Visa Types covered:
Visa Types covered:
Visa Types covered:
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Family Migration
Trying to navigate the immigration system on your own can be stressful and time-consuming. Constant policy changes require agility and a depth of understanding.
Immigration is a high-stakes journey - getting it wrong can cost you time, money and worst still, your future in New Zealand. At Into NZ we know immigration polices and processes like the backs of our hands.
Partnership Category
Partners of New Zealand Citizens/Residents and some temporary work or student visas can qualify for a partnership visa in certain circumstances.
Partnerships come in all shapes and forms, and New Zealand is fairly liberal in that it doesn’t matter whether you are married, in a same-sex civil union, or in a de facto relationship. What does count is being able to prove that you are "living together in a genuine and stable relationship." This can cause serious issues for couples who are unable to live together or who have limited evidence.
For temporary visas, there is no stipulated minimum time you must have lived together. However, to apply for residence, you must have been living together for at least 12 months.
If you are the 5+ year partner of an "ex-pat" Kiwi (note: some fine print exists around the definition), you may be able to apply for residence and even leapfrog to permanent residence. This is something we will consider in our initial assessment.
The key to a successful partnership application is providing hard evidence of joint living and the stability of your relationship. A marriage certificate or even children’s birth certificates are simply not enough. When it comes to the "living together" requirement, it’s important to understand that Immigration NZ distinguishes between time spent visiting each other or holidaying together. This distinction causes multiple issues and leads to many visa declines. Many applicants fail to appreciate the nuances—especially in younger relationships that may feel more like "going out" rather than a committed partnership.
Even if your case is solid, the way you present it to Immigration New Zealand will impact speed of decision-making and the outcome. Here at Into NZ we are experts in and passionate about presenting decision-ready partnership applications that immigration case officers enjoy processing!
If you are in a relationship situation and require expert advice, contact us today for immediate help.
Parent Category
Parents/Grandparents of NZ Citizens/Residents can apply for a 3-year parent/grandparent visitor visa.
This type of visitor visa allows 3 trips of 6 months duration in a
3-year period. The applicants must meet health, character and "bona fides" requirements. This is a sponsored visa category. If a grandchild is under 18 their parent may sponsor regardless of whether that parent is the child of the visa applicant.
The key difference between this visa type and multi-entry general visitor visas is that they allow more than six months to be spent in New Zealand each year. You can, for example, use all 3 x 6-month periods in quick succession, with as liitle as a day between each visit.
It may be, however, that if you are looking to spend as much time in New Zealand as possible that you should exhaust all general visitor visa allowances first.
In November 2025 a new "Family Boost" visitor visa is expected and will be for 5 years. Precise details are yet to be announced.
When it comes to residence, there are currently two options:
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Parent Investor Category – Requires investment of NZD1 million for 4 years, settlement funds of NZD.5 million + an annual income of NZD60,000 (equivalent) per year. Your NZ Citizen or Resident adult child does not need to sponsor. There is no Expression of Interest.
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Parent Lottery – Requires you to be sponsored by an NZ Citizen or Resident adult child who has held residence for at least 3 yrs. You can be sponsored by:
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your adult NZ citizen or resident child;
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jointly by your adult child & their partner;
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jointly by your adult child & another adult child of a parent included in the application.
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Sponsors must meet minimum income requirements including for 2 years in the 3 years before an Expression of Interest is selected. The minimum income depends on how many parents are being sponsored and how many sponsors are involved.
These two categories share that you must have no dependent children and be a competent user of English. If English is not your second language you must be able to either achieve an IELTS test result of 4+ or be prepared to pre-purchase English language tuition at set rates.
For more information contact us today to find out which, if any, of the parent categories you could apply under.
Dependent Child
Dependent children aged 24 years or younger can be granted residence if either included in their parents' residence application or by making a Dependent Child residence application in their own right.
There are a number of criteria that need to be met, depending on the age and circumstances of the child but in all cases the child must be single and have no children of their own. Depending on their age, they may need to meet English language requirements and prove that they are substantially financially dependent on an adult.
If the child is under 16 years of age and the biological parents are not both New Zealanders or applicants to become New Zealand residents, special "custody" rules appy which need careful consideration.
Adoption of childen is another matter subject to specific rules which can be difficult to meet.
Different rules apply to dependent children applying for temporary visas - the age cut off in that case is 19 years and the child must be in school, not in higher education. For families with teenage children about to leave or who have already left school, care needs to be given to planning their move while you transition to residence visas.
At Into NZ we can advise whether your child meets the "dependency" criteria for residence and/or temporary entry. Contact us today for access to expert advice.