On 16 May 2012, the Sibling and Adult Child Category of residence closed. Immigration New Zealand (INZ) no longer receives applications for residence under this category. INZ will return any applications under this category received on or after 16 May 2012 without processing them (no fee will be charged).

For more information, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions on changes to the Sibling and Adult Child categories.

New timeframes for existing Sibling and Adult Child Category applications

Sibling and Adult Child residence applications that INZ received on or before 15 May 2012 can take up to five years to process from the date they were lodged. This is because there are limited places available under the New Zealand Residence Programme, which sets how many people may be granted New Zealand residence each year, and because Sibling and Adult Child applications will only be processed after applications under tier one of the Parent Category.

Sibling and Adult Child residence applications will need to meet the requirements that were in place on the date they were received by INZ.

What other residence categories might I apply under?

If you were intending to apply for residence under the Sibling and Adult Child Category but are now unable to, you still may be able to apply for New Zealand residence under another category. We encourage you to look through the list of residence categories below and visit the relevant web page to see if you are able to apply.

Investor/skilled migrant

• Skilled Migrant Category
• Investor 1 Category
• Investor 2 Category
• Entrepreneur Category
• Entrepreneur Plus Category
• Residence from Work Category

Uncapped Family

• Partner Category
• Dependent Child Category

Capped Family

• Parent Retirement Category
• Parent Category

Humanitarian

• Several categories are in place under the humanitarian categories.