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Qualifications exempt from assessment

Hong Kong qualifications: do you need an NZQA assessment?

Immigration New Zealand lists 20 qualifications from Hong Kong that do not need an IQA at NZQF levels 7 to 10, awarded by 9 listed institutions.

If your qualification is on this list, was awarded by a listed institution within the listed years, and is not excluded by the notes, Immigration New Zealand accepts its level without an International Qualification Assessment (IQA) from NZQA.

All of the conditions below have to be met together. Meeting one of them is not enough, and this is where most people go wrong: the qualification and the awarding institution are two separate checks.

When is a qualification from Hong Kong exempt?

Immigration New Zealand exempts a qualification from assessment only when every one of these conditions is met. Meeting some of them is not enough.

  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 is listed in the right-hand column in the Awarding Institutions Table
  4. the qualification was awarded from or within the year range listed in the right-hand column in the Awarding Institutions Table
  5. the qualification is not excluded by the notes listed under the Academic Qualifications Table

If any condition fails, you need an International Qualification Assessment from NZQA before you claim points for the qualification. Our guide to the IQA and NZQA assessment explains that process, and the SMC points system explainer covers what a qualification is worth once its level is confirmed.

Qualifications from Hong Kong on the list

The NZQF level is the New Zealand framework level Immigration New Zealand accepts for the qualification. It is not a points score.

Qualification Abbrev. NZQF level
Bachelor of Arts with Honours** BA 7
Bachelor of Business Administration with Honours** BBA 7
Bachelor of Chinese Medicine with Honours** BCM 7
Bachelor of Communication with Honours** BC 7
Bachelor of Communication with Honours** BDS 7
Bachelor of Economics with Honours** BEC 7
Bachelor of Engineering with Honours** BEH 7
Bachelor of Language studies with Honours** BEL 7
Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours** BFA 7
Bachelor of Journalism with Honours** BJ 7
Bachelor of Laws with Honours** BL 7
Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery with Honours ** BM 7
Bachelor of Nursing with Honours ** BN 7
Bachelor of Pharmacy with Honours ** BP 7
Bachelor of Science with Honours** BS 7
Bachelor of Social Science with Honours** BSS 7
Bachelor of Social Work with Honours** BSW 7
Bachelor with Honours degree** BH 7
Master of Philosophy MP 9
Doctor of Philosophy PhD 10

Notes on this table

  • * Abbreviations used are for the purposes of this list only.
  • ** Honours degrees are awarded with a Class, or a Class and Division (e.g. First Class, Second Class (Division I) or Division II, or Third Class Honours).
  • Note: Award certificates must be provided in their original language. The following must be referred to NZQA for an International Qualifications Assessment: - All honorary degrees - All listed qualifications where study was completed at any institution outside of the country, including any overseas campuses of any listed awarding institution - All listed qualifications that contain cross-credited courses or papers - All qualifications awarded after 2017

Awarding institutions

Your qualification is only exempt if it was awarded by one of these institutions, the abbreviation appears against that institution, and the award year falls in the range shown.

Institution Qualifications and years
The Chinese University of Hong Kong BA, BBA, BCM, BL, BM, BN, BP, BS, BSS: 2016 BEH: 1995 BH: 1990–2015 MP and PhD: 1990
City University of Hong Kong BA, BBA, BS, BSS, BL: 2016 BH: 1997–2015 BEH, MP and PhD: 1997
The Education University of Hong Kong BA, MP and PhD: 2016
Hong Kong Baptist University BA, BBA, BC, BP, BS, BSS, BSW: 2016 BH: 2005–2015 MP and PhD: 2005
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University BA, BBA and BS: 2016 BEH: 1995 BH, MP and PhD: 1995–2015
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology BH: 2000–2015 BBA and BS: 2016 BEH, MP and PhD: 2000
The Open University of Hong Kong BA, BBA, BFA, BN, BS, BSS, MP and PhD: 2016
Lingnan University BA, BSS, BS: 2016 BH: 2010–2015 MP and PhD: 2010
The University of Hong Kong BA, BBA, BCM, BDS, BEC, BJ, BL, BM, BP, BS, BSS and BSW: 2016 BEH: 1995 BH: 1982–2015 MP and PhD: 1982

Source: Immigration New Zealand Operational Manual . Synced 13 September 2026.

Not sure how yours reads?

Matching an award certificate against this list is fiddlier than it looks: institutions get renamed, award years narrow the exemption, and the notes can rule a qualification out. Talk it through with us and we will listen to your situation and match you with the right IAA-licensed adviser.

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This page reproduces Immigration New Zealand's published List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment and is general information, not immigration advice. INZ revises the list, so check the linked source page before you rely on it. ProVisas is a licensed New Zealand immigration advisory firm (IAA Licence 201301110).