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New Zealand citizens or those living as a resident can bring their family members to the country under a New Zealand family visa. Family members include partners, dependent children, and parents.

In the following, we will review the types of New Zealand family visas, requirements and documents, the application process, processing time, and other details.

New Zealand Family Visa: Requirements

All applicants for a New Zealand Family Visa must consider the following:

New Zealand Family Visa: Requirements, Category & Application Process
  • Anyone who wants to apply for a New Zealand Family Visa must provide identity documents, including a birth certificate, passport, and photo.
  • The New Zealand government has defined health and character requirements that New Zealand visa applicants, including family visas, must meet them.
  • Applicants for a New Zealand family visa must prove their relationship with family members. For this purpose, they can provide the following documents:
    • Birth certificate
    • Adoption documents
    • Marriage certificate
  • People who plan to bring their partner to New Zealand must prove that their relationship is stable and genuine. Your documents must show that:
    • How long you’ve been together
    • How long you’ve been living together
    • You share finances and other responsibilities.
    • You spend time together, e.g., photos together, emails, and social media conversations between you.
    • Other people recognize your relationship.
    • Anything else you think shows you and your partner are living together in a genuine and stable relationship.
  • In case you intend to bring your dependent child to New Zealand, you should consider the following:
    • The child must be single and 24 years old or younger.
    • People between the ages of 21 and 24 are considered dependents if they rely on their families financially.
  • If you are separated or divorced, you must have custody of your child aged 15 or under to leave the country.

New Zealand Family Visa: Application Process

The New Zealand family visa application process is similar to other visas. But note that if you need to submit your expression of interest, you must first submit this document before applying for a visa. If your EOI is approved and selected, you can apply for a residence permit. Then you have to send the visa application form and other documents and also pay the visa application fee.

Applicants for a Parent Retirement Resident Visa must first complete the Parent Retirement Category Residence Application form. Then send the completed form along with other documents and pay the visa application fee. If your application for this visa is approved, you will have 12 months to transfer your funds to New Zealand. You will then be issued a visa.

If you want to apply for an Intercountry Adoption Resident visa, you must first complete the Residence Application. Children over the age of 18 should sign this form. You will then send the supporting documents. You will also be required to pay a visa application fee and immigration levy. The process of applying for a Dependent Child Resident visa is similar to this visa.

Applicants for a Partner of a New Zealand Resident visa must first complete the Partnership Support Form for Residence. Thereafter, submit the completed form along with the supporting documents.

In general, the process for applying for a New Zealand visa, including a family visa, is:

  • Online Submission: In this method, you must first create an account on the New Zealand Immigration website. You can then send the scanned documents along with the completed visa application form through this account. Keep in mind that if you send your visa application online, your application will be processed faster.
  • Paper Submission: You can also submit documents and visa application forms through the nearest New Zealand Immigration Visa Application Center.

New Zealand Family Visa: Types

Partners

  • Partner of a New Zealander resident visa: If your partner is in New Zealand and is a citizen or resident of this country, you can join him/her with this visa and live in this country permanently. You can also include the name of your dependent children in your visa application. If your partner is a New Zealand citizen and you have been living outside New Zealand for five years or more, you may be granted a permanent resident visa. When you apply, your partner must be abroad or have returned to New Zealand in less than three months.

Children

  • Dependent child resident visa: Dependent children of New Zealand residents or citizens can come to the country under this visa and live with their parents. Children eligible for this visa must be 24 years of age or younger. The validity of this visa is permanent.
  • Intercountry adoption resident visa: New Zealand citizens or residents can adopt a child abroad and bring him or her to New Zealand under this visa. Your intended child must be 24 years old or younger. Note that before applying for your visa, you must first complete the adoption process. If the adoption process is ongoing, you can bring your child to New Zealand on a visitor visa to complete the adoption process.

Parents

  • Parent retirement resident visa: If your child is a New Zealand citizen or resident, you can apply for this visa. This way, you can live in this country permanently. To be eligible for this visa, you must have an annual income of NZ $ 60,000 and be able to invest NZ $1 million in New Zealand for four years. After the investment period, you can apply for permanent residence.
  • Parent resident visa: If your adult child is a New Zealand citizen and has enough income to be able to sponsor you, you can apply for this visa. Before receiving a visa, you must send an expression of interest and explain how you will meet the requirements of this visa and how you will be supported by your child. If the expression of interest is confirmed, you may be invited by New Zealand Immigration to apply for residency. But you should note that due to COVID-19, you can not send your expression of interest at this time.

Let’s sum up…

We overviewed New Zealand family visa types, requirements, the application process, and other details in the previous sections. In other sections of the Visa Library website, you can find out about other New Zealand visas as well as visas from different countries.

If you have experience obtaining a New Zealand family visa or other visas, you can share it with other readers through the comments section. Conveying your experiences will be a valuable help to others. You can also ask your questions through this section. We will respond as soon as possible.

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