New Zealand Immigration Regulations at a glance

• Do I qualify for immigration to New Zealand?
• Which class should I apply under?
• What conditions do I need to satisfy?
• How long does it take to process a visa? Click here for more information

To help answer some of these questions here is a brief
introduction to the New Zealand immigration system...

Essentially, there are five main ways to emigrate to New Zealand. The usual
categories for permanent residence classes are:

Skilled Migrant

Family

Business

Investor

The other option is to apply for a Temporary Visa.

LATEST UPDATES - For recent changes and news on New Zealand immigration policies and regulations, please click here

SKILLED MIGRANT CATEGORY

Applying under skill categories has always been the most popular visa
class for permanent residency in New Zealand. All applicants for this
visa class must be under 56 years of age and are required to meet a
minimum of 100 points and meet the health, character and English
language prerequisite before an Expression of Interest can be lodged
with Immigration New Zealand.

Points are awarded for an offer of employment in New Zealand, work
experience, qualifications and age. Bonus points are available for
employment in areas of identified future growth, cluster or absolute
skill shortages. Bonus points are also available for employment outside
Auckland and for New Zealand qualifications.

Expressions of Interest are pooled and then ranked by Immigration
New Zealand according to specific selection criteria. Those applications
that meet the selected criteria will be selected in sufficient numbers
to meet the places available and will be invited to lodge an Application
for Residence in New Zealand. It is not on a first in, first served basis.
Applicants will then need to send all the necessary documents to
support the claims made in their Expression of Interest.

The key to success under this class is meeting the prerequisites as
outlined above AND arranging a relevant, valid skilled job offer in New
Zealand. Recent changes to the SMC policy now mean that applicants
with skilled jobs in New Zealand or an offer of skilled employment prior
to applying have a greater likelihood of being selected and invited to apply for residence. Applicants are strongly advised to engage the
services of a recognised migration consultancy with a job search or
employment office in New Zealand, as they will be able to assist you with
the lodgment and processing of your visa application as well
as the coordination of job leads/ interviews in New Zealand.

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FAMILY

The family class is divided into four sub-classes: Partnership, Parent,
Sibling/Adult Child and Dependant Child.

You may apply as a partner if you are legally married to a New Zealand
citizen or resident OR if you are in a genuine and stable de-facto
(common law) or same-sex relationship of at least 12 months duration.

You may apply as a parent if you satisfy the “centre of gravity” test,
meaning you have an equal or greater number of adult children living
in New Zealand than in any other country. Dependent children with a
parent in New Zealand may also be eligible to apply for permanent
residence. You may also be eligible to migrate to New Zealand if you
have a parent or sibling who is a permanent resident or citizen.

Parent Retirement Category
The main objective of this visa category is to provide residence to those already with family ties in New Zealand and who wish to make a contribution to New Zealand’s economy.  The new category will prioritise high net worth individuals already looking to migrate under the existing Family Category – Parent Class.  Currently the Family Parent Category is capped and has a lengthy processing time frame of approximately 2 years.  Applications under the new Parent Retirement Category will be processed quicker. Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Have an adult child who lives in New Zealand and is either a NZ citizen or resident;
• Be able to meet the ‘centre of gravity’ test under the Family Parent Policy;
• Be able to nominate funds/assets of at least NZ$1 million and undertake to invest that money in New Zealand for a period of four years
• Be able to show that they own the (legally acquired) funds/assets;
• Be able to transfer and invest the said funds in an acceptable investment in New Zealand; 
• Be able to nominate funds of NZ$0.5 million of settlement funds and demonstrate ownership of these funds;
• Have an annual income of at least NZ$60,000.

In this category, the applicant may include his/her partner and dependent children in the application.  The principal applicant, partner and dependents must also meet the health and character requirements. Should you be successful in your application, you will need to transfer and invest your funds in New Zealand within 12 months of your approval in principle.  If you fail to do so your application will be declined.
(See below for Temporary Retirement Visa)

BUSINESS

The Long-term Business Visa (LTBV)/Entrepreneur visa pathway is
generally open to business owners, senior managers, company directors
or those applicants with a successful history of self-employment or
business ownership.

To immigrate to New Zealand under this class there is no minimum
capital or past business ownership requirement. Instead applicants
must prepare a viable, well-researched business plan and possess
sufficient funds and relevant business experience to establish or
purchase the proposed business in New Zealand. It is important that
the business must be of benefit to New Zealand, in terms of creating
employment for New Zealanders, increasing foreign exchange earnings
or exports, revitalizing an existing business, or introducing new products,
services or technology into the New Zealand market place.

The process to immigrate to New Zealand on this pathway involves
two visa applications. Firstly, you will be issued with a long-term
business (work) visa, for an initial period of nine months, to enter New
Zealand to establish or purchase your business. Upon satisfying the
visa officer of this, you will then be issued a further work permit for up
to a maximum period of 3 years, allowing you to continue establishing
and running your business. Permanent residence is applied for under
the Entrepreneur Class, once the business has been successfully
established in New Zealand for at least 2 years and meets the prevailing
criteria. The success of the first stage (LTBV) largely depends on the
quality of your business plan, so make sure that you seek professional
advice from a Migration Consultant on this aspect.

The New Zealand government is looking to introduce a new Entrepreneur Plus category which will offer a faster path to residence for applicants
who create at least three full-time jobs for New Zealanders and invest
at least $500,000 in their business.

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INVESTOR CLASS

The Migrant Investment Policy is divided into 2 categories –

Investor Plus: For those investing at least $10 million in New Zealand
for three years. The age and English language requirements are relaxed
for this category.

Investor: For those investing at least $1.5 million in New Zealand for
four years. Applicants must be 65 years or younger, with at least $1
million in settlement funds and at least 3 year’s business experience.
There are more requirements relating to English language and minimum
annual time spent in New Zealand.

All applicants under both categories must meet health and character
requirements. The main advantage of this visa stream is that there is
no requirement to actively own or operate a business in New Zealand.

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TEMPORARY VISAS

A number of temporary visas are also available;

Work visa: If you are offered a job that cannot be filled by a New Zealander
and the New Zealand employer is willing to “sponsor” you, then it may
be possible for you to apply for a work visa. The visa is issued for the
duration of the employment contract or 3 years, whichever comes first.
Important note: New Zealand employers are generally reluctant to
sponsor offshore candidates unless there are specific skills shortages,
and often do not consider applicants unless they are ALREADY in
possession of a New Zealand residence visa, present in New Zealand
for interview and able to start work within 4-6 weeks. So, unless you
are to be transferred to New Zealand by your current employer, this
can be a very difficult visa to obtain.

Talent and Accredited Employer options also exist for applicants who
have a pre-arranged, skilled job offer in New Zealand.

Working Holiday Visa: Citizens of certain countries who are aged
between 18 years and 30 years may consider obtaining a Working
Holiday Visa. This visa enables you to work and travel for 1 year (2 years for citizens of the United Kingdom) but work must be restricted to casual
positions and you must not undertake permanent employment.

Student visa: If you are enrolled into a qualifying course at a New
Zealand tertiary institution, you can apply for a student visa. This visa
allows you to study and to work up to 20 hours per week.

Temporary Retirement Category: This is an extension visa designed for people who wish to stay in New Zealand longer than the 12 months of a visitor’s visa. Applicants will be issued with a 2 year multiple entry visitor’s visa which allows for travel in & out of New Zealand.  It is only a temporary visa. At the end of the 2 years, applicants must leave New Zealand or re-apply for a further visa under this category, subject to meeting the requirement of this visa.
Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Be aged 66 or over; and be able to nominate funds/assets of at least NZ$0.75 million and undertake to invest that money in New Zealand for a period of two years;
• Be able to show that they own the (legally earned or acquired) funds/assets;
• Be able to transfer & invest the said funds in an acceptable investment in New Zealand
• Be able to nominate funds of NZ$0.5 million of maintenance funds and demonstrate ownership of these funds; Have an annual income of at least NZ$60,000.

In this category, the applicant may include his/her partner but dependent children cannot be included. Both the principal applicant and partner must also meet the health and character requirements and hold and maintain comprehensive travel and or health insurance for the two year duration. Should you be successful in your application, you will need to transfer and invest your funds in New Zealand within 3 months of your approval in principle.  If you fail to do so your application will be declined.
(See above for Parent Retirement Visa (permanent)

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For further information on these visa options please contact our
experienced team of Client Services Agents as they will explain the
immigration regulations and entry criteria in greater detail.

New Zealand Migration News - For lots of useful information and handy tips on moving to this amazing country, please visit www.migrationnews.com

(Information in this page correct as at 1st September 2009).

LATEST UPDATES - For recent changes and news on New Zealand immigration policies and regulations, please click here