Sponsoring family members if you are a refugee
Refugees living in New Zealand must register to sponsor family members for a Refugee Family Support Resident Visa. Family members can apply if the registration is selected.
Queue system for sponsor registrations
Refugee Family Support Category sponsor registrations are managed by a two tier queue system. Each year, a quota of 600 places is available for family members of tier one and tier two sponsors.
Tier one sponsors, who have no other family in New Zealand, are given first access to available places.
Registrations are selected from the tier one queue in the order they are entered. If there are remaining places after all tier one registrations have been selected, registrations from the tier two queue are selected.
Note
We are currently only accepting tier 1 sponsor registrations.
Refugee Family Support Category sponsorship criteria
To be a sponsor under the Refugee Family Support Category, you must :
- have been granted New Zealand residence on the basis of being a refugee or protected person, or as an Afghan interpreter, or Afghan evacuee (who supported the New Zealand Defence Force or other New Zealand agencies in Afghanistan), or as a partner or dependent child of these Afghan interpreters or Afghan evacuees
- not have previously sponsored someone who has been granted a resident visa under the Refugee Family Support Category (or the Refugee Family Quota)
- be in New Zealand
- be aged 18 or over
- meet specific tier one or tier two criteria.
Sponsors must also:
- be a New Zealand citizen, or hold a New Zealand resident or permanent resident visa
- live in New Zealand for the term of the sponsorship (unless an exception applies)
- not be sponsoring for a financial reward or fee
- never have been convicted of an offence under immigration law
- not have an outstanding debt to the Crown or other third parties as a result of another sponsorship arrangement
- not have previously breached sponsorship obligations
- not have entered into insolvency procedures or be bankrupt
- not be liable for deportation
- not be serving a custodial sentence (e.g. prison) or be waiting to be sentenced after being convicted of a crime that carries a custodial sentence.
- have no immediate family in New Zealand (unless you are the sole carer of a dependent relative)
- have no other family members who are eligible for residence in New Zealand under any other category.
- have immediate family in New Zealand
- have no other family members who are eligible for residence under any other category
- have been a New Zealand citizen and/or holder of a residence class visa for at least three years immediately preceding the date their registration under the Refugee Family Support Category is lodged, and in each of those three 12-month portions have spent a total of 184 days or more in New Zealand.
To be a tier 1 sponsor you must meet the sponsorship criteria and:
NOTE
Immediate family includes your partner, parents, or children (excluding any dependent children).
Being the sole carer of a dependent relative means that you have the primary responsibility for the day-to-day care of a dependent relative or relatives in New Zealand on an ongoing basis.
As a tier 1 sponsor, you can sponsor either your parent, grandparent, grandchild, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, adult sibling or adult child, and that person’s partner and/or dependent children.
To be a tier 2 sponsor you must meet the sponsorship criteria and:
As a tier 2 sponsor, you can sponsor either your parent, adult sibling, adult child, or grandparent (if that grandparent is the sponsor’ legal guardian), and that person’s partner and/or dependent children.
NOTE
We are currently only accepting tier 1 sponsor registrations.