Israel – Qualifications Exempt from Assessment

At a glance

Applicants with a qualification from a listed Israeli institution may be exempt from NZQA International Qualification Assessment for Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) residence applications and certain work visa applications under Appendix 3, provided all conditions are met. The table below shows the NZQF level and points awarded for each qualification [I-israel].

Definition

The Israel list of qualifications exempt from assessment forms part of Appendix 3. A qualification from Israel is exempt if [I-israel]:

1. the qualification is listed in the Academic Qualifications Table;
2. the awarding institution is listed in the Awarding Institutions Table;
3. the qualification abbreviation matches the one in the Awarding Institutions Table;
4. the qualification was awarded from the year shown in the Awarding Institutions Table; and
5. it is not excluded by the notes under the Academic Qualifications Table.

The exemption is for immigration points only; it does not confirm comparability to any New Zealand qualification.

Academic Qualifications Table

Qualification	Abbreviation	NZQF Level	SMC Points
Bachelor of Arts	BA	7	50
Bachelor of Fine Arts	BFA	7	50
Bachelor of Law	LLB	7	50
Bachelor of Science	BS	7	50
Bachelor of Social Work	BSW	7	50
Master of Arts	MA	9	70
Master of Science	MS	9	70
Doctor of Philosophy	PhD	10	70

Abbreviations are used for the purpose of this list only.

If an applicant believes their qualification may be higher than the level stated, they may apply to NZQA for an International Qualifications Assessment [I-israel].

Awarding Institutions Table

Institution	Qualification awarded from
Bar-Ilan University	BA, LLB and BS: 1997
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev	BA, BS, MA, MS and PhD: 2000
Tel-Aviv University	BA, LLB and BS: 2000 BFA: 2006
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem	BA, LLB, BS, BSW and MS: 2000
Technion–Israel Institute of Technology	BS, MS and PhD: 2000
The University of Haifa	BA, BS, MA, MS and PhD: 1990 LLB: 2000
The Weizmann Institute of Science	MS and PhD: 1990

Application in decisions

When a visa applicant claims points for an Israeli qualification under SM or WI instructions, an immigration officer checks that [I-israel]:

• the qualification exactly matches the name and abbreviation in the Academic Qualifications Table;
• the awarding institution is in the Awarding Institutions Table;
• the qualification was awarded from or after the listed year;
• none of the exclusion notes apply.

If all conditions are met, the qualification is exempt from assessment and points are awarded at the NZQF level and point value shown. Award certificates must be provided in the original language, with official English translations [I-israel].

Interpretation & edge cases

• Honorary degrees: All honorary degrees must be referred to NZQA for an International Qualifications Assessment [I-israel].
• Overseas study: Any listed qualification where study was completed at an institution outside Israel (including overseas campuses of an Israeli institution) must be assessed by NZQA [I-israel].
• Cross-credited courses: Qualifications that contain cross-credited courses or papers are excluded and require NZQA assessment [I-israel].
• Post-2017 awards: All qualifications awarded after 2017 are excluded from the exemption and must be referred to NZQA [I-israel].
• Higher potential level: An applicant who believes their qualification may compare to a higher NZQF level than the one listed can apply to NZQA for an International Qualifications Assessment; the exemption list does not prevent this [I-israel].

Citations

• I-israel — Israel