New Zealand vs Republic of Uzbekistan
A neutral side-by-side of immigration systems, routes and regulators. Each row links to the underlying visa page with its primary government source.
Last reviewed:
Source basis
This comparison combines New Zealand and Republic of Uzbekistan government portals with the primary sources for each side's dominant skilled route. Every detailed figure links through to the underlying route or data page.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- Immigration New Zealand
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) - verified
- my.gov.uz - services for foreigners
Government Services Portal / Ministry of Internal Affairs (Uzbekistan) - verified
- Immigration New Zealand — Skilled Migrant Category
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) - verified
- Unified Interactive Government Services Portal (my.gov.uz)
Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan - verified
New Zealand
New Zealand's immigration system is administered by Immigration New Zealand (INZ), a branch of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). The Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) is the primary points-based residence pathway. The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) is the main employer-sponsored temporary route, replacing the former Essential Skills visa in 2022. Working Holiday Schemes, Post-Study Work Visas, and investor categories round out the system.
- Official portal
- Immigration New Zealand (INZ)
- Languages
- English, Te Reo Māori, NZ Sign Language
- Currency
- New Zealand dollar
Republic of Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan administers migration through the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with services on the my.gov.uz portal and IT routes via the IT Park. Since 2025 it has marketed two flagship programmes - a Golden Visa (five-year residence for investment, effective 1 June 2025) and an IT Visa that allows work without a separate permit - alongside standard work visas, real-estate residency and a general residence permit.
- Languages
- Uzbek
- Currency
- Uzbekistani som
How New Zealand and Republic of Uzbekistan differ
| Dimension | New Zealand | Republic of Uzbekistan |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 7 | 7 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 5 | 5 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 3 | 4 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | SMC resident visa -> Permanent Resident Visa after 2 years -> citizenship after 5 years of qualifying resident presence. | — |
| Dominant skilled visa | Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa | Work Visa (E) with work-permit confirmation |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | NZ$35/hour | — |
| Skilled visa processing time | Immigration New Zealand's resident-visa wait times page currently reports 80% of Skilled Migrant Category applications completed within 4 months, with an 11-week average wait. | — |
| Skilled visa government fees | New Zealand publishes NZD 6,450 as the application cost for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa, with no separate EOI submission fee. | — |
| Official languages | English, Te Reo Māori, NZ Sign Language | Uzbek |
| Currency | New Zealand dollar | Uzbekistani som |
| Primary regulator | IAA | MoJ |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 1 | 0 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
New Zealand
Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa
- Salary minimum
- NZ$35/hour
- Government fees
- New Zealand publishes NZD 6,450 as the application cost for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa, with no separate EOI submission fee.
- Processing time
- Immigration New Zealand's resident-visa wait times page currently reports 80% of Skilled Migrant Category applications completed within 4 months, with an 11-week average wait.
- Sponsor required
- No
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Republic of Uzbekistan
Work Visa (E) with work-permit confirmation
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- No
Recent policy activity
Last 6 months. Each entry links to its primary government source.
- 9 March 2026New Zealand
New Zealand: SMC reform from 24 August 2026 and a higher immigration median wage
Immigration New Zealand raised the immigration median wage and announced a Skilled Migrant Category overhaul taking effect in August 2026.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ)
Routes unique to New Zealand
Routes unique to Republic of Uzbekistan
Visa routes side by side
New Zealand (7)
Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence.
Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 5 years for most jobs; often 3 years for ANZSCO or NOL skill level 4 or 5 jobs.
Working Holiday Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Usually 12 months; some schemes allow longer stays, including up to 23 months for Canadians and 36 months for UK citizens.
Post-Study Work Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · 1–3 years depending on qualification level and study location.
Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence.
Active Investor Plus Visa
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Resident visa; permanent residence after meeting conditions over 3 years (Growth) or 5 years (Balanced).
Student Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Duration of the study programme plus a short buffer, up to 4 years.
Republic of Uzbekistan (7)
Work Visa (E) with work-permit confirmation
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Tied to your employment and the validity of your work-permit confirmation; renewed while you keep the job.
Golden Visa (5-year residence for investment)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · A five-year residence permit under the programme, renewable in line with the rules; confirm the current terms on the official page.
IT Visa (IT Park founders and specialists)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · A multiple-entry route issued for an extended period (commonly up to a few years) and renewable; confirm the current validity on the official page.
Residence through Qualifying Property Purchase
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · A residence permit linked to your qualifying property, typically issued for a multi-year period and renewable; confirm the current terms on the official page.
Residence Permit (long-term, vid na zhitelstvo)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Typically issued for a multi-year period (commonly around five years) and renewable, with longer validity possible for older applicants; confirm on the official page.
Student Visa and Residence
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Typically issued for around a year at a time at the institution's request and renewable for the length of your course.
Family Visa and Residence (reunification)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Issued on the basis of the family relationship and renewable while it continues; can lead towards a longer-term residence permit.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, New Zealand or Republic of Uzbekistan?+
New Zealand’s Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa requires a salary of at least NZ$35/hour; Republic of Uzbekistan’s Work Visa (E) with work-permit confirmation is the dominant skilled route. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Which immigration system has changed more recently, New Zealand or Republic of Uzbekistan?+
In the last 6 months: 1 logged policy change for New Zealand, 0 for Republic of Uzbekistan. See the recent-policy section above for the details, each linked to its primary source.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This comparison is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the page for the compiled head-to-head table and use the country-comparisons JSON endpoint to retrieve the indexed pair, destination profiles and underlying source datasets.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "New Zealand vs Republic of Uzbekistan immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/new-zealand/vs/uzbekistan. Last verified 27 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons