News and notifications

The Minister of Immigration announced a streamlined approach to applying visa conditions for Visitor Visa applications for diplomatic and official passport holders from Pacific Island Forum countries.

The Minister of Immigration announced today that planned changes for the visa requirements of partners of temporary work visa holders have been deferred to April 2023.

The draw to see who will be invited to apply for New Zealand residence under the Pacific Access Category (PAC) and the Samoan Quota (SQ) is happening on Wednesday 7 December.

The Spain Working Holiday Scheme will re-open on 29 November 2022 with 200 additional places.

We understand there are families desperate to reunite after COVID has kept them apart and how the decision to extend the 2021 Resident Visa processing timeframe from 12 to 18 months has impacted them.

Update on parent and grandparent visitor visa applications from 1 August to 21 September.

Selections of expressions of interest (EOIs) for the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Resident Visa will now resume on 11 November 2022 due to increased demand.

Every year thousands of young people from around the world apply for working holiday visas and spend a year or 2 working in Aotearoa New Zealand.

New working holiday visas have been issued for people whose visa has expired.

The Government has announced further details on sector agreements as well as a care workers' residence pathway.

Nursing or healthcare professionals who want to work in New Zealand can apply for visas to visit and work, and must meet requirements for nursing registration and the Competence Assessment Programme (CAP) and the CAP fund.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) are aware of some customers are experiencing difficulties at the medical phase of the application process, when applying for a Visitor Visa, a 2021 Resident Visa, or an Accredited Employer Work Visa using Immigration Online.

The Parent Resident Visa restarts on 12 October 2022 with reduced requirements for sponsors. We resume selecting existing expressions of interest (EOIs) on 14 November 2022.

Selections of expressions of interest (EOIs) for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa will resume on 9 November 2022.

The new median wage of NZD $29.66 an hour will be adopted into the immigration system on 27 February 2023.

Information about the increased cap of the Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme for 2022/23.

Government announces Pacific Access Category and Samoan Quota to open from October 2022.

The Active Investor Plus Visa is now open for applications.

The threshold for determining if a condition will create a significant cost to the health system has increased from $41,000 to $81,000.

Information about the increased caps for working holiday schemes for 2022.

Information about new Post Study Work Visa requirements announced 7 September 2022.

Announcement from the Minister of Immigration about the Green List Straight to Residence pathway and Refugee Quota Programme.

The Government has announced changes to help increase access to working holiday makers already in New Zealand, and those looking to travel to New Zealand.

The New Zealand border has now reopened, with student and visitor visa applications now open. The Maritime Border is also now open.

We are going out to meet refugee and migrant communities to find out how we can do better for future families coming to New Zealand.

Details of three new residence categories to help employers hire and attract migrants for specified high skilled, hard-to-fill occupations.

The government has announced changes to New Zealand’s investor visa settings.

Nine members from a diverse cross-section of New Zealand’s refugee community have been appointed to the inaugural New Zealand Refugee Advisory Panel.

Key dates for the phasing out of border exceptions and a return to business-as-usual visa processing.

The United Kingdom and New Zealand have agreed to enhance their existing Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) and Working Holiday Scheme (WHS).

Government has approved changes to the Refugee Family Support Category (RFSC) to improve the system and support for refugee family reunification.

Applications are now open for the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), as well as all other work visas for people outside New Zealand. Partners and dependent children of work visa applicants will also be able to apply for a visa from 4 July.

INZ announces 8 new councils join its Welcoming Communities family, which is a settlement programme that supports local councils and their communities to welcome recent migrants, former refugees and international students.

From 31 July 2022, Immigration fees and levies will increase for most visa applications.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is adding 85 countries to the Low Tuberculosis (TB) Incidence Countries List. Included in the countries being added are Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu as they now meet the requirements.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is congratulating the Hamilton City Council for achieving a significant milestone in the Welcoming Communities programme.

The Government has announced a new faster timeline for reopening the border and reconnecting New Zealand with the world. New Zealand’s border will now be fully reopened by the end of July – three months earlier than originally planned.

Students can apply for visas to come to New Zealand from 31 July – three months earlier than planned.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) welcomes the recommendations of the independent review of its processes and procedures relating to the detention of asylum seekers.

An initiative aimed at getting better economic and settlement outcomes for new migrants in Auckland has been re-confirmed.

New Zealand and Australia have agreed a resettlement arrangement for refugees in Nauru and temporarily in Australia under regional processing arrangements.

Working Holiday Schemes are reopening from Monday 14 March.

Our web tool at nzready.immigration.govt.nz is changing.

The Government has introduced a new policy to allow parents and wider family members of Ukrainian New Zealand citizens and residents to come here.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) commends the Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago District Councils for achieving a significant milestone in the Welcoming Communities programme.

The Government has announced a number of new border exceptions to bring skilled workers into New Zealand while our border restrictions are in place.

Domestic tertiary student eligibility change for dependent children of migrants applying for 2021 Resident Visa

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) will resume processing offshore residence applications received prior to the border closure in March 2020.

Changes have been made to the humanitarian border exception category to better reflect the Government’s policy on people who are allowed to travel to New Zealand during the current border restrictions.

Immigration New Zealand has confirmed HOST Aotearoa New Zealand as the umbrella organisation for the extended 3-year trial of the Refugee Sponsorship programme.

The Navigator service helps Convention refugees to have their needs assessed and helps them to find coordinated support to be link to appropriate services.

The Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa and the Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa close to new applications on 31 October 2021 at 11:59pm.

The Visa Application Centres (VACs) in Kiribati and Nauru are closing.

The Government has announced a new one-off residence category, the 2021 Resident Visa.

A continuation of INZ’s adaptation to the impact of COVID-19.

30 July is the United Nations World Day against Trafficking in Persons.

New temporary visa and reporting tools provide migrants with a pathway to quickly leave exploitative situations and encourage people to report migrant exploitation.

In preparation for the introduction of the Accredited Employer Work Visa, 3 of the existing accreditation and approval in principle policies are being phased out.

From 16:00 NZST on Sunday 11 April 2021, travellers who have been in India in the previous 14 days cannot enter New Zealand.

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

The new Accredited Employer Work Visa and associated accreditation standards will be introduced on 1 November this year. The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), announced in 2019, will replace 6 visas with a streamlined single visa process.

The Government’s temporary COVID-19 immigration powers have been extended to 2023, providing continued flexibility to support migrants, manage the border and industries facing labour shortages.

A new system is now available to help workers in the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme send their earnings to their home countries.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) congratulates the Whanganui District Council and its community for its success in implementing the Welcoming Communities programme.

Between 1 July 2018 and 23 February 2020 (inclusive), Immigration New Zealand (INZ) allocated skilled residence class visa applications (under the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC), and the Residence from Work (RfW) Category) in accordance with an informal priority criteria. The Ombudsman has deemed this to be unreasonable.

From 23.59 (NZST) Sunday on 16 May 2021, two-way quarantine-free travel between New Zealand and the Cook Islands will begin again.

A continuation of INZ’s adaptation to the impact of COVID-19.

On 1 May 2021 the service fee you pay to some Visa Application Centres (VAC) is changing.