People coming to new Zealand must meet various requirements to be allowed entry. For example, they must be healthy and of good character. The health requirements for non-New Zealand citizens or residents are to ensure that they are unlikely to endanger public health or impose significant costs or demands on our health and/or education services.
Applicants for temporary entry must also be able to do what they have come here for – eg work, study.
People visiting for less than six months are not generally required to provide evidence of good health because it would be impractical to require the almost 2.5 million visitors annually to undergo health screening.
Immigration New Zealand medical assessors assess and recommend whether a person is of an acceptable standard of health (ASH). All assessors are medical practitioners.
Applicants for residence and applicants for temporary entry are assessed to determine whether they are ASH using separate sets of criteria.
Visitors are encouraged to take out travel and medical insurance before arrival because they are not entitled to free health care except if they have an accident, in which case they are covered by the Accident Compensation Corporation.
The Ministry of Health decides the point (ie immigration status/duration of stay) at which non-New Zealanders are eligible for publicly-funded health. Everyone who applies to live here for more than 12 months must have a full medical and chest X-ray certificate.
People visiting for 6–12 months and who are from, or have spent a lot of time in, a country with TB risk factors must have a TB chest screening X-ray. Children under 11 and pregnant women are not usually required to have an X-ray.
Women applying to enter New Zealand on a temporary basis and intending to give birth here are considered ASH, but are required to prove that they are a bona fide visitor, student or worker and are either eligible for publicly-funded maternity health services or are able to pay for maternity health services. If they are not eligible for publicly-funded health care, evidence of at least NZ$9,000 is required, in addition to adequate funds for maintenance and accommodation.
Pregnant women with risk factors for pulmonary tuberculosis are required to provide a chest X-ray certificate within three months of giving birth, if they had not provided such a certificate with a previous application.
People who are not ASH may be granted a medical waiver if they meet all other requirements for approval of their application. Waiver applications are considered on merit, including whether the applicant:
The intended length of stay is also considered. Granting a medical waiver for temporary entry does not mean a similar waiver would be granted if the person applied for residence. Medical waivers are not granted to people who require dialysis treatment, or have TB, severe haemophilia or a severe physical incapacity that requires full-time care. These are disqualifying conditions. Only the Minister of Immigration can overrule this. Non-ASH partners or dependent children of New Zealand citizens or residents will be granted a medical waiver unless they have a disqualifying condition.
