BF4 Transitional provisions for Entrepreneur applicants who...

BF4 Transitional provisions for Entrepreneur applicants who held a work visa or permit granted under the Long Term Business Visa category prior to 20 November 2002 (that is, they were assessed under Entrepreneur policy listed at BD)

1. Principal applicants under the Entrepreneur category who held a work permit granted under the Long-term Business Visa category prior to 20 November 2002, meet the minimum standard of English if:
   1. they provide a certificate (no more than 2 years old at the time their application under the Entrepreneur category is lodged) from the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), which shows a minimum band score of 4 in each of the 4 components of the IELTS General or Academic Module, or
   2. they provide evidence that they have an English-speaking background (see BF2.1) which is accepted by a visa or immigration officer as meeting the minimum standard of English; or
   3. they provide other evidence which satisfies a visa or immigration officer that, taking account of that evidence and all the circumstances of the application, the person meets the minimum standard of English (see BF2.5), or
   4. they pre-purchase ESOL tuition to the required level.
2. In any case under (a) (ii) or (iii), a visa or immigration officer may require an applicant to provide an IELTS certificate in terms of paragraph (a)(i). In such cases, the IELTS certificate will be used to determine whether the applicant meets the minimum standard of English.

   Note:
   ~ Full consideration must be given to all evidence of English language ability provided before a decision to request an IELTS certificate under BF4(b) is made. If an IELTS certificate is requested, the reason(s) behind the decision must be clearly documented and conveyed to the applicant.
   
   ~ IELTS is an international organisation that provides an assessment of ability in English. Its General and Academic Modules provide band totals (test results) showing overall ability as well as performance in listening, reading, writing and speaking.

3. Where applicants need to pre-purchase ESOL tuition, the amount of ESOL tuition to be pre-purchased is determined by the applicant's average IELTS score across all four bands (as shown in their "Overall Band" score in the IELTS Test Report Form) according to the following table.

1. The charge includes the applicant's ESOL tuition entitlement, as well as the NZIS and TEC administration costs.
2. If an applicant has not submitted IELTS results when requested, the maximum charge of NZ$3,350 applies.

Effective 31/03/2008