Policy Amendment Circulars
We regularly review and update the Operational Manual. We publish these as Amendment Circulars.
Immigration instructions
Immigration instructions set out the rules and criteria that people who want to come to New Zealand must meet to be granted a visa or entry permission.
We use immigration instructions to make decisions about visa applications.
The immigration instructions are contained in the Operational Manual, and include information about:
- the rules and criteria that people must meet to be granted a visa
- the evidence that people must provide to show they meet the criteria
- the processes we follow to assess and verify visa applications.
The Minister of Immigration certifies all immigration instructions.
Operational Manual | Current online version
Operational Manual | Effective to 29 November 2010
The Manual is also available to view and download in sections:
Temporary Entry - Part one PDF 3MB
Temporary entry - Part two PDF 737KB
Refugees and protection PDF 446KB
Changes to immigration instructions
We update immigration instructions regularly to reflect changes in government policy. The Minister of Immigration certifies all changes.
We include changes to instructions in the Amendment Circulars. These describe changes to the Operational Manual the Minister of Immigration has certified.
More information about our decision-making is available in:
- Internal Administration Circulars, which describe changes to the procedures and processes that INZ staff follow
- Advice to staff, which contain information about how to interpret instructions in the Operational Manual, and how to make correct and fair decisions.
Apply to receive notifications of changes
You can subscribe to receive changes to immigration instructions (Amendment Circulars) and updates on office processes (Internal Administration Circulars) by email. Include the name and address you want us to send the information to.
Internal Administration Circulars
Internal Administration Circulars (IAC) inform immigration staff on procedures and processes. We publish these as they arise. They generally provide clarity of the instructions contained within the New Zealand Operational Manual, although they’re not part of it.
Advice to immigration staff
We update advice to immigration staff monthly and publish the relevant information.