page.
Source notes: NZ figures from immigration.govt.nz and ird.govt.nz; Australian figures from immi.homeaffairs.gov.au. Both sets of rules are revised at least annually.
You are in the right place if you are:
If you are sure Australia is the right call and you only need someone to lodge papers, we hand you off directly to our partner Aparna Prakash at Crystal Migration, who is MARA-registered. If you are still deciding, comparing, or want strategy advice from people who understand the New Zealand alternative as well as the Australian one, we are exactly the right team to start with.
This is the question we get asked most often, so it is worth answering up front.
Source: NZ figure from Immigration New Zealand (immigration median wage NZD $35.00/hour from 9 March 2026, based on Stats NZ June 2025 quarterly data). Australian wage figure from ABS Aug 2024.
The honest truth: there is no universal winner. We have helped clients choose New Zealand because the AEWV is more accessible than Australia's points system, and we have helped clients choose Australia because the salary uplift on a senior role pays for the move within 18 months. It depends on your occupation, your family, and what you want your weekends to look like.
Australia has more than 60 visa subclasses. Most people only need to understand five or six. Here are the ones we work with most often.
Subclass 482 - Skills in Demand (SID) Visa. Australia's main employer-sponsored work visa. Replaced the previous Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) framing on 7 December 2024. Three current streams: Core Skills Stream (workers earning above the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT); up to 4 years, the most common stream); Specialist Skills Stream (workers earning above the Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT, currently AUD $135,000+); up to 4 years; faster processing); and Labour Agreement Stream (workers under negotiated labour agreements). Hong Kong passport holders may stay up to 5 years on the Core and Specialist Skills streams. The SID is the closest Australian equivalent of New Zealand's AEWV.
Subclass 186 - Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS). Permanent employer-sponsored visa. Three streams: Direct Entry, Temporary Residence Transition (typically after 2 years on a 482 / SID with the same employer), and Labour Agreement.
Subclass 189 - Skilled Independent. Permanent residence with no employer or state sponsorship. You apply through SkillSelect with an Expression of Interest, and you are invited to apply if your points and occupation are competitive.
Subclass 190 - Skilled Nominated. Like 189, but you need a state or territory government to nominate you. Each state has its own occupation list and criteria, which change every year.
Subclass 491 - Skilled Work Regional (Provisional). Five-year provisional visa for living and working in regional Australia. Pathway to PR via Subclass 191 after meeting income and residence conditions.
Special Category Visa (Subclass 444 / SCV). Granted automatically when a New Zealand citizen arrives in Australia on a valid NZ passport. You can live, work, and study in Australia indefinitely. You are NOT a permanent resident, and there are real consequences (more on this below).
Direct pathway to Australian citizenship for NZ citizens (from 1 July 2023). The most important recent change for NZ citizens. New Zealand citizens holding a Subclass 444 SCV can apply DIRECTLY for Australian citizenship after 4 years lawfully present in Australia (with at least 12 months immediately before applying as a permanent resident or SCV holder), without first needing to obtain Australian permanent residence. Under the old rules, NZ citizens had to first secure PR (commonly via Subclass 189 NZ stream) and then wait further before applying for citizenship.
Subclass 189 - New Zealand stream (still available). PR pathway for NZ citizens who have been in Australia for at least 4 years and meet income and character requirements. Still useful for those who want PR specifically (for example to access services or sponsor family) without committing to Australian citizenship.
Partner Visa (Subclasses 820/801 onshore, 309/100 offshore). Two-stage: provisional then permanent. Australia's partner visa rules are more demanding than New Zealand's partnership category - be ready for substantial relationship evidence and a long processing time.
Subclass 500 - Student Visa. For full-time study at an Australian education provider. Comes with limited work rights (currently 48 hours per fortnight during study).
Subclass 407 - Training Visa. A short-to-medium-term visa for occupational training under a sponsoring organisation. Useful for early-career professionals or recent graduates who need structured Australian work experience to qualify for a longer-term visa, and for some regulated occupations that require Australian-supervised practice. Maximum stay typically 2 years.
If your situation does not fit any of the above, book a consultation and we will tell you whether there is a path forward and walk you through to our MARA partner Aparna Prakash at Crystal Migration for the Australian filing side.
This section is for New Zealand citizens. If you are not yet a New Zealand citizen, skip ahead.
New Zealand citizens enjoy one of the most generous mobility arrangements in the world. Under the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement, you can fly into Australia, present your NZ passport, and you will be issued a Special Category Visa on arrival. No application, no fee, no wait.
But there is a catch most people do not realise until they have been in Australia for a year:
For most NZ citizens who plan to stay in Australia long term, the standout change is the direct citizenship pathway introduced 1 July 2023: after 4 years lawfully in Australia (with at least 12 months immediately prior as an SCV holder or permanent resident), eligible NZ citizens can apply DIRECTLY for Australian citizenship, skipping the previously-required Subclass 189 PR step. The 189 NZ stream still exists for those who want PR specifically, with its own income and good-character thresholds.
We help NZ citizens think through whether the move makes financial sense, when to start the PR clock, and how to time the conversion to maximise tax and social security outcomes. Book a consultation if you want a personalised answer.
If you are not a NZ citizen and you do not have an Australian employer sponsor, the points-tested skilled visa stream is probably your route. Here is how it works.
The minimum to lodge an EOI is 65 points. The minimum to actually be invited is usually higher (often 80-95 points for popular occupations). Points come from:
We help clients calculate their realistic points score, identify which factors they can improve in 6-12 months, and decide whether to wait for a 189 invitation or pivot to a 190 (state-nominated) or 491 (regional).
We are not pretending to be an Australian agency. We are a New Zealand immigration consultancy that has spent 20+ years helping people make trans-Tasman decisions. Here is what we bring:
If you only need somebody to lodge an Australian application and you already know what you want, we will hand you off to Aparna Prakash at Crystal Migration directly. That is fine and we will not try to keep you.
For the Subclass 190 (state-nominated) and Subclass 491 (regional skilled) visas, your choice of state matters as much as your occupation. Each state and territory publishes its own nominated occupation list, points thresholds, and additional eligibility conditions, and these are reviewed at least annually.
For state-by-state current lists and points thresholds, our MARA partner Crystal Migration (crystalmigration.com.au) maintains an up-to-date reference. State lists change frequently, sometimes mid-year, so always check the live state government immigration page before lodging an Expression of Interest.
People often underestimate the cost of crossing the Tasman. A rough budget for a family of four moving from Auckland to Sydney, NZ citizen on SCV (no visa fee), 2026:
Total NZ-citizen-to-Australia move: typically NZD $35,000 - $70,000 for a family of four to Sydney; less to Melbourne, materially less to Adelaide or Brisbane.
For non-NZ-citizens applying for an Australian skilled visa, ADD:
Confirm current visa fees at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au visa pricing. Schedule revised periodically.
A non-NZ-citizen family of four on a skilled visa is typically looking at NZD $20,000 - $30,000 in visa-related costs alone, on top of the relocation budget above.
After 20+ years of trans-Tasman cases, the same six mistakes account for the majority of declines, delays, and retroactive heartburn.
A 30-minute consultation with us, before you commit to a pathway, almost always identifies which of these six is most likely to bite you. Book one in.
Yes. If you are a New Zealand citizen, you can move to Australia under the Special Category Visa with no application required: you simply arrive on an NZ passport. If you are a New Zealand resident but not a citizen, you need to either become an NZ citizen first (5 years residence, plus other conditions) or apply for an Australian visa directly from your home country.
For New Zealand citizens: the Special Category Visa (Subclass 444), granted on arrival, with no application. For everyone else: there is no "easy" Australian visa. The most accessible route is usually employer-sponsored Subclass 482 (Skills in Demand), because the employer carries the labour-market test. Skilled independent (189) is the most prestigious but also the most competitive.
For most occupations, New Zealand is currently easier. The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) has fewer points-test hurdles than Subclass 189, and the Skilled Migrant Category points threshold is lower. Australia generally offers higher salaries and a larger market, so the right answer depends on your priorities.
You can lodge an EOI at 65 points. To actually be invited, most occupations need 80-95 points. Some highly-demanded occupations have invited at 65-70 points in recent rounds; others have not invited anyone below 95.
Always check current processing times at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au.
A New Zealand-licensed adviser can give you general advice, country-comparison advice, and strategy advice about Australian options. To lodge an Australian visa application or to give specific immigration advice for a fee inside Australia, we work with our MARA partner Aparna Prakash at Crystal Migration. We will tell you upfront when a piece of advice needs a MARA-registered specialist.
Sometimes, but a declined NZ application has to be disclosed on Australian forms. Whether it hurts you depends on why it was declined. Book a consultation and we will tell you honestly whether Australia is realistic in your case.
Yes, and as of 1 July 2023 you can also apply directly for Australian citizenship without first getting PR, after 4 years lawfully in Australia (12 months immediately prior on an SCV or PR). The Subclass 189 (New Zealand stream) PR option still exists for those who want PR specifically. There are also alternative pathways for special categories such as 444 holders who arrived before 26 February 2001.
Hard costs (government fees, English testing, skills assessment, medicals) typically come to AUD 6,000 - 10,000 for a single applicant on a skilled visa, more for families. Then add agent fees, travel, and relocation. Australia is generally more expensive than New Zealand on the visa side.
We are a New Zealand immigration consultancy. For Australian visa lodgement, we partner directly with Aparna Prakash, MARA-registered migration agent at Crystal Migration (crystalmigration.com.au). You get the cross-Tasman strategy and decision-making advice from our New Zealand team, and the Australian filing work from a registered Australian agent. Speak to us and we will explain who does what before you commit.
For the most current Australian visa pathway information, our MARA partner Crystal Migration maintains an up-to-date reference at crystalmigration.com.au. If anything in this page lags an Australian rule change, Crystal Migration's site is what we use to update from.
Whether you are choosing between New Zealand and Australia, planning a trans-Tasman move, or trying to figure out which Australian visa actually fits your situation, our team can help you think it through. Consultation is NZD $150 or AUD equivalent.