Getting to know immigration policy

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) regularly amends and updates immigration policy. We publish those updates online and make them available to the public and advisers.

Operational Manual

We call immigration policy immigration instructions. We publish all immigration instructions in the Operational Manual.

Operational Manual online

Other Operational Manual documents

Amendment Circulars

We regularly update the Operational Manual to reflect changes to immigration instructions. We publish upcoming changes in Amendment Circulars. The changes detailed in Amendment Circulars are incorporated into the Operational Manual on the day they come into force.

Policy Amendment Circulars

Internal administration circulars

Internal administration circulars (IACs) explain internal processes and procedures to immigration staff. We publish IACs when we need to clarify instructions in the Operational Manual.

Internal Administration Circulars (IACs)

Advice to immigration staff

‘Advice to immigration staff’, or Visa Paks, are regular advice given to staff about how to interpret and apply immigration instructions. 

We update advice to reflect best practice as immigration instructions change. 

Visa Pak articles