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Which New Zealand Visa is right for you?

The New Zealand Immigration system holds a broad range of visa options for migrants to stay in New Zealand. Some may only apply for the visa once, whilst the majority would have an immigration pathway where multiple visa applications are involved. Tailoring your own visa plans in New Zealand, choosing the most suitable visa types, and submitting quality applications at each stage, is all crucial for the success of your migration.

Resident Visas and Temporary Visas

The type of visa you will need for your stay in New Zealand depends on your intent and purpose:

Visit

Study

Work

Business

Investor

Join your Family

Work

Business

Invest + Retire

Join Family

Join Your Partner

Applying for a Resident Visa for New Zealand

If you want to stay in New Zealand permanently, you will need a Residence Class Visa. The Residence Class Visas will entitle you to stay in New Zealand indefinitely and to live, work and study.

Visas to become a New Zealand resident:

1

Skilled Migrant Category

This visa category is the main pathway for migrants to apply for New Zealand residence. You will need a sound professional background and find skilled employment in New Zealand.

2

Business and Investor Visas

If you are an entrepreneur wanting to buy or establish and operate your own business, or look into investing your funds in New Zealand, one of the Business and Investor Resident Category might be the top options for you to consider.

3

Family Visas

Is your Partner, Parent(s), or Child a New Zealand citizen or Resident? You might be able to join them in New Zealand under one of the Family Stream Visas.

4

Parent Retirement Visas

Are you planning to invest a fund for your retirement years and make the most of New Zealand's cosy lifestyle accompanied by your Resident/Citizen child(ren)? If yes, you might want to choose the Parent Retirement Visa pathway.

5

Straight-to-Residence/Work to Residence Visa

Are you a professional in a high-skilled and/or globally hard-to-find position, in the field such as engineering, healthcare, education, or information technology? If yes, you might qualify for a Straight-to-Residence or Work-to-Residence Visa under the Green List policy directly from offshore.

6

Permanent Resident Visa

After you have obtained your Resident Visa and live in New Zealand for certain years, you will need to apply for the Permanent Resident Visa as the last stage for you to stay, freely depart and re-enter New Zealand indefinitely.

Applying for a Temporary Visa for New Zealand

The purpose of New Zealand’s temporary entry visas is to facilitate the entry of genuine visitors, students and temporary workers.

Visas allowing you to be in New Zealand for a temporary stay:

01.
Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV)

Required if you’d like to work in New Zealand for a certain period of time.

02.
Student Visas

Usually required if you’d like to study more than 3 months.

03.
Visitor Visas

We all must start somewhere. And for some of us, this means a visitor visa.

04.
Residence Class Visas

If you’d like to settle permanently  in New Zealand, this is your visa.

05.
Dependent Children

Several options for dependent children.

06.
Partner Visas

If you are in a relationship with an NZ citizen or someone holding an NZ visa, this is an option you should definitely consider.

03.
Visitor Visas

We all must start somewhere. And for some of us, this means a visitor visa.

04.
Residence Class Visas

If you’d like to settle permanently  in New Zealand, this is your visa.

05.
Dependent Children

Several options for dependent children.

06.
Partner Visas

If you are in a relationship with an NZ citizen or someone holding an NZ visa, this is an option you should definitely consider.

07.
Employer Accreditation

If you run a NZ-based business and employ migrant workers

08.
Section 61

If you are unlawfully in New Zealand and would like to resolve your situation.

Please Note:

A bona fide applicant for temporary entry is a person who genuinely intends a temporary stay in New Zealand for a lawful purpose; and in the opinion of an immigration officer is not likely to remain in New Zealand unlawfully, or to breach the conditions of any visa granted.

Sponsorship for a temporary entry visa application ensures that applicants have means of support in New Zealand, and protects from the potential cost of the visa holder seeking support or government assistance they are not entitled to.

Other things relevant to your settlement in New Zealand
Visa Waiver countries

Citizens or nationals holding a passport from certain countries/districts may travel to New Zealand without the need of applying for a visa before departure. However a NZeTA pass may be required prior to the trip.

Refugee and protection

New Zealand is bound by several international instruments to facilitate refugees, asylum seekers and protected persons to settle and lead their life in New Zealand. Offshore applicants, unless otherwise specified, will normally need to contact the United Nation in the first place before they seek support from the New Zealand government.

Citizenship

There are four ways of becoming a New Zealand citizen, only one of them is relevant for migrants.

– Citizenship by birth in New Zealand
– Citizenship by descent
– Adoption
– Citizenship by grant

For the Citizenship by grant approach, the eligible applicant will need to be a New Zealand resident first and spend a significant period of time in New Zealand.

Contact us for a professional assessment on your New Zealand visa pathway now!