# Bonus points for Doctor spouse



## pr2b

I am in IT profession and my wife is a medical doctor. We are planning for NZ migration and according to my calculation I am short of 5 points without including bonus points for spouse. 

My query is if we want to claim spouse bonus points then do we just need to send her medical degree to NZQA for assessment or we have to sit some medical exams first or get some sort of registration in NZ for working as a doctor.

Please suggest what should be the course of action.


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## escapedtonz

pr2b said:


> I am in IT profession and my wife is a medical doctor. We are planning for NZ migration and according to my calculation I am short of 5 points without including bonus points for spouse.
> 
> My query is if we want to claim spouse bonus points then do we just need to send her medical degree to NZQA for assessment or we have to sit some medical exams first or get some sort of registration in NZ for working as a doctor.
> 
> Please suggest what should be the course of action.


If you wish to claim points for your wife's medical degree you must check whether the awarding university and actual degree title is exempt from assessment.
This is a link to the latest individual country lists :-
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/opsmanual/35171.htm

If it is on this list you will see the equivalent level you can claim for it on the EOI.
If it isn't on the list then the qualification must be assessed by NZQA before EOI submission. This can be done via PAR or FULL assessment.
PAR is designed to give a quicker and cheaper result but does not guarantee the equivalent level - it just gives you an approximate.
This is done online by answering a few questions. There is no need to send in any paperwork for this.
FULL assessment takes longer and is more expensive but this does guarantee the equivalent level.
This is done by sending in all documentary evidence for the qualification course, transcripts etc.

If you went for PAR and subsequently got through and Invited To Apply then you would have to go for FULL assessment anyway since this is the only way to get the equivalent level guaranteed so in the long run this method makes assessment more costly.

To work as a doctor in NZ you must be registered with the appropriate medical authority, however since your wife will be the secondary applicant (I'm assuming you will be principal) she won't need to be registered or going down the route of registering as she is not claiming points for that skilled job as she does not have a job or job offer in that skilled field in NZ.
So, yes she may well need to sit more medical exams and will definitely need to be registered to practice but this can all be done after you have entered NZ assuming you are granted Residency Visas based on you as the Principal Applicant, your profession, experience and academic qualifications.

Regards,


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## topcat83

Just a thought - would it be better to make your wife the primary applicant and yourself the partner? I guess that unless you are also a PhD then her doctorate and her profession will give her a pretty good score!


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## pr2b

topcat83 said:


> Just a thought - would it be better to make your wife the primary applicant and yourself the partner? I guess that unless you are also a PhD then her doctorate and her profession will give her a pretty good score!


That's a good idea. Let me try how much points does she make.


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## pr2b

topcat83 said:


> Just a thought - would it be better to make your wife the primary applicant and yourself the partner? I guess that unless you are also a PhD then her doctorate and her profession will give her a pretty good score!


Just realized that you mentioned doctorate. She is a medical doctor not a PhD. Anyhow, I tried making her principle applicant but that does not work as she is not registered and her profession does not fall in identified future growth area. She also can not claim experience points as she is a recent graduate. So it seems like that I will be the main applicant and she will be the partner. 

Although she is not registered in NZ, but I want to claim bonus points for partner. What I am looking for is if NZQA assesses the Medical degree to be on level 7 or not.


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## topcat83

pr2b said:


> Just realized that you mentioned doctorate. She is a medical doctor not a PhD. Anyhow, I tried making her principle applicant but that does not work as she is not registered and her profession does not fall in identified future growth area. She also can not claim experience points as she is a recent graduate. So it seems like that I will be the main applicant and she will be the partner.
> 
> Although she is not registered in NZ, but I want to claim bonus points for partner. What I am looking for is if NZQA assesses the Medical degree to be on level 7 or not.


I would suggest that a Doctor of Medicine is a Doctorate - so on the NZQF framework, that gives a level of 10. See New Zealand Qualifications Framework - New Zealand Immigration Service

You say she is not registered - as long as her medical school is on the list of ones recognised by Immigration NZ then I think it still counts. 
And one of the jobs on the Long Term Skills Shortage List (amongst others) is General Medical Practitioner. 

Is there any reason why she's not registered? New Zealand (like many other countries) needs doctors!


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## escapedtonz

topcat83 said:


> I would suggest that a Doctor of Medicine is a Doctorate - so on the NZQF framework, that gives a level of 10. See New Zealand Qualifications Framework - New Zealand Immigration Service
> 
> You say she is not registered - as long as her medical school is on the list of ones recognised by Immigration NZ then I think it still counts.
> And one of the jobs on the Long Term Skills Shortage List (amongst others) is General Medical Practitioner.
> 
> Is there any reason why she's not registered? New Zealand (like many other countries) needs doctors!


I'm thinking he means she is not registered here in NZ as a doctor.
To claim the points off the LTSSL for being a medical practitioner you must be registered, but if she remains as the 2nd applicant this wouldn't matter.


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## Liam(at)Large

topcat83 said:


> I would suggest that a Doctor of Medicine is a Doctorate - so on the NZQF framework, that gives a level of 10.


Ummmmmm... No.

A doctorate, from the Latin docere, meaning "to teach," is a degree that allows a person to teach at a university level in their degree. An MD is not by proxy a PhD.


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## topcat83

Liam(at)Large said:


> Ummmmmm... No.
> 
> A doctorate, from the Latin docere, meaning "to teach," is a degree that allows a person to teach at a university level in their degree. An MD is not by proxy a PhD.


True - but I never said it was a PhD. However, i still believe that it is an equivalent level of qualification. 
According to Otago University, a Doctor of Medicine (MD) is the equivalent to a Doctor of Science (DSc). 
Which is still a doctorate.

Doctor of Medicine (MD), University of Otago, New Zealand


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## pr2b

topcat83 said:


> I would suggest that a Doctor of Medicine is a Doctorate - so on the NZQF framework, that gives a level of 10. See New Zealand Qualifications Framework - New Zealand Immigration Service
> 
> You say she is not registered - as long as her medical school is on the list of ones recognised by Immigration NZ then I think it still counts.
> And one of the jobs on the Long Term Skills Shortage List (amongst others) is General Medical Practitioner.
> 
> Is there any reason why she's not registered? New Zealand (like many other countries) needs doctors!


Ok but let me clear it, the degree she has does not say a Doctor or Doctorate, it says MBBS so its a bachelor degree. 

She is a recent graduate and could not even finished her one year house job (We got married and came to Australia). So for her to get registered in NZ, the only way is to sit some exams and do one year house job. This is long way and is not possible at the moment. 

The only thing I am interested in at the moment is if somehow we can claim points for her degree. That will make me touch 140 and we can apply, later on she can sit exams and do whatever is required to get a job.


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