For many years now New Zealand has selected skilled migrants using a points system. If you got enough points for your age, qualifications, skills, etc you could become a permanent resident.

Today the points system changed - and got just a little harder.

Until today, if you had 100 points or more, you would be invited to apply for residence. From today onwards, if you have 105 points or less and you do not have an offer of skilled employment in New Zealand, you will not be invited to apply for residence.

A further change is that highly talented migrants who score 140 points or more – whether or not they have an offer of skilled employment - will automatically be invited to apply for residence.

Applicants who score between 100 and 140 points and have a job offer will be ranked and selected in sufficient numbers to meet New Zealand’s needs for skilled migrants.

There will be no selection between 22 December and 31 January 2006. The last selection under the old selection mechanism will be on 21 December. The first selection under the new mechanism will be on 1 February 2006.

Full details are here.