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.
Indefinitely
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Check if you are eligible to apply for this visa and what supporting documents and information you need to provide.
Also provide a copy of your Identity card.
If you are 17 or over, you must provide a police certificate from:
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.
You must have a chest x-ray and a medical examination as proof of your good health.
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:
Examples of acceptable evidence include:
For more information about getting your Summary of Earnings, visit:
Evidence may include:
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:
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
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
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:
Partnership
Dependent children
English language test results for residence from work
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:
Acceptable English language test results for residence from work
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
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.
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Enter country detailsThese are the conditions that you must meet once you have your visa.
Once granted a resident visa, you can work for anyone you like, in any occupation you like.
Once granted a resident visa, you can do any study you like.
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.
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:
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.
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.
To transfer your visa, you must:
Application for transfer or confirmation of a visa
Application for Transfer or Confirmation of a Visa (INZ 1023) PDF 375KB