A4.25 Medical and Chest X-ray Certificates: temporary entry class visa applications (05/08/2021)

1. Applications for temporary entry class visas from applicants intending a stay in New Zealand of more than 12 months must include a completed Medical Certificate and a Chest X-ray Certificate (see A4.25(k)) which have been issued less than three months before the date the application is made, for every person included in the application, unless (c), (d) or (e) below apply.
2. The Medical Certificate and Chest X-ray Certificate that may be required with a temporary entry visa application; include:

   1. General Medical Certificate (INZ 1007)

   2. Chest X-ray Certificate (INZ 1096)

   3. Limited Medical Certificate (INZ 1201)

   4. Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme Supplementary Medical Certificate (INZ 1143)

   Note: Unless specified otherwise in A4.25(e), applicants should provide the General Medical Certificate (INZ 1007) and the Chest X-ray Certificate (INZ 1096).

3. Applicants for a temporary entry class visa do not ordinarily need to provide a Medical Certificate and a Chest X-ray Certificate if:
   1. they have provided a Medical Certificate and a Chest X-ray Certificate with an earlier visa application; and
   2. they were assessed as having an acceptable standard of health based on those certificates; and
   3. those certificates were issued less than 36 months prior to the current application.
4. Medical Certificates and Chest X-ray Certificates do not need to be provided by the following types of temporary entry class visa applicants:
   1. Applicants for a student visa as a fee paying foreign student (see U4.10) (except for students holding a New Zealand scholarship administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (see U11), unless (f) below or A4.25.1 applies.
   2. Applicants for a Working Holidaymaker Extension visa (see WH2).
   3. Applicants (and their partner and dependent child(ren), if any) who have been recognised as having refugee or protection status in New Zealand and are eligible to apply for a permanent resident visa.
   4. Applicants for a Supplementary Seasonal Employment (SSE) visa for the 2020/21 season (ie for SSE visas granted with an expiry date on or before 30 June 2021).
   5. Applicants (and their partner and dependent child(ren), if any) for a Migrant Exploitation Protection work visa (see WI20).
   6. Applicants (and their partner and dependent child(ren), if any) for an Essential Skills work visa who provided these certificates with a previous visa application.
5. Applicants for a temporary entry class visa who have a claim for refugee or protection status in New Zealand under consideration (and their partner and dependent child(ren)) do not ordinarily need to provide a Medical Certificate with their temporary visa application (see E8.10.1). These applicants must provide a completed Chest X-Ray Certificate.
6. Applicants who must provide a Medical Certificate other than the General Medical Certificate (INZ 1007) are set out below:
   1. Partners of New Zealand citizens and residence class visa holders must provide a Limited Medical Certificate (INZ 1201) and a Chest X-ray Certificate (INZ 1096) if they are intending a stay in New Zealand of more than 12 months, and they meet the criteria for residence under the Partnership Category (see F2.5(a)), unless E7.50 applies.
   2. Dependent children of New Zealand citizens or residence class visa holders must provide a Limited Medical Certificate (INZ 1201) and a Chest X-ray Certificate (INZ 1096) if they are intending a stay in New Zealand of more than 12 months and they meet the criteria for residence under the Dependent Child Category (see F5.1(a)), unless E7.50 applies.
   3. Recognised Seasonal Employer limited visa applicants must provide a Chest X-ray Certificate (INZ 1096) where A4.25.1(b) applies and a Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme Supplementary Medical Certificate (INZ 1143) where WH1.15.15 applies. Regardless of the length of intended stay, Recognised Seasonal Employer limited visa applicants are not required to provide a General Medical Certificate.
7. Despite (c), (d)(i),(ii),(iv), (v), (vi) and (f)(iii) above, an immigration officer may require a Medical Certificate and a Chest X-ray Certificate if they consider this is necessary to establish whether the applicant has an acceptable standard of health.
8. Risk factors which may indicate that an applicant should be asked to provide a Medical Certificate or Chest X-ray Certificate, where not otherwise required, may include:
   1. the applicant declaring they have a medical condition; or
   2. INZ having knowledge of an applicant’s medical condition; or
   3. a recommendation from an INZ medical assessor that a future application be accompanied by an updated Medical Certificate and a Chest X-ray Certificate; or
   4. where A4.25.1(e) applies.
9. Applicants must provide a Chest X-ray Certificate and specified tests, if:
   1. A4.25(a) applies; and
   2. the applicant did not provide a Chest X-ray Certificate or specified tests with a Medical Certificate provided in the past 36 months because of their age, or because they were pregnant; and
   3. their age would now require them to undertake the specified tests or provide a Chest X-ray Certificate, or they are no longer pregnant.
10. Applicants who intend to stay in New Zealand for a total of more than 12 months include those:
    1. already in New Zealand for up to 12 months seeking a further visa to be in New Zealand for longer than 12 months; or
    2. applying for visas who indicate their intention is to remain in New Zealand for longer than 12 months; or
    3. applying for student visas and who are defined as domestic students (see U3.35), or who are students holding a New Zealand scholarship administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (see U11), for a course or courses of study that are longer in total than 12 months.
11. Applicants who intend to stay in New Zealand for more than 12 months are also subject to the provisions of A4.25.1(h) and (i).
12. Evidence of completion of a Medical Certificate and Chest X-ray Certificate includes:
    1. a completed Medical Certificate and Chest X-ray Certificate; or
    2. an eMedical reference code (NZER); or
    3. confirmation in the applicant's visa application form that a physician is directly submitting the applicant's Medical Certificate and Chest X-ray Certificate to Immigration New Zealand

Notes:
~ Pregnant women and children under 11 years of age are not required to have an X-ray examination.
~ The issue date of a Medical Certificate is the date of the declaration by the examining physician concerning the overall findings of the medical examination or the date that the Medical Certificate was submitted to INZ if submitted by the physician electronically.
~ The issue date of a Chest X-ray Certificate is the date of the declaration made by the radiologist, or the date that the Chest X-ray Certificate was submitted by the physician electronically.

A4.25.1 Requirement to undergo screening for tuberculosis for people with risk factors

1. Applicants for temporary entry class visas who intend to be in New Zealand more than six months, and not more than 12 months, and are considered to have risk factors for tuberculosis (TB), must undergo TB screening unless:
   1. they are pregnant; or
   2. they are under 11 years of age.
2. Despite (a) above, all Recognised Seasonal Employer limited visa applicants (including those who intend to be in New Zealand for less than six months) who are considered to have risk factors for TB must undergo TB screening unless they are pregnant.
3. Applicants required to undergo TB screening must provide:
   1. a completed Immigration New Zealand Chest X-ray Certificate (INZ 1096); and
   2. any associated radiologist report.
4. A Chest X-ray Certificate and the associated report must be less than three months old at the time the application is made unless:
   1. the applicant has provided a Chest X-ray Certificate with an earlier visa application; and
   2. they were assessed as having an acceptable standard of health based on that certificate; and
   3. that certificate was issued less than 36 months prior to the current application.
5. Applicants who have spent six consecutive months in any one or more countries not listed in A4.25.10, since their previous Chest X-ray Certificate was issued, must provide a Chest X-ray Certificate which is less than three months old with their application, despite (d) above.

   Note: The issue date of a Chest X-ray Certificate is the date of the declaration by the radiologist, or the date that the Chest X-ray Certificate was submitted to INZ if submitted by the physician electronically.

6. Despite (a) and (d) above, an immigration officer may require a Chest X-ray Certificate if they consider this is necessary to establish whether the applicant has an acceptable standard of health.
7. Applicants who intend to stay in New Zealand for a total of more than six months include those:
   1. already in New Zealand for up to six months seeking a further visa to be in New Zealand for longer than six months; or
   2. applying for visas who indicate their intention is to remain in New Zealand for longer than six months; or
   3. applying for student visas for a course or courses of study that are longer in total than six months.
8. Where an applicant in New Zealand has applied for a further temporary entry class visa and is assessed as having TB (excluding latent TB), their application must be declined on the basis that they do not have an acceptable standard of health. A limited visa should be granted for an initial period of one month for the express purpose of undergoing immediate medical treatment to render the disease non-infectious and to travel out of New Zealand. The limited visa should be granted using the delegated power to grant a visa of a different type from that for which an application is made (see A15.5).
9. Pregnant applicants who intend to be in New Zealand for more than six months, and are considered to have risk factors for TB (see A4.25.5) but otherwise meet immigration instructions for the grant of a temporary entry visa, may only be granted a visa within the limitations of E3.10.1.

Note: A limited visa may be granted to a refugee or protection status claimant or a refugee or protected person only if that person is at the time a holder of a current limited visa.

A4.25.5 Definition of person with risk factors for TB

1. A person is considered to have risk factors for TB if:
   1. they hold a passport issued by a country not listed in A4.25.10; or
   2. in the five years prior to application they have spent a combined total of three or more months in any one or more countries not listed in A4.25.10.
2. Despite (a)(i) above, if an applicant provides evidence that satisfies an immigration officer they have never lived or spent time in the country that issued their passport, and (a)(ii) does not apply, they will not be considered to have risk factors for TB and the requirement to undergo TB screening and provide a Chest X-ray Certificate will not apply.

A4.25.10 Low TB Incidence Countries, Areas and Territories

The following countries are deemed for the purpose of immigration instructions to be countries with a low incidence of TB.

Effective 05/08/2021