A4.5 Overview of health instructions

1. All applicants for visas must have an acceptable standard of health unless:
   1. they are entering New Zealand for specific medical treatment and have been granted a visa for this purpose; or
   2. they are applying for a further residence class visa under RV2 or RV4.
2. A person has an acceptable standard of health if they are:
   1. unlikely to be a danger to public health; and
   2. unlikely to impose significant costs or demands on New Zealand's health services or special education services; and
   3. able to undertake the work or study on the basis of which they are applying for a visa, or which is a requirement for the grant of the visa.
3. For the purposes of these instructions, 'Health services' includes all health and disability support services funded through Vote Health.
4. Applicants for residence class visas and applicants for temporary entry class visas are assessed to determine whether they have an acceptable standard of health using separate sets of criteria. Assessment of whether a temporary entry class visa applicant has an acceptable standard of health takes into account their length of intended stay in New Zealand (see A4.10 and A4.15).
5. Applicants are required to provide evidence of their health status as follows:
   1. applicants for temporary entry class visas intending a stay in New Zealand of more than six months and who have risk factors for tuberculosis must provide a Chest X-ray Certificate (see A4.25.1);
   2. applicants for residence class visas (other than those specified in A4.5(a)), and applicants for temporary entry class visas intending a stay in New Zealand of more than 12 months must provide a Medical Certificate and a Chest X-ray Certificate (unless A4.25(d) applies) (see A4.20 and A4.25);
   3. applicants for a permanent resident visa under the Afghan Emergency Resettlement Category must provide a Chest X-ray Certificate (see RV2.17, S4.35).

      Note: Pregnant women and children under 11 years of age are not required to have an X-ray examination.

6. An immigration officer may however, request a Chest X-ray Certificate or a Medical Certificate regardless of the period of intended stay in New Zealand, if they consider this is necessary to establish whether the applicant has an acceptable standard of health.
7. Generally, an applicant's Chest X-ray Certificate or Medical Certificate will be valid for any temporary entry class or residence class visa application they make within 36 months of the certificate(s) having been completed by the radiologist and physician respectively (see A4.25(c) and A4.20(d)).
8. Some applicants who are assessed as having an unacceptable standard of health may be granted a medical waiver (see A4.60 and A4.65).
9. If any person included in the application fails to meet the necessary health requirements and does not qualify for a medical waiver, the application may be declined.

Effective 05/10/2021