Becoming a permanent resident is the first step toward becoming a New Zealand citizen, receiving the same benefits as those who were born there. NZ Immigration provides a variety of pathways to permanent residency depending on if you are related to a current permanent resident in New Zealand or obtained a work visa first.
What Is a Permanent Resident Visa?
A permanent resident visa allows you to stay in New Zealand indefinitely and access a variety of benefits, including subsidized medical care, Social Security benefits, and the ability to sponsor others. It is a crucial step for those who want to leave New Zealand permanently.
Benefits of Permanent Residency
Under the NZ Immigration Act of 2009, a permanent resident visa allows you unrestricted work and travel rights, meaning you can re-enter the country whenever you like and work for almost any employer. You can also open your own business. Additionally, you can help dependent children or your spouse become a permanent resident.
Permanent residency is also the most significant step toward that last and most important signifier of your new homeland: your own New Zealand passport and all the benefits that New Zealand citizens receive, like free education for your dependent child at a public school.
Eligibility Requirements for a New Zealand Permanent Resident Visa
To get a resident visa, you must live in New Zealand for a certain period of time, typically two years residence. If you were outside of the country when you first applied for your resident visa, you cannot apply until you have been in the country for exactly two years.
The New Zealand government requires that permanent residents prove their commitment to their new country in at least one of the five ways:
- Spending at least 184 days in New Zealand in each of the two years before your application
- Holding New Zealand tax residence status
- Investing at least NZD $1 million in New Zealand for two years or more
- Owning or starting a business in NZ at least two years ago
- Establishing a base in New Zealand means living in NZ for at least 41 days in the last year, working full-time at an accredited employer for at least nine months, and/or purchasing a home within 12 months of first arriving in NZ.
Additionally, you must provide evidence that you fulfill the good character requirements, typically with a police certificate showing that you have not been in trouble with the law.
If you want to get a permanent resident visa, you must be careful with your current resident or work visa, meaning that if you need to leave NZ for any reason, you request an adjustment to your travel conditions so you can leave. Any immigration issues may mean that you are ineligible for a permanent resident visa.
Skill and Talent
Skilled workers in New Zealand who are under 55 years old can apply for resident visas after being in NZ for at least two years. Individuals whose occupation is on the Green List can apply for Straight to Residence visas, which allows them access to a streamlined process for living in New Zealand indefinitely.
Businesspeople can apply for the Entrepreneur Resident Visa, which allows them to become permanent residents if they have been self-employed in New Zealand for at least six months. Those who apply for resident visas less than two years after arriving will need to invest at least NZD $500,000 and create three new jobs in the country.
Investors can select the Active Investor Plus Visa, which requires an investment of at least NZD $15 million within six months of receiving approval. These investments must be held in New Zealand for at least 48 months before you can apply to become a permanent resident.
Relationship With New Zealand
Those with family members who are already New Zealand residents or citizens can apply for a permanent resident visa as long as their loved one sponsors their application and has enough money to sustain themselves. There are specific categories for partners, parents, and children of NZ residents or citizens.
Australian citizens or residents who want to sponsor a loved one’s residence application must live in NZ themselves.
Partners of those with NZ citizenship or a current residence class visa who have been living together outside of New Zealand for at least five years will need to either have the resident overseas when their partner applies, or they must return to NZ within three months of when the residency is granted.
New Zealand Permanent Resident Visa Application Process
Before applying for a permanent resident visa, check Immigration NZ to ensure that you meet all the requirements. For example, if you were granted entry permission on your current resident visa less than two years ago, you must wait to apply until those two years have passed.
If you are the principal applicant, you will need to gather the paperwork for all your dependents, including children and spouses. Principal applicants must apply first or at the same time as their dependents.
Gather Required Documents
For this step, it may help to speak to an immigration lawyer, who can ensure you have all the paperwork prepared before applying. Important documents include:
- Original passport
- 2 passport-sTwozed photos
- Current resident visa or residence permit; if you had an original resident class visa that expired, provide this as well as your subsequent resident visa
- Proof of commitment to New Zealand, such as tax resident status, mortgage, pay stubs, investment, or travel documents to demonstrate you have been in New Zealand throughout the time on your residence visa
- Police certificate
- Medical examination
Submit the Application
You can only apply online for the permanent residence visa unless you are applying for the Global Impact Visa or certain special circumstances apply, such as being a refugee. You will submit the application form and application fee, then wait for their visa to be granted.
NZ Permanent Residence Interview Process
In some cases, typically with partners or spouses of NZ citizens or permanent residents, you may be required to undergo an interview. This is to ensure that the relationship is not fraudulent and only to obtain a permanent resident visa.
One or both individuals may be questioned, together or separately. They will ask questions such as whether you remember a certain date that should be important to your relationship, how you met, what you like about one another, whether you have met one another’s families, and how long you have spent in contact.
Generally, immigration officials want to see that you have been in a committed relationship for at least 12 months, but you do not have to have been living together that entire time. For example, if life circumstances have kept you apart but you remained in close contact during that time, this would reflect a more bona fide relationship.
These questions do not always have to be about specific dates, times, and locations; they may also ask about your partner’s hobbies, their favorite foods, or the home that you live in together. These are questions that, should you know someone well, will not be difficult to answer.
While this interview will involve personal details, the interviewer should not ask inappropriate questions about your intimate life together. If a question makes you uncomfortable, you can request that the interviewer ask you something else to prove the quality of your relationship.
Living in New Zealand as a Permanent Resident
Once you have obtained your permanent resident visa, you must keep the visa in a valid passport. If your passport expires, you need to have it transferred to the new passport.
Permanent residents have the right to leave the country whenever they choose, obtain employment, secure housing, and receive healthcare under New Zealand’s public healthcare system. After one year of holding a permanent resident visa, you will be able to vote in elections.
Additionally, a permanent resident is protected by all applicable laws, giving them the right to security, dignity, and safety.
However, a permanent resident does have some limitations. For example, they cannot represent New Zealand in international sporting events, hold public office, or request consular protection if they run into trouble while traveling abroad.
They cannot transmit residency status to their children by birth, nor do they have the right to live and work in Australia indefinitely as an NZ citizen can.
It is also possible for a resident to be deported. The most common way for this to happen is for criminal convictions; these can be as serious as assault or as minor as traffic violations, depending on the specific conditions.
It is essential for permanent residents to abide by all relevant laws and to speak to an immigration lawyer about their right to appeal if they have any concerns about their status.