Nuku’alofa Branch is one of three Immigration New Zealand (INZ) offices located in the Pacific. Our office is located on the ground floor of the Royco Building, Fatafehi Road, Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga.

Our branch employs 13 local staff who are fluent in both English and Tongan. The branch management consists of two seconded New Zealanders, Branch Manager Ms Michelle Frankham and Immigration Manager Mr Antony Jukich.

The branch provides immigration assistance to the whole of Tonga which consists of four main island groups – Tongatapu, Ha’apai, Vava’u and the Niuas. The branch also maintains a close relationship and supports MFAT posts in the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia. (All three posts have a trained and warranted immigration officer).

Staff at the branch process the following temporary visa applications:

• visitor
• work
• student
• transit (not required for Tongan Nationals), and
• limited visas for seasonal workers under the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Scheme.

We are the receiving office for Pacific Access Category (PAC) registrations which allows for 250 people to apply for New Zealand residence each year. The dates of the PAC registration period are announced each year, prior to registration opening. We strongly recommend that you lodge your PAC registrations with us early. Please don’t wait for the final few days of registration as this results in long queues and lengthy delays to have your registrations accepted.

The PAC electronic ballot is conducted in New Zealand and we will contact all the successful registrants who may then lodge their residence applications with us.