Parent Boost Visa set to launch in September 2025

The new visa will help reunite migrant families and opens the door for longer family stays in NZ.

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If you employ migrant workers, you may have heard that the government is set to introduce a new Parent Boost Visa (PBV) in late September. This visa will allow eligible parents of New Zealand residents or citizens to stay in the country for up to five years, with the option to apply for a second five-year visa. In total, parents may be able to remain in New Zealand for up to ten years.

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As expected, several eligibility conditions will apply. These include:

• Being sponsored by at least one adult child who is a New Zealand citizen or resident and who lives in New Zealand.
  

• Must be of good health (a high threshold has been set).
  

• Hold health insurance to cover emergency medical and/or cancer treatment, repatriation back to their home country if a serious health condition develops or in the event of death.
  

• Have enough funds to support themselves, or their New Zealand-based children earn enough to fund their parents’ stay.
  

• It will be a visitor visa, which means parents cannot work while in New Zealand, but they can work remotely while onshore if they have an overseas employer or business and may study for up to 3-months each calendar year.

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This will really help migrants who struggle to balance childcare and work without local family support, reunite families, maintain close ties with family and help new migrants to settle. It may even help your offshore recruitment strategy as often skilled workers will not come without their parents.

Visa applications for the PBV open on 29 September 2025. The government expects up to 10,000 applications in the first year.

The key takeaway for this visa is that people must understand it is a temporary visa not a pathway to residence. The insurance and funds requirements are to make sure the taxpayer does not cover costs for healthcare, maintenance, repatriation and PBV holders are cared for by children who are living in New Zealand.

Existing residence categories for parents are not changing. The PBV might be a good temporary measure for parents who want to apply for residence but do not want to wait overseas while their residence application is in a queue.  

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Need help figuring out if your family qualifies? Have staff expressed interest in bringing parents to New Zealand? Our team offers free assessments and tailored advice.

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