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
• Dependent Child
• Parent

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:

• New Zealand citizen;
• New Zealand Residence Class Visa holder
• Citizen(s) of Australia living in New Zealand.
• Dependent children can also be up to the age of 24, and must meet all eligibility requirements to qualify for residence in New Zealand.

Parent

1. Parent Retirement Category

a. For an application to be approved under the Parent Retirement Category the principal applicant must:

• nominate funds and/or assets equivalent in value to at least NZ$1 million and
• undertake to invest them in New Zealand for a period of four years; and
• demonstrate ownership of these funds and/or assets and that they have been
• legally earned or acquired; and
• transfer and place the funds in an acceptable investment in accordance with
• INZ’s instructions
• nominate NZ$0.5 million of settlement funds and demonstrate ownership of  these funds and/or assets;
• demonstrate an annual income of at least NZ$60,000; and
• meet the Family requirements as follows:

The principal applicant must:

• be the parent of an adult child who is in New Zealand and is a New Zealand citizen or the holder (or deemed to be the holder) of a residence class visa that is not subject to conditions under section 49 of the Immigration Act 2009; and
• have no dependent children

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:

• they have been issued an invitation to apply under the Parent Category;
• they apply for a resident visa under the Parent Category within four months of the date of the letter inviting them to apply; and
• that invitation has not been revoked.

Health, character and English language requirements Applicants under the Parent Category must meet:

• the health and character requirements  as specified
• a minimum standard of English, or pre-purchase English for Speakers  of Other Languages tuition to the specified level

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

• a sponsor or their partner must earn a minimum of $65,000 per annum; or
• a sponsor and their partner together must earn a minimum of $90,000 per annum

ii. have a sufficient guaranteed lifetime minimum income as follows; or

• If there is one applicant included in the application, the applicant must have a guaranteed lifetime minimum income of at least $27,203 gross per annum.
• If a partner is also included in the application, the applicants jointly must have a guaranteed lifetime minimum income of at least $39,890 gross per annum.

iii    bring sufficient settlement funds to New Zealand as follows:

Principal applicants must:

• nominate funds (or assets that can be converted into funds) to bring to New Zealand of a minimum value of NZ$500,000; and
• demonstrate ownership of the nominated funds and/or assets demonstrate that the nominated funds and/or assets have been earned or acquired legally

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