Immigration Programme

New Zealand's Immigration Programme and General Information

The New Zealand Government has identified a target of 45,000 residence approvals annually. This number is split 60% to business and skilled migration, and 40% to family and international/humanitarian categories.

Immigration to New Zealand may be achieved through temporary or residence categories. Temporary categories include visitor, work, and student visas and permits. Residence categories grant the right to live permanently in New Zealand and are also available through a number of policies.
For information about the various categories, please click on Immigration Categories

Family Members of Temporary Visa/Permit holders

In general, spouses, partners and dependent children will be granted visas and permits for the same duration as the principal applicant (although, depending on the category, separate applications may be required). Younger dependent children may be granted Student Permits and can attend school on the same low cost basis as New Zealand residents.

Year 12 and 13 dependent children (approximate age 17 - 19 years) may be granted variations to student permits to allow part time work.

However, please note that older (age 17-24) dependent children will not be granted work permits and must either stay on visitor permits or pay international fees for tertiary education.

Spouse, Partner, De Facto

For immigration purposes, marriage is no longer considered adequate evidence of the 'genuine and stable' nature of a relationship and 'Partnership' policies have been developed to cover the various personal relationships. Applicants under partnership categories, including those who have been married for a number of years, will be required to provide verification of the stable and genuine nature of their relationship.

Pets

If you will be wanting to bring a pet with you, please check the MAF and Pets Quarantine websites on our Links page. Because of the importance of our agricultural industry, very strict requirements apply to bringing animals into NZ and the process you may have to go through in your home country could take several months.