One person in the family has to get the pass mark and automatically spouse and dependant children are included in the application. For Australia if anyone is over the age of 45 then they can not apply and in case if New Zealand any one over 56 cannot apply. To claim sponsorship points one has to have direct blood relatives settled in those countries as permanent residents or citizens.

For Australia and Canada a person should have an occupation which matches to one of the occupations in their skilled occupation list. It is not a question of simply matching ones designation with that on the list but the actual job responsibilities and duties are more important. Then the skills have to be assessed by a professional body for the nominated occupation which is mandatory. In the case of New Zealand the educational qualifications of both the husband and wife will have to be referred to New Zealand Qualifications Authority for evaluation if the qualifications do not appear in the Recognized Qualification list. Once this professional assessment or evaluation part is over, then only an application for migration can be lodged with the embassies for these countries. This Assessment/Evaluation process can take anywhere between 3 to 6 months.

It is a mandatory requirement to undertake the English language test called IELTS conducted by the British Council or IDP Education Australia for anyone over 16 of age.
In the case of New Zealand a person who has not been able to achieve the pass mark can still lodge an application under work to residence rules. For citizens of certain countries, it is now mandatory to have a relevant job offer in order to meet the criteria for residence to NZ.