Talent (Arts, Culture, Sports) Resident Visa

You can apply for New Zealand residency if you have a Talent (Arts, Culture, Sports) Work Visa and have been actively involved in New Zealand in your field for more than 2 years.

Length of stay

Indefinitely

Cost
From
NZD $4240
Processing time
Data
not available
With this visa you can
  • Live, work and study in New Zealand.
  • Include your partner and dependent children aged 24 and under in your residence application.
Things to note
  • To apply for this visa, you must hold a Talent (Arts, Culture, Sports) Work Visa and have been actively involved in your declared field of talent for 2 years.
  • You must still be prominent in your declared field of talent and be able to enhance the quality of New Zealand’s accomplishments in that field.
  • You must have an acceptable sponsor and support from a New Zealand organisation of national repute  in your declared field of talent.
    Talent (Arts, Culture, Sports) Work Visa

What you need to apply

Check if you are eligible to apply for this visa and what supporting documents and information you need to provide.

View All Evidence

If you are 17 or over, you must provide a police certificate from:

  • your country of citizenship
  • any country you have lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years.

Good character

How to get a police certificate

Tips

Police certificates must be less than 6 months old at the time you apply.

If you provide a police certificate that is not in English, you must provide an English translation.

This includes police certificates that record no convictions.

We’ll check our records and your passport for evidence of when you first arrived in New Zealand on your Talent (Arts, Culture and Sports) Work Visa.

You’ll need to provide:

  • a Summary of Earnings from Inland Revenue that shows your earnings since you were granted a Talent (Arts, Culture, Sports) Work Visa
  • evidence that shows you’ve been actively engaged in your declared field of talent for the last 24 months.

Examples of acceptable evidence include:

  • documents that show you’ve been earning money from activities in your field of talent, eg GST receipts, bank statements, tax returns
  • schedules of performances, exhibitions, activities or events you’ve taken part in
  • letters from individuals or organisations praising the work you’ve done in your field of talent
  • a letter from your supporting organisation detailing your activities over the last 24 months.
Tips

For more information about getting your Summary of Earnings, visit:

Inland Revenue

Evidence may include:

  • a letter from your supporting organisation confirming your prominence in your field of talent
  • letters from individuals or organisations, who have specialist knowledge in your field of talent, confirming your prominence in your field of talent
  • press clippings confirming your prominence in your field of talent.

Your sponsor will need to complete a 'Talent (Arts, Culture and Sports) Sponsorship Form', which will ask them to explain how your continued presence in New Zealand will enhance New Zealand’s achievements and participation in your declared field of talent.

You may wish to provide additional evidence to support your application, including:

  • letters from New Zealand organisations that agree that your continued presence in New Zealand will enhance New Zealand’s achievements and participation in your field of talent
  • letters from people who are experts in your field of talent who agree that your continued presence in New Zealand will enhance New Zealand’s achievements and participation in your field of talent.

Talent (Arts, Culture and Sports) Sponsorship Form (INZ1091) PDF 291KB

You must provide a 'Talent (Arts, Culture and Sports) Sponsorship Form' completed by a New Zealand organisation of national repute.

A representative from a New Zealand organisation of national repute must complete Section B of the 'Talent (Arts, Culture and Sports) Sponsorship Form' as evidence they support your continued presence in New Zealand.

Talent (Arts, Culture and Sports) Sponsorship Form (INZ1091) PDF 291KB

Tips

It’s OK for the organisation supporting you to be different from your sponsor.

You must provide a 'Talent (Arts, Culture and Sports) Sponsorship Form' completed by your sponsor.

Your sponsor must guarantee to provide you with accommodation and financial support for the first 2 years of your New Zealand residence, if you need it.

Acceptable sponsors
Talent (Arts, Culture and Sports) Sponsorship Form (INZ1091) PDF 291KB

Tips

Your sponsor can be an individual, an organisation or a government agency. Your sponsor doesn’t have to be the same as your organisation.

If you or anyone included in your residence application, have received any welfare benefits or assistance while on your Talent (Arts, Culture and Sports) Work to Residence Visa, you won’t be eligible to apply for residence.

When you apply for residence, we’ll ask you for your authority to contact Work and Income to check if you’ve received any welfare benefits or assistance.
www.workandincome.govt.nz

We’ll check our records to confirm your location.

You can include your partner and dependent children in your application for a resident visa.

You must provide evidence:

  • of your relationship with your partner and dependent children
  • that your partner and dependent children meet the identity, character, health and English language requirements for this visa

Partnership
Dependent children
English language test results for residence from work

Tips

If your partner or dependent children have, or applied for, a New Zealand temporary entry visa based on their relationship with you, you must include them in your residence application.

Your partner and any dependent children aged 16 or over you include in your residence application must meet a minimum standard of English. Evidence can include proof they:

  • have an acceptable English language test result
  • have an English-speaking background
  • are competent speakers of English for other reasons.

Acceptable English language test results for residence from work

Tips

English language test results must be no more than 2 years old.

It’s OK if your partner and children over 16 don’t speak English, but you’ll have to pay for English language classes before we can approve your residence application. Then they can learn when they arrive in New Zealand.

If your partner and dependent children 16 or older do not speak English, you can purchase English language lessons for them to meet this requirement. You will have to pay us for English language classes before we can grant you a visa.

Learning English in New Zealand after you come to New Zealand

Process and costs

The information below will help you understand the process, timeframes and costs involved in applying for this visa, so you can plan ahead and have the best chance of submitting a complete application.

Notes

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How to submit

Payment methods and receiving centre details if applicable.

Notes

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Conditions

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

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

Notes

To transfer your visa, you must:

  • send us your old and new passports
  • complete an ‘Application for Transfer or Confirmation of a Visa’
  • pay a transfer fee.

Application for transfer or confirmation of a visa

Application for Transfer or Confirmation of a Visa (INZ 1023) PDF 375KB

Fees, decision times and where to apply