As of 16 May 2012, the Parent Category has been temporarily closed and Immigration New Zealand (INZ) will not be accepting Parent Category applications. It will re-open in July 2012 with changes to the requirements.

This closure allows for preparations for a smoother reopening of the category after the changes are implemented. If you wish to apply for residence under the Parent Category, you will be able to make an Expression of Interest (EOI) when the category reopens in July 2012.

For more information, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions or Parent Category changes factsheet PDF [41KB].

What changes are being made?

Several changes will be made to Parent Category requirements and processes:

• People will need to submit an EOI before they can apply under the category.
• There will be a two tier system for applications, with different requirements and priorities given to each tier.
• There will be new requirements that people will need to meet in order to gain residence under the category. These are different for each tier.

EOI system

People will be able to express their interest in applying for New Zealand residence under the Parent Category by completing the appropriate EOI form and submitting it to INZ, along with a NZ$420 fee. A branch for receiving EOIs and an appropriate form will be confirmed at a later date.

EOIs will be entered into the Parent Category pool under either tier one or tier two, depending on the requirements they claim to meet. EOIs will be drawn from the pool periodically. After this, the people who submitted these EOIs will either be invited to apply for residence or have their EOIs declined.

Two tiered system

Unlike the previous Parent Category, the new Parent Category will have two tiers with separate requirements and priorities applying to each. To gain residence, a person needs to meet the requirements for either tier one or tier two as well as the generic requirements for the category, such as family relationship, sponsorship, health and character. The requirements for each tier are outlined below.

New requirements

Tier one

People applying under tier one must meet the following requirements:

• They must have either 
• a guaranteed life-time minimum income of $27,203 per annum for a single person or $39,890 per annum for a couple, or
• minimum settlement funds of $500,000 which they bring to New Zealand, or
• a sponsoring adult child who has an income of at least $65,000 per annum or $90,000 per annum when combined with the sponsor’s partner’s income.
• They must not have any dependent children.
• They must meet at least two competencies of IELTS Level 4.0, meet an equivalent requirement or pre-purchase English for Speakers of Other Languages tuition at a cost of $1,735.

Tier two

People applying under tier two must meet all of the following requirements:

• They must have a sponsoring adult child who has an income of at least $33,675 per annum.
• If the applicants have other adult children, the children must all live lawfully and permanently outside the country in which they live.
• They must not have any dependent children. 
• They must meet at least two competencies of IELTS Level 4.0, meet an equivalent requirement or pre-purchase English for Speakers of Other Languages tuition at a cost of $1,735.

All applicants must also meet the general requirements of family relationship (with their sponsor), and be of good health and character. However, a “centre of gravity” requirement will no longer apply to the Parent Category. 

Existing Parent Category applications processed as usual

If you have already applied for residence under the Parent Category, the temporary closure will not affect your application. Your application will be processed as usual and will need to meet the requirements that were in place on the date INZ received your application.

Parent Retirement Category remains open

People can still apply under the Parent Retirement Category. INZ will process these applications as usual. The Parent Retirement Category is separate from the Parent Category.

Parent Retirement Category applications are given priority over Parent Category applications. They are processed at our Business Migration Branch in Wellington.

Timeframes for Parent Category applications

New Zealand carefully plans the allocation of residence places. The Government's residence programme gives priority to skilled and business migrants and partners of returning New Zealanders. The Capped Family stream (which includes the Parent Category) is currently allocated 14,850 to 16,500 places between July 2011 and June 2014. 

Demand for Parent Category residence places currently exceeds the number of places available. With the exception of the Parent Retirement Category, there is a current waiting time of over 24 months for a place to become available.