News and notifications

Information for all travellers, student visa holders, migrant workers and employers.

Immigration New Zealand has extended its newcomer skills matching and job search assistance services programme to prioritise assisting skilled migrants who have lost jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Government is making changes to allow some Work to Residence (WTR) visa holders to maintain their pathway to residence.

Holders of visitor visas in New Zealand for longer than expected can now study for an extra 3 months, up to 6 months in a year.

Resident visa holders currently outside New Zealand whose travel conditions have expired or are about to expire will get an extension or new visa.

Approved Australians seeking to reunite with a New Zealand citizen or resident partner can request entry from early October.

From Monday 7 September 2020, selected New Zealand Visa Application Centres (VACs) will reopen to accept applications from people who meet the border exceptions criteria.

Do you want to have a Welcoming Community? Immigration New Zealand (INZ) wants to hear from you.

The Government is changing the visitor visa system to help temporary migrants and visitors to remain in New Zealand lawfully while they arrange to leave the country.

From Monday 31 August 2020 the New Zealand Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Beijing will operate from a new office.

The Government will apply the same expiry date extension of employer-assisted work visas made in July 2020 to the partners and dependants of the principal visa holder, where their visa would have expired from 17 August onward.

The Government is extending Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme visas by six months, allowing workers the opportunity to stay and work in New Zealand.

From 10 August 2020 Immigration New Zealand will be charging fees for border exception Expression of Interests (EOIs), and temporarily suspending overseas visa applications.

Today, 30 July, is a significant day for those involved in the fight against human trafficking and slavery. It is the United Nations Global Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

From July 27 2020, we will be using a median wage threshold to decide how long someone can stay on an Essential Skills visa and their options to support family.

Appendix 7 is a list of occupations that can be treated as an exception to certain skill level assessments and will be updated on 27 July 2020.

Some victims and families of the Christchurch mosque attacks intending to travel to New Zealand for the August sentencing will be able to request a border exception under new humanitarian grounds.

On July 7, the Government made 3 key changes to temporary work visas. These changes are due to the impact that COVID-19 continues to have on businesses and temporary work visa holders in New Zealand.

On 24 February 2020, we are making changes to the allocation of Skilled Migrant Category and Residence from Work Category applications. We will continue to prioritise people with occupational registration and those earning twice the median wage (currently NZD $51 an hour and NZD $106,080 a year). However, applicants for Talent (Accredited Employer) Resident Visas will no longer be prioritised.

All migrant workers from the Pacific who are in New Zealand on temporary work visas will be offered the MMR vaccine to prevent the spread of measles

When refugee and protection claimants apply for a temporary visa, we will pay for a chest x-ray and may accept a statutory declaration if they cannot provide police certificates.

On 24 February 2020 the wage or salary thresholds for Skilled Migrant Resident Visas and Essential Skills Work Visas will increase.

We have contacted a group of people who were recently declined visas to visit a New Zealand citizen or resident partner. These people have been told they may apply for a visitor visa which will be assessed against updated guidelines. The fee for this application will be waived.

The Pathway Student Visa will become permanent from January 2021 and the pilot project will continue until then.

We are updating the Culturally Arranged Marriage Visitor Visa so that people who had arranged marriages overseas can apply for a visitor visa, and giving more guidance for getting a general visitor visa to join a partner.

A new version of ANZSCO has been released. We will continue to use the previous version until the middle of next year, although not for every occupation.

From October 2019, visa applicants only need to provide a Notarised Police Certificate with their visa application.

The review is underway and your views are crucial. Find out how to get involved and give feedback on the proposals.

The Government recently announced an increase of 1550 RSE workers for 2019/20. We have now agreed how those extra workers will be allocated to RSE employers.

Applications for the Parent Resident Visa will open again from February 2020 with new criteria that applicants and sponsors must meet.

The Minister of Immigration has announced how many RSE workers can come to New Zealand for the coming season and changes to accommodation employers must provide.

An initiative aimed at creating thriving and inclusive communities is going nationwide.

The Minister of Immigration has announced changes to the way employers support migrant workers for temporary work visas.

From 7 October we are changing the Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa.

On 7 October the Silver Fern Job Search Work Visa will close permanently.

If you are applying for a visa in China do not use an unlicensed, undeclared agent to assist you with your visa application.

A New Zealand Visa Application Centre (VAC) will be opening in Kyiv, Ukraine on Monday 2 September 2019.

The New Zealand Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Beijing is moving.

Visa holders in New Zealand are being contacted by a person pretending to be from Immigration New Zealand. They are demanding money to be sent to them, in order to maintain or correct their immigration status in New Zealand. This is a scam.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has published the successful registration numbers for the 2019 Samoan Quota.

From Monday 1 July 2019 New Zealand Visa Application Centres (VAC) in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Cochin, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore will operate from new locations.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has published the successful registration numbers for the 2019 Pacific Access Category.

From Monday 3 June 2019 the New Zealand Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Guanzhou will be in a new location. The Beijing VAC relocation has been delayed until further notice.

From 13 May, we are raising the minimum income for some visa holders to reflect changes to New Zealand benefit rates.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has completed its regular review of the Essential Skills in Demand (ESID) lists, and changes to the lists will take effect on 27 May 2019.

From Monday 13 May 2019 the New Zealand Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Ankara will be in a new location.

People directly affected by the terrorist attacks in Christchurch and their families can now apply for permanent residence in New Zealand if they want to.

On 1 May 2019 the service fee you pay to some Visa Application Centres (VACs) is changing.

We are committed to doing everything we can to support all those who have been affected by this tragedy.

On 25 February 2019, the Government confirmed details of the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA), which is a new security and facilitation measure that will help to speed things up at the border.

The Government has decided on the New Zealand Residence Programme (NZRP) Planning Range through to the end of the year.

The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) has declared a 6-week seasonal labour shortage across Hawke’s Bay, which will run from 25 February to 5 April 2019.

Successful registration numbers for the 2018 Samoan Quota are now available.

Following the ballot draws that occurred on 8 June 2018, all successful registration numbers for the Pacific Access Category are now available.