2021 Resident Visa eligibility
The eligibility criteria for the 2021 Resident Visa focuses on people whose primary purpose for being in New Zealand is to work.
2021 Resident Visa
If you are a work visa holder in New Zealand or a critical purpose visitor visa holder you may be eligible for residence under the new 2021 Resident Visa. Some critical purpose visa holders arriving in New Zealand between 30 September 2021 and 31 July 2022 on long term visas may also be eligible for the new visa.
Update: 5:30pm 1 December 2021
We are experiencing some technical issues resulting in the system operating slower than anticipated. Some users have had difficulty getting onto the system to apply which we appreciate is causing some frustration.
Our team are urgently working with our technical partners on a fix. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
2021 Resident Visa application process
The 2021 Resident visa will be open for applications in two phases, with the first group of people able to apply from 1 December 2021.
2021 Interim Visa
If you apply for a 2021 Resident Visa and your current visa expires while you are waiting for the resident visa to be processed, you can get a 2021 Interim Visa so you can stay in New Zealand.
2021 Resident Visa scarce lists
To meet the ‘scarce’ criteria of the 2021 Resident Visa, you must work in a role on one of these lists.