The Family Category helps to reunite families in New Zealand by granting a Residence Visa to the family members of New Zealand citizens and residents. To qualify under this category you must be related to a New Zealand citizen or resident as
Partner
To be granted a residence class visa under Partnership Category applicants must provide sufficient evidence to satisfy INZ that they have been living together for 12 months or more in a partnership that is genuine and stable with a New Zealand citizen or resident. For the purpose of these instructions ‘partnership’ means: i. a legal marriage; or ii. a civil union (whether opposite or same sex); or iii. a de facto relationship (whether opposite or same sex) and ‘partner’ means one of the parties to such a partnership indicated in (i), (ii) and (iii) above. In each case the onus of proving that the partnership on which the application is based is genuine and stable lies with the principal applicant and their New Zealand partner.
Dependent Child
To be dependent, the child has to be totally or substantially reliant on an adult for financial support, whether living with that adult or not. Sponsoring adults must be New Zealand citizens or residents. The parent or legal guardian must be living lawfully and permanently in New Zealand as a:
Parent
1. Parent Retirement Category
a. For an application to be approved under the Parent Retirement Category the principal applicant must:
The principal applicant must:
b. The principal applicant and any secondary applicant included in the application must meet health and character requirements.
2. Parent Category
A person may only apply for a resident visa under the Parent Category if:
Health, character and English language requirements Applicants under the Parent Category must meet:
Family relationships
a. The parent(s) must:
i. be sponsored by the adult child referred to who is an acceptable sponsor.
ii. demonstrate they meet the family relationship requirements.
b. An applicant under Parent Category must have no dependent children.
c. The applicant’s sponsor must have been a New Zealand citizen and/or New Zealand resident for at least three years immediately preceding the date the application they wish to sponsor is made; and
d. The applicant’s sponsor must meet the undertakings set out for the first 5 years of the applicant’s stay in New Zealand as a resident.
Two tiered system
Applicants under the Parent category must qualify either under:
1. Tier One
Meet one of the following requirements:
i. have a sponsor (and, if applicable, that sponsor’s partner) who meets a minimum annual income level for as follows; or
ii. have a sufficient guaranteed lifetime minimum income as follows; or
iii bring sufficient settlement funds to New Zealand as follows:
Principal applicants must:
Funds or assets may be owned either solely by the principal applicant; or jointly by the principal applicant and their partner who is included in the resident visa application.
2. Tier Two
Meet the requirements:
i. they have a sponsor who meets a minimum income for Tier Two of $33,675 per annum.
ii. The applicants’ other adult children (if any) live lawfully and permanently outside the country in which the applicant lives lawfully and permanently. applicants’ other adult children (if any) live lawfully and permanently outside the country in which the applicant lives lawfully and permanently