Applying for a family visa

Bringing your family to New Zealand

There are several ways in which the families of New Zealand residents may apply for entrance to the country. Temporary visas can be provided for shorter visits – there are several temporary visa policies available, based on your relationship to the New Zealand citizen or resident.

Usually, a standard visitor's visa will suffice in these cases; however, parents and grandparents of New Zealand citizens and residents can obtain multiple-entry visas, which enable them to enter the country several times over three years.

As with any other visa, general health and character requirements must be met before anyone is issued a visa allowing them to enter New Zealand.

Applying under the New Zealand family stream plan

If you have a family member who is a New Zealand citizen or resident, and you wish to join them in the country on a more permanent basis, you will find that the New Zealand Family Stream plan creates a very accommodating immigration policy.

Any recognised partner (opposite or same-sex) of a New Zealand citizen or resident, be it an officially sanctioned or de facto partnership, may apply for New Zealand residency.

Your partner must be eligible to sponsor you, meaning that they must be able to prove their immigration standards and meet certain character requirements. Specifically, sponsors and partners cannot have been convicted of domestic violence or a sexual crime.

Dependant children and young adults

Gaining residency for dependent children is an even easier task. If you are already a citizen or resident of New Zealand and wish to gain visas and/or residency for your children, you must be abiding permanently and lawfully in New Zealand, and be able to provide proof of your residency status.

Children must meet the same basic health and character requirements that all visa and residency applicants are held to before being allowed to enter the country. They must also be 24 years of age or younger, single, and without any children of their own.

If your children were born before you established residency in New Zealand, you must declare them on your residency application if you hope to have them gain residency status in the future.

Finally, children must be totally financially dependent on an adult, though that adult does not necessarily have to be a parent.

Applying as a skilled migrant strengthens your case

Siblings and adult children of New Zealand citizens and residents are also eligible to apply for residence, but there are stricter regulations regarding such visa and residency permits.

Qualifying as a skilled migrant is one way to streamline the process. If you have skills, training, and/or experience in a field currently under-represented in New Zealand, or an exceptional and recognised ability in culture, the arts, or sports, you may qualify for a visa under this programme. Otherwise, a temporary work visa can be a first step towards establishing residency.

Begin the process now

Even if you are not yet a New Zealand resident, but are planning a permanent move and eventual residence there, you can start the process of bringing your family to join you.

There are a number of temporary visas available as a legal means to bring relations into New Zealand to join you, and if they prove themselves reputable, productive and law-abiding individuals, their application for residency is likely to be approved.

For more information, visit Immigration New Zealand Family Categories on the INZ website.