Family Policies

This article is about Immigration Policy but it is not a description of policy. In our opinion simplified descriptions of policy are dangerous. If you want to know why we think that, read “ Why things go wrong”.

Until a few years ago, reunion of families was approved simply on the basis of the family relationship between the applicant and a New Zealander. That is no longer the case. The numbers of approvals are limited by annual quotas, and many conditions surround sponsorship.

Parents:The Family, Parent, category allows overseas parents to join family in New Zealand where it can be shown the “Centre of Gravity” of the parent’s family has moved to New Zealand, although the definition of “Centre of Gravity” and for that matter, what constitutes a “family” can cause unexpected problems. The sponsoring family in New Zealand needs to demonstrate it is earning a “minimum income”; implying that parents are a burden and overlooking that for many families the presence of a parent empowers other family members to enter the workforce, thereby increasing the family’s income base. A requirement that the NZ-based family not sponsor parents until some years after their own settlement has no apparent purpose other than to delay reunion. An absolute annual quota limit causes long delays to all applicants while applicants from some regions suffer additional delays caused by special “security checks”; and staff shortages in certain overseas Immigration offices. Elderly parents are also expected to have high health standards; an issue that can be argued on a case by case basis, but only at the cost of further delay.

Families often put off planning for reunion between parents and their adult children until there is a problem; and by that time the system’s built-in delays and high medical standards can cause heartbreak if not tragedy. If you are separated from a parent or parents, it pays to seek advice and engage in long term planning well before any crisis arises.

Brothers and sisters and last remaining adult children: Family, Sibling, and Family, Adult Child categories permit the entry of adult brothers and sisters (and their dependants) and single adult children only when it can be shown they are the last member of the family left in the home country, and that there is a job with a minimum income waiting for them on arrival in New Zealand. As with Family, Parent, policy, an annual quota restricts numbers and creates delays, there is a minimum period of settlement by the New Zealand family before sponsorship is possible; while security checks and staffing issues in some regions further add to the long wait.

Active planning well in advance is recommended, particularly where dependent children may be involved, raising issues of schooling (and the possibilities of delays causing some children to exceed the age at which they will be regarded as “dependants”; thereby frustrating the intended re-union).

Dependent children: When dependent children are separated from their parents in the migration process the New Zealand Immigration system works relatively effectively to ensure rapid re-union. There are no quotas and the processing is normally given priority. However there can be problems demonstrating that the child is “financially dependent” within the strict Immigration definition of that term or whether temporary caregivers should more correctly be regarded as permanent. Other possible problems may be to do with identity and how and why the parents became separated from the dependant child in the first place. Sometimes these issues can lead to a review of the accuracy of claims that were associated with the parents’ initial application.


Read about: Residence Policy, all categories. Skills Based Policy Partnership Policy.	Investor / Business Policies Pacific Policies Returning Resident’s Visa Special Cases


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