Monday, 30 July 2007

About these questions

Questions 1-2 are general questions about the Refugee Family Support Category.

 

Questions 3-11 cover tier one sponsorship requirements and information for tier one sponsors. 

 

Questions 12-15 cover tier two sponsorship requirements, for sponsors who think they do not meet tier one requirements.

 

Questions 16 onwards apply to all sponsors.

1. What is the Refugee Family Support Category?

The Refugee Family Support Category allows New Zealanders who were granted residence as refugees or protected persons to sponsor a family member and that person’s partner and dependent children for New Zealand residence.  Each year there are 300 places available.

 

Note: The Refugee Family Support Category replaces the previous Refugee Family Quota ballot system.

2. How does the Refugee Family Support Category work?

The Refugee Family Support Category has a two tier registration system with priority given to tier one sponsors who meet a high threshold of need. 

Overview of two tier registration system

• Registrations from tier one sponsors will be given first access to available places by entry into a queue.
• Registrations will be selected from the tier one queue until the annual number of places available is met.
• If there are still places available for a particular year, we will call for registrations from tier two sponsors for entry into a ballot*.
• Family members can apply for residence under this category if their sponsor’s registration is selected from the tier one queue or drawn from the tier two ballot.
• Family members then have to apply for a resident visa.

* There may be a review in 2011 to see if places are available under the Refugee Family Support Category to open the tier two ballot.

TIER ONE SPONSORS

3. Am I eligible to be a tier one sponsor under the Refugee Family Support Category?

To be a tier one sponsor under the Refugee Family Support Category, you must:

• be in New Zealand; and
• be a New Zealand citizen, or the holder of a current residence class visa; and
• have been granted residence in New Zealand on the basis of your status as a refugee or protected person; and
• be aged 18 years or over; and
• either have no ‘immediate family’ living lawfully and permanently in New Zealand, or be the ‘sole carer - Refugee Family Support Category’ of a ‘dependent relative’ or ‘dependent relatives’ in New Zealand; and
• have no other ‘family member’ eligible to be sponsored for residence under any other residence instructions; and
• have not successfully sponsored under the Refugee Family Support Category (or Refugee Family Quota) category before, see question 26 for more detail.

4. Who can I sponsor as a tier one sponsor under the Refugee Family Support Category?

If you are a tier one sponsor you may register to sponsor any one of the following family members:

• parent; or
• grandparent; or
• grandchild; or
• uncle; or
• aunt; or
• nephew; or
• niece; or
• adult sibling; or
• adult child,
  
  …and that person’s partner and/or dependent children.

That family member must not be eligible for residence under any other category of residence instructions (eg. Skilled Migrant Category).

5. Do I need to have been resident in New Zealand for three years?

No, this is not a requirement for tier one sponsors.

6. What types of evidence should I provide to show that I am a ‘sole carer’ of a dependent relative or dependent relatives in New Zealand?

You are considered to be a sole carer of a dependent relative or relatives in New Zealand if you have the primary responsibility for the day to day care of a dependent relative or relatives in New Zealand, on an ongoing basis.

 

Examples of the types of evidence that you may provide to show that you are a sole carer:

• evidence of Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) payments made to you (where the you are considered by ACC to be a provider of home help to a sick or injured relative or relatives); and/or
• evidence from a district health board, general practitioner or other health agency which specifies you are the carer of a dependent relative or relatives; and/or
• evidence from Work and Income that the dependent relative or relatives are on an invalid’s benefit; and/or
• evidence from Work and Income that you are in receipt of a ‘Domestic Purposes Benefit- care of sick or infirm’ (DPB- CSI) (where you are caring full-time at home for someone who would otherwise require hospital care, rest home care or residential disability care); and/or
• evidence that the dependent relative or relatives are totally or substantially reliant on you for financial support whether they are living with you or not (where the dependent relative(s) are 16 or younger).  This may include evidence from Work and Income that you are in receipt of a ‘Domestic Purposes Benefit- sole parent’, ‘Unsupported Childs Benefit’, ‘Widows Benefit’ or ‘Orphans Benefit’.

Note: If you have immediate family in New Zealand (partner, parent, or adult children), you will also need to provide an explanation of why these family members are unable to assist you in the care of your dependent relative/s.

7. How will the tier one queue be formed?

Approved registrations will be queued in order of receipt and entered into an electronic database.   

8. How will registrations from the eligible tier one sponsors received on the same day be added to the queue?

Registrations received from eligible Tier One sponsors on the same day will be entered into the queue in the fairest manner possible. This will involve them being entered into the queue in the order they are received by the processing officer/s.

9. What if I am in the tier one sponsor queue but not immediately invited to apply for residence for my family?

There will be an annual limit of 300 applicants in total for the Refugee Family Support Category (about 70-80 sponsors). 

 

Once we have provisionally entered your registration into the queue you will receive a letter notifying you of your registration number.  We will verify the information you have provided in your registration, and if the details that you have provided in your registration form are true and correct, your registration will remain in the tier one queue.  If we consider that you are not eligible to be a tier one sponsor, we will contact you.

 

We will select confirmed registrations from the tier one queue until the annual available number of places is met.  If your registration is confirmed, and you are selected from the queue we will write to you and include information on how your family members can make an application for residence.

Latest information on tier one queue progress

• 75 new sponsor registrations representing 295 people were received during the first six months of the current financial year (from 1 July 2011).
• 28 sponsors representing 84 people were issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA) between 1 July 2011 and 31 December 2011.
• As of 3 February 2012 there were 20 RFSC sponsor registrations yet to be decided.

Tier two category

Immigration New Zealand is currently finalising the policy and operational processes that need to be implemented for the opening of the Tier Two category.

10. Once I’m in the tier one sponsor queue can I lose my place?

No, your place is guaranteed, however you must advise us if any change to your circumstances occurs which may affect your ability to meet tier one sponsorship requirements.

 

Note: Should you decide to change your nominee(s) after your registration has been entered into the tier one queue, you will need to submit another registration form together with the fees. We will write to you about your first registration (see question 20 below).Your second registration will be entered into the queue according to the date that it is received by the processing officer/s.

11. What if I don’t meet the tier one sponsor criteria?

You may be eligible for the tier two ballot.  If there were fewer registrations in the queue than available places for a given year, a second tier will operate for those with a lower threshold of need (tier two sponsors) see questions 12 to 15 for more detail.

TIER TWO SPONSORS

12.  Who can register as a tier two sponsor?

To register as a tier two sponsor under the Refugee Family Support Category, you must:

• be in New Zealand; and
• be a New Zealand citizen, or the holder of a current residence class visa that is not subject to requirements under s49(1) of the Immigration Act 2009; and
• have been granted residence in New Zealand on the basis of your status as a refugee or protected person; and
• be aged 18 years or over; and
• have no other ‘family member’ eligible to be sponsored for residence under any other residence instructions; and
• have not successfully sponsored under the Refugee Family Support Category (or Refugee Family Quota) instructions before; and
• have been a New Zealand citizen, or the holder of a current residence class visa for at least three years immediately preceding the date your registration is lodged; and
• have spent a total of 184 days or more in New Zealand in each of those three years.

13. Who can I sponsor as a tier two sponsor under the Refugee Family Support Category?

If you are a tier two sponsor you may register to sponsor any one of the following family members:

• parent; or
• adult sibling; or
• adult child; or
• grandparent (if that grandparent is your legal guardian),
  
  …and that person’s partner and/or dependent children.

That family member must not be eligible for residence under any other category of residence instructions (eg. Skilled Migrant Category).

14. How will tier two work?

The second tier will not be queued; instead a ballot will be run to select sponsors in sufficient numbers to meet the number of available places. Where a sponsor is drawn from the ballot and the sponsor meets tier two sponsorship requirements, their sponsored family members will receive an invitation to apply for residence. 

 

The Refugee Family Support Category tier two ballot registration period will be announced by Immigration New Zealand, if and when places are available for tier two potential applicants (places will be available if the number of potential applicants included in registrations in the tier one queue is less than the number of available places within the annual period).

15.  What is the likelihood of tier two places being available?

Statistics from previous years suggest that tier one sponsors (formerly known as priority sponsors) have consistently applied in numbers greater than places available. There may be a review in 2011 to see if places are available under the Refugee Family Support Category to open the tier two ballot.

TIER ONE AND TIER TWO SPONSORS

16. How do I register to be a sponsor?

The Refugee Family Support Category tier one queue opened on 12 November 2007 with no end date.

 

Registrations must be made on the official registration form Registration Form for Refugee Family Support Category Sponsor (NZIS 1094). This form is available on the forms and guides pages, or from onshore branches of INZ.

17.  Where do I submit my sponsor registration?

Registrations should be sent to:

 

Immigration New Zealand
Refugee Family Support Category
PO Box 22315
Otahuhu
Auckland 1640
New Zealand

 

Remember to include the correct fee (see question 21) and any other requested information.  All registrations must be by mail to the mail box listed above.

18.  Is there any limit to the number of people I can sponsor?

Yes. You can only sponsor one family member and their partner and dependent children.  For example, if you have a brother and sister, you can only sponsor one of them, together with their partner and children.  You cannot sponsor both your brother and sister. 

 

You must include the partner and dependent children of the person you wish to sponsor in your registration. 

 

Only those people included in your initial registration may subsequently be included in a residence application under the Refugee Family Support Category.

 

Note: Any existing partner or dependent children not included in your registration form will not be able to be included in the subsequent residence application.  Any existing partner or dependent child not included in your registration form will also not be able to be approved if they apply for residence later under the Partnership or Dependent Child instructions of the Family Category.

However, any child of a principal applicant for residence who is born or adopted after the registration was submitted may be included in the principal applicant’s residence application.  The same applies to a new partner if, for example, the partner meets our Family Partnership category requirements after the sponsor’s registration was submitted.

 

19. What should I include with my registration?

Along with your signed and completed form, you must include:

• the correct registration fee (see question 21 below); and
• evidence of your immigration status in New Zealand; and 
• evidence that you are a New Zealand citizen or residence class visa holder; and
• birth certificates for the family members included in your registration if you are able to provide these; and
• if you are a tier one sponsor who is applying for sponsorship on the basis of meeting the sole carer requirement you must also include evidence that you are a sole carer (see question 6).

All documents provided must be either certified true copies or originals.  For speed of registration processing and document security, we recommend that you provide certified true copies instead of originals.  If you want to submit original documents and want them returned to you by secure means, you should supply a pre-paid self-addressed courier envelope.  Otherwise we will return any original documents by ordinary mail.

20. How many registrations are allowed?

Only one registration from each sponsor is allowed.  In addition, the people you wish to sponsor must not be included in any other registration.

 

If any of the people you wish to sponsor are found to be included in another registration that has already been accepted, your registration will not be accepted.

21. How much does it cost to register as a sponsor?

Tier one sponsors must pay a NZ$75 registration fee, which is not refundable should your registration be unsuccessful. 

 

First time tier two sponsors must pay a NZ$75 registration fee, if you have registered for the tier two ballot before in any previous year, you only need to pay a re-registration fee of NZ$55. These fees are not refundable if your registration is unsuccessful in the ballot.

 

If your registration is selected, the people you have sponsored will need to pay a residence application fee, any costs of medical examinations, police certificates and other required documents.  Should the people listed on your registration be granted residence under the Refugee Family Support Category, they are responsible for their own travel arrangements and all living costs in New Zealand. 

22.  How can I pay the registration fee?

You can pay by bank cheque in New Zealand dollars or by credit card (MasterCard or Visa). Our New Zealand branches do not accept cash. We do not accept money orders.

23.  Under what circumstances will my registration not be accepted?

Your registration and fee will be returned to you if any of the people you have included:

• are already included in another sponsor’s registration; or
• have a current residence application under any other category under consideration by Immigration New Zealand at the time your registration is lodged; or
• are unlawfully in New Zealand at the time your registration is lodged; or
• are currently claiming refugee or protection status in New Zealand.

Note: You must have only one registration in the tier one queue or tier two ballot at any time.  If you lodge more than one registration, the second and subsequent registration forms will not be accepted.

24.  Why is my registration fee not refunded if my registration is not successful?

Registration fees pay for the costs that are incurred in processing a registration.  The processing costs of successful and unsuccessful registrations are the same.

25.  If my registration is selected from the queue or drawn from the ballot, how do the people I have listed qualify for residence under the Refugee Family Support Category?

Your family member and their partner and dependent children may be granted residence under the Refugee Family Support Category if:

• we can confirm that you meet the relevant sponsorship requirements and that your registration has been selected from the queue or drawn from the ballot; and
• they are not eligible for residence in New Zealand under any other category of Government residence instructions with the exception of the Family Quota Category; and
• we can confirm the relationship between you and your family members; and
• they meet health and character requirements; and
• they lodge a residence application within twelve months of advice from Immigration New Zealand to you that your registration has been selected.

26.  If my registration is selected, but the people I have listed do not get residence, am I eligible to register again as a sponsor?

Yes.  You are only considered to have successfully sponsored someone under the Refugee Family Support Category (or Refugee Family Quota) – and are, therefore, ineligible to sponsor again under this category – if the person you sponsored is consequently granted residence in New Zealand.

27.  Who can I contact with further questions?

You can visit your local Immigration branch, or phone:

• 0508 55 88 55 (if you are within New Zealand but outside of Auckland), or
• 09 914 4100 (if you are calling from Auckland), or
• +64 9 914 4100 (if you are calling from outside of New Zealand).