NZQA International Qualification Assessment (IQA): Who Needs One, What It Costs and How Filipinos Apply

Your New Zealand employer, registration body or visa checklist wants to know how your Philippine degree compares to a New Zealand qualification. Before you pay anyone, here is the map.

An International Qualification Assessment is the New Zealand Qualifications Authority's (NZQA) evaluation of an overseas qualification against the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF), a service still taking applications on 6 October 2026.

What an NZQA international qualification assessment tells you

Your overseas qualification gets a recognition statement: a level from 1 to 10 with or without a qualification type on the NZQCF, or a finding that it cannot be recognised.

What an NZQA IQA recognition statement says, as published in October 2026: one of three outcomes — a level from 1 to 10 on the NZQCF with a qualification type, a level from 1 to 10 on the NZQCF without a qualification type, or a finding that the qualification cannot be recognised. The NZQCF is the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework; the result is an outcome, not a pass or fail.

NZQA can evaluate a completed tertiary or vocational qualification of at least 400 notional learning hours from an accredited provider. It cannot evaluate secondary school qualifications, incomplete programmes of study, work-experience letters or professional licences.

Who needs an IQA, and who does not

Most qualifications from outside New Zealand need an IQA: you will normally need one if a visa requires your qualification to be "equivalent to" or "comparable with" a New Zealand one, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) says. Work routes are in how Filipinos come to work in New Zealand.

INZ lists two exemptions:

a Washington Accord engineering degree or a Sydney Accord engineering technology degree, if your country was a signatory when the degree was awarded
for a Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa, a qualification on INZ's exemption list, though INZ may still ask for one

Registered occupations come first: a nurse, INZ's example, must get registration from the Nursing Council of New Zealand before applying for a visa to work as one.

NZQA and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) found that Philippine bachelor's degrees can be comparable to New Zealand ones if all three apply:

awarded in or after 2022
listed on the Philippines Qualifications Register as CHED-authorised PQF Level 6 degrees
delivered by an autonomous or deregulated institution, a CHED Centre of Excellence or Development, or a programme accredited at Level 2, 3 or 4

This does not guarantee automatic recognition; see how credential recognition works across countries.

The assessment does not grade your school; it translates your degree for a New Zealand employer. Complete applications get priority, and the statement goes with you through the job, the registration and the next step up.

A Filipino electrician fastening his tool belt at the open back of his work van on a quiet street in the early morning, before his first job of the day.

The three types of IQA and their fees

NZQA's fees on 6 October 2026, in New Zealand dollars including GST and subject to change:

Standard IQA, NZ$445: how one overseas qualification compares to a New Zealand qualification, for work, further study, registration or immigration.
Skill Shortage List IQA, NZ$610: Green List roles, but only the 13 listed occupations, such as Quantity Surveyor.
Teaching IQA, NZ$746: teacher registration or salary assessment, with two free Standard evaluations included.

A qualification completed before 1998 adds NZ$275. Cancelling brings no refund, and third-party verification may cost extra.

How to apply: documents, verification and processing time

You apply online, through your own account, once every document is ready:

Confirm with your employer, registration body or INZ whether you need one, and which type.
Gather your passport bio-data page, every post-secondary award certificate, transcripts showing the subjects and results for each year of study, and name-change evidence such as a marriage certificate if your names differ. Scan in full colour; certification is not needed.
Arrange verification: accepted methods include CHED's eCAV, or records emailed directly by your school's registrar. Apostilled or notarised copies are refused. The evaluation does not start until every document is verified.
Pay, submit, and answer any request for more information within 15 working days, or risk cancellation without a refund.

High demand had put NZQA's average wait at 10 weeks in October 2026, excluding weekends and public holidays; once an application is confirmed complete, 90 per cent are finished within 15 business days.

Nobody needs to be paid to process an application you make yourself. Walk away from anyone offering to "fix" a document: on false information given to mislead or misrepresent, the authority cancels the application, withdraws the statement and contacts agencies including INZ and the police.

For Filipino teachers

A teacher who qualified outside New Zealand needs a Teaching IQA to register, NZQA says. It checks whether your qualification meets the core knowledge requirements of New Zealand initial teacher education, and the sector it fits: early childhood education, primary or secondary. Early childhood teachers need one even once registered, a Ministry of Education requirement. Registration is with the Teaching Council; Australian-registered teachers may qualify under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act instead.

Before You Apply: A Checklist

Check INZ's exemptions
Request transcripts for every year of study
Set up CHED eCAV or registrar verification
File the statement with your career documents

The Questions Filipinos Ask Us Most

What happens if I disagree with my NZQA result?

The result is an outcome, not a pass or fail. Contact NZQA, then appeal once within 20 working days for NZ$765, refunded less NZ$55 only if the outcome changes on the documents you first sent.

Sources

Read on 6 October 2026.

Immigration New Zealand: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/work/requirements-for-work-visas/green-list-occupations-qualifications-and-skills/check-if-you-need-an-international-qualification-assessment/ https://www.immigration.govt.nz/work/requirements-for-work-visas/green-list-occupations-qualifications-and-skills/check-if-you-need-occupational-registration-for-your-job/