United Kingdom – Technical and Vocational Qualifications Exempt from Assessment

At a glance

Certain UK technical and vocational qualifications are exempt from NZQA assessment for immigration points purposes when the applicant applies under Skilled Migrant Residence (SR) instructions or Work Visa (WI) instructions where the United Kingdom is listed in Appendix 17 [U-united-kingdom-technical-and-vocational-qualifications]. This exemption is subject to strict conditions: the qualification and awarding body must appear in the prescribed tables, the abbreviation must match, the award date must fall within the listed range, and no exclusion notes apply [U-united-kingdom-technical-and-vocational-qualifications].

Definition

A UK technical or vocational qualification qualifies as exempt from assessment if all of the following conditions are met [U-united-kingdom-technical-and-vocational-qualifications]:

1. the qualification is listed in the Technical and Vocational Qualifications Table;
2. the awarding body is listed in the Awarding Bodies Table;
3. the qualification abbreviation is listed in the right-hand column in the Awarding Bodies Table;
4. the qualification was awarded from or within the year range listed in the right-hand column in the Awarding Bodies Table;
5. the qualification is not excluded by the notes listed under the Technical and Vocational Qualifications Table.

The approved qualifications, their NZQF levels, and SMC points are [U-united-kingdom-technical-and-vocational-qualifications]:

Qualification	Abbreviation	Level in NZQF terms	Points under SMC
Higher Certificate (Building Studies or Engineering)	HC	5	40
BTEC Higher National Certificate	BHNC	5	40
Pearson BTEC Level 4 HNC Diploma	BL4	5	40
Higher National Certificate	HNC	5	40
SCOTVEC Higher National Certificate	SHNC	5	40
Scottish Qualifications Authority Higher National Certificate	SQHNC	5	40
BTEC Higher National Diploma	BHND	6	40
Higher National Diploma	HND	6	40
Pearson BTEC Level 5 HND Diploma	BL5	6	40
SCOTVEC Higher National Diploma	SHND	6	40
Scottish Qualifications Authority Higher National Diploma	SQHND	6	40

Note: Abbreviations are used for the purposes of this list only [U-united-kingdom-technical-and-vocational-qualifications].

Recognised specialities vary by qualification and date range, as detailed in Table A of the instruction [U-united-kingdom-technical-and-vocational-qualifications]. If the applicant believes a qualification is higher than the stated level, they should apply to NZQA for an International Qualification Assessment [U-united-kingdom-technical-and-vocational-qualifications].

Application in decisions

Immigration officers verify that the qualification, awarding body, abbreviation, and award dates all match the prescribed tables. Only then is the qualification exempt from NZQA assessment for points claims [U-united-kingdom-technical-and-vocational-qualifications].

Award certificates must be provided in their original language [U-united-kingdom-technical-and-vocational-qualifications].

Interpretation & edge cases

• Post‑2017 qualifications: All listed qualifications awarded after 2017 must be referred to NZQA for assessment, regardless of the above [U-united-kingdom-technical-and-vocational-qualifications].
• Overseas campuses: Any listed qualification where study was completed outside the United Kingdom, including at overseas campuses of a listed awarding institution, must be referred to NZQA [U-united-kingdom-technical-and-vocational-qualifications].
• Cross‑credited courses: All listed qualifications containing cross‑credited courses or papers must be referred to NZQA [U-united-kingdom-technical-and-vocational-qualifications].
• Limitation: The exemption is for immigration points only; it does not guarantee comparability to a New Zealand qualification for professional registration, employment, or salary purposes [U-united-kingdom-technical-and-vocational-qualifications].

Citations

• U-united-kingdom-technical-and-vocational-qualifications — United Kingdom – Technical and Vocational Qualifications