Moving to New Zealand for a new way of life can be the best decision you can make for yourself and your family. However, the loved ones we leave behind can weigh heavily on our hearts. Wanting to share your new way of life, even for as much as a holiday, is possible within New Zealand's immigration policies.
In this article, we will take you through all of the options to help your parents experience a taster of New Zealand life.
Whether your parents want to visit, retire or live in New Zealand permanently, these are the current options available from Immigration NZ.
The first step for most NZ residents' or citizens' parents before they decide whether to join their children in a new life in New Zealand is to come to visit.
Parents can apply for a Parent Visitor Visa, which allows them to travel in and out of New Zealand multiple times for up to 3 years.
They can only stay up to 6 months at a time, with a maximum of 18 months within the 3-year period.
As visitors, they are not eligible for the same rights as residents or citizens. Therefore, they will need to cover any medical event using their own funds or insurance.
Sponsorship by an adult child is necessary for this visa and ensures you are responsible for their health and welfare and their accommodation.
A Parent Resident visa allows a parent to live in New Zealand permanently if they have an adult child (sponsor) who is a New Zealand citizen or resident. The sponsor must earn enough money to meet the new threshold and agree to sponsor you.
This is open to parents, grandparents, and legal guardians. It allows the successful applicant to travel freely in and out of the country until their travel conditions expire. After these conditions expire, the visa holder must apply for permanent residency or an extension of their visa.
Successful applicants can study and work to support themselves. They can purchase property, once they have held residence for 12 months and their healthcare, like other residents, is free or subsidised by the government.
Requirements such as 'must be of good health and character are retained, the same as all other visa categories in NZ.
This visa has only just reopened in October 2022, previous EOI applications are being processed as of November 2022, whilst new Expressions of Interest (EOI) will be accepted now for a random ballot for visas, starting in August 2023.
The requirements of being a sponsor for the Parent Resident Visa are as follows.
For ten years after the parent resident visa is granted, the sponsor must meet the following sponsorship obligations:
The NZ parent retirement visa enables parents to join their adult children in New Zealand. To be eligible, applicants must meet INZ's financial requirements of keeping at least NZ$1 million invested in an acceptable investment in New Zealand for four years.
While allowing migrant parents to live, work and study in New Zealand, it also allows them to apply for permanent residence after four years of keeping their funds invested in New Zealand.
New Zealand's standard acceptable investments can vary depending on the visa.
For expert advice on what would be considered as an acceptable investment for the Parent Retirement Resident visa, contact Malcolm Pacific Immigration today.
There are general requirements for parents looking to come to New Zealand under their adult children's NZ visa.
INZ requires medical examinations to assess applicants' health and to ensure they meet the standards. When applying for a visa, parents will need a chest x-ray or medical examination to prove they are in good health. However, depending on the visa, the application will outline what kind of medical examinations are needed.
It is crucial for the parent or parents applying to meet all of INZ's health and character requirements. Not only do they have to be a genuine applicant, but have a good record to prove good character. While age is not a limit within the parent category, they can not bring any dependent children in on their parent residence visa nz.
Good English language skills are required for specific parent residency visas. Parents applying can take a test to show INZ they can use and understand English. Alternatively they can pre-purchase English language tuition. Contact licensed immigration advisers for help with finding out which tests we accept and the results you need for better chances of getting your visa accepted.
As you probably experienced, migration to a new country is full of firsts. New experiences and different ways the country works can be intimidating for anyone, let alone someone who may not speak English as their first language or has lived for a long time in another country.
Taking time off work at the beginning of their arrival can make a massive difference and help them gain confidence and acclimatise quicker. They have travelled far to be closer to you, so family time can reassure them that this is a place worth calling home.
List all the different things that confused you and explain them to your parents. Then, help them get connected with mobile phones and the internet so they can communicate with people back home and find their way around the new environment.
Cultural groups with members of a similar age can help support their transition so that they can learn from others the experiences that they had and support them to settle down. Also, if English is not their first language, find classes they can attend to help empower them when they are out in the community.
Including them in domestic holidays or days out gives them a sense of what you love about the country. New food experiences or just taking them to the shops can help build their confidence to set up their lives here.
With residency visas, this could potentially mean finding a job. Applying everything you have learnt and why you call this new country home can help them settle down quicker.
Applying for a New Zealand visa doesn't have to be overwhelming. Reach out to our experienced immigration advisers for advice and guidance on the process.
Our highly experienced licensed Immigration team will take away the stress and worry of navigating the complicated world of New Zealand Immigration. All you need to do is get in touch. Our team is on standby, ready to help.
Our highly experienced licensed Immigration team will take away the stress and worry of navigating the complicated world of New Zealand Immigration. All you need to do is get in touch. Our employer team is on standby, ready to help.
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Today the government announced a pathway to residence for migrant workers who are living and working in New Zealand. Applications open on 1 December 2021 for the first wave who are eligible to apply. The second wave can apply from 1 March 2022. The deadline to lodge an application is 31 July 2022 or else they will miss out on this one off opportunity.
Today the government announced a pathway to residence for people living and working in New Zealand. Applications open on 1 December 2021 for the first wave eligible to apply. The second wave can apply from 1 March 2022. The deadline to lodge an application is 31 July 2022 or else you miss the boat.
The government has moved the introduction of the new employer accreditation process across to mid-2022. At the same time, the Minister of Immigration announced new work visa rules for migrant workers who are already in New Zealand and working full time.
The government has increased the median wage to $27 per hour from 19 July. Any Skilled Migrant residence application lodged after this date will need to include a skilled job offer that pays at least $27 per hour. For some lower-skilled occupations, the minimum pay rate increases to $40.50 per hour.
From 19 July 2021
From 30 June 2021
Employers of migrant workers must become accredited from 1 November 2021 before work visa applications can be processed. Most employers are not accredited. Those that are accredited will have to roll into the new system when it goes live in late September.
From mid-2020 (delayed)
Skilled occupation "Dairy Cattle Farmer" spilt into three occupations. New occupations are: "Dairy Farm Manager", "Assistant Dairy Farm Manager" and "Dairy Herd Manager". Each sit at different skill levels, therefore, the award of points will depend on pay rates, job tasks and other requirements.
From 15 February 2021
The government has deferred the fortnightly selection of Expressions of Interest from the Skilled Migrant pool for six months (to be reviewed in April 2021). Invitations to Apply for Residence remain suspended. The last selection from the Skilled Migrant pool took place on 18/03/2020.
From 7 October 2020
The government added four new occupations that are now regarded as skilled employment and may qualify for job offer points under the Skilled Migrant Category. These are:
Aged or disabled carer, Bicycle mechanic, Driller and Nursing Support worker.
From 27 July 2020
Anyone invited by Immigration NZ to apply for residence under the Skilled Migrant Category where their invitation is dated between 1 November 2019 and 15 April 2020 (inclusive) has now been granted an additional six months to lodge their residence application.
From 27 May 2020
The government has deferred the fortnightly selection of Expressions of Interest from the Skilled Migrant pool. This means Invitations to Apply for Residence are also suspended. Malcolm Pacific Immigration does not anticipate selections to resume until after the general election held on 17 October 2020.
Immigration NZ is now prioritising Skilled Migrant Residence applications where the main (principal) applicant meets the criteria:
From 24 February 2020
From 7 October 2019
The government recently added more occupations that are now to be regarded as skilled employment and may qualify for job offer points under the Skilled Migrant Category. In order to qualify for points, the job must be paying at least the current median wage (or higher for certain occupations) at the time the residence application is lodged.
From 1 November 2021
From 1 November 2021 anyone who is not a NZ citizen must be fully vaccinated (unless exempt) before travelling to New Zealand. Fully vaccinated means your last dose of vaccine was given at least 14 days before travelling and it was an approved vaccine.
Applications for employer accreditation closed at the end of June 2021. Applications lodged before the closure date are still being processed. New applications for accreditation open on 9 May 2022. The process will be quite different to what employers have experienced in the past. Businesses will need to meet minimum standards.
Wednesday, 1 December is fast approaching and it is estimated that around 16,000 individuals and families can apply in the first wave for the 2021 Resident Visa opening next month. It is exciting for the thousands of people who have been waiting patiently to become residents that finally the finish line is in sight.
The first wave of applicants can apply from 1 December 2021. Around 16,000 applications are expected in this first wave. The second wave opens on 1 March 2022. In total, the government expects approximately 110,000 applications that will include about 165,000 people.
The second group of workers who can apply online for the 2021 Resident Visa that opens on 1 March 2022 are those who hold an eligible work visa and either meet "Settled", "Skilled" or "Scarce" as set out above. In total Immigration NZ estimate around 110,000 people will qualify to apply for this visa.
The first group of workers who can apply online for the 2021 Resident Visa that opens on 1 December 2021 are those that on 29/09/2021:
Is this the only requirement to qualify for residence? No. In addition to the eligible work visa criteria workers also need to be regarded as one of the following:
People who were lawfully in NZ (or in Australia when the travel bubble closed between April and July 2021) on 29/09/2021 need to meet the visa eligibility criteria:
The government has introduced a limited pathway to residence for people who are already living and working in New Zealand. Applications open on 1 December 2021 for the first wave of people eligible to apply. The second wave opens on 1 March 2022. The deadline to apply for the 2021 Resident Visa is 31 July 2022.
A small number of critical health workers (taking up jobs for six months or longer) or specialist workers (taking up jobs that are for longer than six months) who were granted border exemptions may also have eligibility for the 2021 Resident Visa. They will need to have arrived in NZ and lodge a 2021 Resident Visa application.
*Excludes high-risk countries.
*Excludes high-risk countries.
The work visa categories set to close are:
In order to address labour shortages in New Zealand's crucial industries the NZ government has implemented a "Green List" of sought-after high-skill occupations. This list offers a prioritised pathway to residency.
There are qualification and/or occupational registration requirements to meet. Occupations are broken down into two tiers:
The recent additions in May 2023 across many sectors on the Green List NZ can be found here