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Important information for Ukrainian nationals

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

2 March 2022
2 minute read

The 2022 Special Ukraine Policy will be open for one year and enable New Zealand citizens and residents in New Zealand who were born in Ukraine or are Ukrainian citizens to sponsor their parents, grand-parents, adult siblings and adult children and their immediate family.

Successful applicants will be granted a two-year visa with work rights, or study rights if they are 18 or younger.

New Zealand sponsors can now complete a sponsorship form and submit it to Immigration New Zealand (INZ).

Sponsors will be responsible for arranging and funding travel to New Zealand, and accommodation and living costs once in New Zealand. The Government is not able to provide assistance to those seeking to leave Ukraine, nor on their onwards travel to New Zealand.

INZ will quickly assess the sponsorship request and then invite a visa application, which can be completed by the sponsor given the situation on the ground in Ukraine. There will be a streamlined process for these applications with applicants needing to declare that they meet health and character requirements, and no fees will be charged.

INZ will prioritise visa applications and once visas are granted visa holders will have nine months to travel here.

The Government has already announced that Ukrainian nationals in New Zealand whose visas expire before the end of the year can remain here legally for a further 12 months and Ukrainian citizens holding valid New Zealand visas offshore can enter New Zealand immediately without waiting for the borders to reopen, as long as they meet COVID-19 health requirements to travel.

Immigration New Zealand is already prioritising urgent visa applications from Ukrainian nationals.

The Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Kyiv is currently closed with no timeframe on when it will reopen. INZ encourages individuals in Ukraine to apply for visas online via our website:

New temporary visa for family of Ukrainians