Family Visas

Family residence

A family member who is a New Zealand citizen or resident can sponsor another family member to move to New Zealand if you are their:

Partner – you are the husband, wife, defacto or civil union partner of a New Zealand citizen or resident.

Dependent child – you are a dependent child with a parent who is a New Zealand citizen or resident.

Parent – you have a child who is a New Zealand citizen or resident.

Partner

If you are the partner of a New Zealand citizen or resident and you would like to join your partner, you will need to apply for residence in New Zealand. Your partner must support your application for you to qualify.

Child of a New Zealand resident

If you are a dependent child (aged up to 24 years) and wish to move to New Zealand to live with your parent(s), then you will need to apply for residence in New Zealand. Your parent or parents must be either New Zealand citizens or residents and be living in New Zealand.

Parent of New Zealand resident or citizen
(This Visa Category is currently closed until further notice)

If you are the parent(s) of a New Zealand citizen or resident and your child has been living in New Zealand for at least three years, then you may be eligible to join them in New Zealand under the Parent Category.

Previously, parents could only immigrate to New Zealand based on the ‘centre of gravity’ principle i.e. having an equal number of children (or more) living in New Zealand than in any other country. This rule no longer applies. Your eligibility is now based on economic principles and you may qualify for residence on the basis of having only one child resident in New Zealand.

Parents wanting to apply for residence in New Zealand will first need to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI), which we will complete and lodge on your behalf and then wait for you to be invited to apply. Once an invitation to apply has been issued, only then can you lodge a residence application.

How are the Parent Category EOIs prioritised?

To apply for a Parent Resident Visa, you must first submit an expression of interest (EOI) in order to receive an invitation to apply for residence (ITA).

EOIs are selected every 3 months from a queue and by ballot.
  • The queue contains EOIs received before 12 October 2022. The first selection was 14 November 2022.
  • The ballot contains EOIs received from 12 October 2022. The first selection was 8 August 2023.

Selections occur in February, May, August and November, and generally take place on the second Tuesday of the relevant month.

The queue contains EOIs received on or before 11 October 2022.
  • The oldest EOIs are selected first from the queue.
  • The first selection was 14 November 2022.
  • INZ selects enough applications to reach 2000 visa approvals each year, until there are no EOIs remaining in the queue.

INZ selects at least 400 EOIs from the queue at each selection. Before each selection, INZ decides if they need more than 400 based on the success rate from the previous selection.

INZ put EOIs received on or after 12 October 2022 into a ballot pool.
  • INZ selects EOIs in a random selection every 3 months.
  • In order to be included in a selection, your EOI must be submitted by the last day of the month before the selection. For example, submit      your EOI on or before 31 July to be in an August selection.
  • INZ selects enough EOI’s to reach 500 visa approvals each year.
  • If you have an EOI in the queue (received before 12 October 2022) you can submit another EOI to the ballot.

Advising migrants since 1987 – Tri Nations Migration

For more information on on how to immigrate to New Zealand or Australia or even to apply for an Australian Visa or New Zealand Visa, contact us.