Dependent Children Visa
As a migrant, bringing your children with you is one of the priorities of your new life in NZ. The good news is that there are many pathways to do so.
The type of visa a migrant can apply for their children depends on the visa the parents are originally eligible for in NZ. Children may be eligible for visitor or student visas. Dependent children are not eligible for visas with work type conditions. A student visa is required to attend primary, an intermediate or secondary school in NZ. Pre-schoolers only require a visitor visa.
When applying for a new temporary visa, a migrant must apply for their children’s visa separately, however, when a migrant applies for a residency visa, the children are included in the main application, the criteria to be granted a visa stays the same, but there is only one fee to pay.
However, there are occasions when a migrant cannot include their children in their residency application. There are many reasons for this but most include the children living overseas when the parent applied to residency.
Fortunately, there is a specific Dependent Child Residency Visa to help families in these situations. The main issue regarding dependent child applications lies on their age and the “dependant” factor:
- Children under 17 must be single
- Children from 18 to 20 must be single and have no children of their own
- Children from 21 to 24 must be single, with no children of their own and to be financially dependent on an adult (who doesn’t need to be one of their parents
- Children over 24 or who doesn’t meet these criteria would need to start a migration path of their own in NZ
Children still need to meet general health requirements and, depending on their age, also meet character and English-language criteria.
How can we help?
We will take over the Dependent Child application, providing you with the most accurate list of evidence that will make the best case forward to INZ
We will apply for waivers for health issues, if necessary
We will update you about the status of your application throughout the entire time