2021 Resident Visa
This visa was for people who were in New Zealand on 29 September 2021 and met residency or work requirements. It closed to new applicants on 31 July 2022.
To apply you must have:
- been on an eligible visa on 29 September 2021
- been in New Zealand on 29 September 2021
- met the requirements of being settled, skilled or scarce
- met the other requirements of this visa.
This visa lets you:
- live, work and study in New Zealand
- include your partner, and dependent children aged 24 and younger, in your visa application — if you met all the requirements.
If you arrived in New Zealand as a critical health worker or other critical worker for a longer term job, you did not need to have been in New Zealand on 29 September 2021 — you must have arrived in New Zealand and applied for the 2021 Resident Visa before 31 July 2022.
The 2021 Resident Visa closed to new applicants on 31 July 2022
Who can apply
Check if you are eligible to apply for this visa and what supporting documents and information you need to provide.
Identity
You must provide proof of your identity
You must provide:
- a copy of the relevant pages of your passport or travel document
- a photo of your head and shoulders
- a copy of your birth certificate.
If your photo does not meet all of our requirements we will ask you for a new photo. If you are applying for a visa, we will stop processing your application until we receive an acceptable photo. If you are requesting an NZeTA, your request may be delayed or refused. Use the photo examples on this page to check your photo is correct and meets our requirements. Alert Do not use the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs website or other online tools to check your photo as those tools are for passport photos only. Your photo is more likely to be accepted if you use a professional photographer or business that takes passport photos. Give the photographer our instructions to make sure you get a photo that meets our requirements.
The photo you submit with a paper application must be 35 mm wide and 45 mm high. Further instructions are on the paper application forms. Note You can only apply for an NZeTA online. The photo you submit with an online application must be: Alert We are unlikely to accept your photo if it is not the right size. If you request an NZeTA using the web app, you can either upload an existing photo or take one using your device's camera. If you use the mobile app, you can only take a photo using your device's camera. Your photo must be: If you take a photo with your device, the camera must have a minimum resolution of 540 x 720 pixels. Large photos will be automatically formatted. If there is an issue with your photo you will receive an error message when you submit your visa or NZeTA photo online. To help you, we have provided a list of online errors and how to fix them. Your photo must: It may be easier to remove them.
Visa and NZeTA photos
Your photo must be less than 6 months old and clearly identify you. It must also meet all of our technical requirements.
Meeting our photo requirements
Visa and NZeTA photos are not passport photos
Using a professional photographer
Paper applications for visas
Online applications for visas
Online requests for NZeTAs
Online photo error messages
Taking your visa photo
Be in portrait, not landscape
Be of you, not a photo of a photo or your travel document
Have even lighting with minimal shadowing
Be in colour, showing natural skin tones
Be in focus, not blurry
Not contain red-eye
Be an original photo, not changed by photo-editing software
Not be a selfie
Be taken 1.5 metres from the face
Be taken against a plain, light-coloured — but not white — background with no patterns or objects
Only contain plain clothing patterns
Be of one person
We need to clearly see your face
Face the camera and keep your head straight
Keep your eyes open and mouth closed
Do not smile or frown
Show your face clearly and that long hair is tucked behind your ears
Position yourself in the middle of the photo
Remove sunglasses and hats
If you wear prescription glasses
Make sure your eyes show clearly through the lenses, with no reflected light
If you wear a head covering for religious or medical reasons
Make sure that your face and hairline can be seen in the photo
Character
You must be of good character
We will undertake New Zealand Police checks for all 2021 Resident Visa applicants aged 17 years or older, regardless of how long they have been in New Zealand. An overseas police certificate may be requested if more information is required.
We may also request more information or verification needed as part of the process.
Health
You must be in good health
If you have provided a medical certificate within the last 36 months and were assessed as having an acceptable standard of health, you will not need to provide a further medical certificate. We will have this information available.
If it has been more than 36 months since you provided us with your health information you will need to provide a new Limited Medical Certificate (INZ 1201).
Eligible visa
You must have been on an eligible visa on 29 September 2021
You must hold one of the following visas:
- Post Study Work Visa
- Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa
- Essential Skills Work Visa
- Religious Worker Work Visa
- Talent (Arts, Culture, Sports) Work Visa
- Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa
- Silver Fern Practical Experience Work Visa
- Trafficking Victim Work Visa
- Migrant Exploitation Protection Work Visa
- Skilled Migrant Category Job Search Work Visa
- Victims of Family Violence Work Visa
- South Island Contribution Work Visa
- Work Visa granted under Section 61 of the Immigration Act (provided the applicant held any of the visas above within 6 months before being granted a Section 61 visa)
- Some Critical Purpose Visitor Visas (CPVV)
Tips
If you applied for an eligible visa before 29 September 2021 and it was later granted, you can apply.
If you arrive in New Zealand on a Critical Purpose Visa as a critical health worker or other critical worker for a longer term role you do not need to meet settled, skilled or scarce criteria if you:
-
- held a visa as a critical health worker or other critical worker on 29 September 2021, or
- were granted a visa as a critical health worker or other critical worker after 29 September 2021.
Location
You must have been in New Zealand on 29 September 2021
We will check our records to confirm your location.
If you meet all the criteria but were in Australia on 29 September 2021 and unable to return to New Zealand, you may be considered eligible.
Tips
If you arrived in New Zealand as a critical health worker or other critical worker for a longer term role you do not need to have been in New Zealand on 29 September 2021. You must arrive in New Zealand and apply for the 2021 Resident Visa before 31 July 2022 to be eligible. You must be in New Zealand to apply.
Location when applying
You must be in New Zealand when you apply
We will check our records to confirm your location.
Settled, skilled or scarce
You must meet the criteria of being settled, skilled or scarce
You will need to provide evidence depending on which criteria you come under.
Settled criteria
To apply under the settled criteria, you must confirm that you have been in New Zealand for at least 821 days between 29 September 2018 and 29 September 2021. You do not need to provide any documents to demonstrate this.
Skilled critieria
To apply under the skilled criteria, you must earn at or above NZD $27 per hour and supply:
- your job details, including the name and address of your employer
- your pay rate
- an employment agreement or a letter from your employer confirming your pay and hours
- a full bank statement showing your salary payments or an Inland Revenue summary of income or payslips showing your current pay rate and pay rate on 29 September 2021.
Scarce criteria
To apply under the scarce criteria you must supply:
- your job details (including the name and address of your employer) and which of the four ‘scarce’ lists your job is on
- employment agreement or a letter from your employer confirming your job and hours. This must show your current job as well as evidence of the job you held on 29 September 2021
- evidence of provisional or full occupational registration in New Zealand if that is required for your job.
Tips
Applicants who met the skilled criteria on 29 September 2021 may change to meet the scarce criteria at the time of application.
Applicants who met the scarce criteria on 29 September 2021 may change to meet skilled criteria at the time of application.
Your relationship with your partner
You can include your partner in your application
If your current
You must provide:
- proof of your relationship with your
- evidence you have been living with your partner for more than 12 months
- timeline information of your relationship.
We define partnership as 2 people, who live together in a
You must be able to show us that you and your partner are living together in a
Living together means sharing the same home as your partner. This does not include: Evidence showing you are living together can include: For some partnership applications – such as a Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa – evidence of living together must cover a period of 12 months prior to the application being submitted. Make sure you check the category you are applying under to see if we need this from you. You can provide us with items showing your shared address, dated every few months, to cover the full duration. These items can be addressed to you both jointly — or individually — as long as we can see that you have both been at the same address for the same period of time. Evidence of having a genuine and stable relationship needs to show that: Evidence can include: The way we want to receive this evidence depends on how you are applying. If you apply by paper for a residence visa, we must receive originals or certified copies. You can send electronically issued documents as we regard those as originals. If you apply online, we accept scanned images — so you do not need to send us originals or certified copies. You and your supporting partner must: When you apply for a visa based on your partnership with a New Zealand visa holder or New Zealand citizen, we call that person your supporting partner. Character requirements for New Zealand visas See also the requirements for supporting partners in the 'Eligible NZ supporting partner' and 'Your partner's' sections for these visas: When we assess your visa application, we consider things like: We will also look at your living and financial arrangements, including: If you and your partner have spent time living apart, you should provide information about your separation, including: We will use the information you provide to assess whether you and your partner have genuine and compelling reasons to have stayed apart. Note If you and your partner are coming together through a culturally arranged marriage, the rules are different.
Partnership and how to prove it
If you are applying for a visa based on your partnership, find out how we define partnership and what evidence you can provide to show your relationship is genuine.
How we define partnership
Providing evidence of your partnership
Living together
Having a genuine and stable relationship
How to supply this evidence
Applying by paper
Applying online
Minimum requirements
Supporting partners
How we assess partnership
If you have not always lived together
Tips
Partners do not have to be in New Zealand to be included in an application.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) recognises the COVID-19 pandemic and current border restrictions have meant some partners have been separated for genuine reasons. INZ will consider the relationship history and how the relationship has been maintained during that time.
Dependent children 24 and under
You can include dependent children aged 24 and under
You can include dependent children if they are aged 24 and under. They will need to meet the same identity, health and character requirements as the principal applicant.
If your child is under 16, they must have permission to travel with just one parent or travel alone.
Dependent children 25 and over
Dependent children aged 25 and over can apply independently
If your dependent child was included in your skilled residence application or Skilled Migrant Category Expression of Interest as at 29 September 2021 but is now aged 25 years or older, they will be eligible for a 2021 Resident Visa, if you (the parent) is approved a 2021 Resident Visa and they meet the health and character requirements.
They will need to meet the same identity, health and character requirements as the principal applicant. They will also need to meet dependent child requirements, except for age.
They must apply using the INZ 1275 application form. You will need to upload a completed form with your application and provide supporting evidence.
How to pay and submit
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While you are in New Zealand
These are the conditions that you must meet once you have your visa.
Work
Once granted a resident visa, you can work for anyone you like, in any occupation you like.
Study
Once granted a resident visa, you can do any study you like.
Travel
You can travel in and out of New Zealand as often as you like until your travel conditions expire — normally 2 years from the date you first arrive in New Zealand as a resident.
Alert
If you are outside New Zealand when your travel conditions expire, your visa will expire as well.
To travel in and out of New Zealand after your travel conditions expire, you need to apply for:
- a variation to your travel conditions, or
- a Permanent Resident Visa.
Extending the travel conditions of a resident visa
You can travel in and out of New Zealand for up to 2 years on most resident visas. If you want to extend this time you need to apply for a variation of conditions.
Resident to permanent resident
Notes
Your travel conditions will expire 2 years from the date you first arrive in New Zealand as a resident.
If you are outside of New Zealand when your travel conditions expire, your visa will expire as well.
Keep your visa in a valid passport
If you want to travel, your visa must be in a valid passport.
If your passport expires, you must apply to transfer your visa to a new passport before you can travel.
Transferring my visa to a new passport
To transfer your visa, you must:
-
- send us your old and new passports
- complete an ‘Application for Transfer or Confirmation of a Visa’ form
- pay a transfer fee.
Application for transfer or confirmation of a visa