Green light for Mum and Dad visas may soon be switched on.

New Zealand borders were closed to parents of New Zealand residents in 2016 leaving large numbers waiting patiently in a queue.

But Malcolm Pacific Immigration believes the Parent Resident visa category may soon be re-opened.

Minister of Immigration Iain Lees-Galloway recently said a decision on the future of the parent category will be made soon, while Immigration New Zealand said that from July 1 this year the “guaranteed lifetime minimum income” requirements under tier one of the parent category will increase to $28,166 for a single applicant and $41,494 if a partner is included.”

These statements do not on their own re-open the parent category but they strongly hint that the Government is looking to do so.

There are now over 5,000 expressions of interest in the queue representing almost 8,400 people. We would be surprised if the government simply threw these families away; we think it is more likely that, if new life is breathed into the parent reunion category, applications will be processed on a first in first served basis. (Recognizing that there will be many whose circumstances will have changed, because of the long delay).

Malcolm Pacific Immigration is keeping a sharp eye on this. Contact us if you wish to be alerted to further developments or if you want your parent expression of interest lodged now, ahead of the rush.