Visas for New Zealand: Family categories
You may be able to join or accompany your family with New Zealand family visas
Join your partner
Partners of NZ citizen, residents, or certain temporary visa holders, may seek a temporary or resident visa based on their relationship.
See all partnership options here
Join your parents as a dependent child
If you are a work or student visa applicant, you may be able to bring your children with you based on your relationship. If they are under 20 years old, you may even be able to include them in your own application for a visitor visa. All student visas –generally speaking, for 5-year olds and over– must be separate applications.
For residence, immigration policy allows children to join their parents in New Zealand providing there are:
- aged 21 to 24,
- with no child(ren) of their own,
- single, and
- totally or substantially reliant on an adult for financial support
or
- aged 18 to 20,
- with no child(ren) of their own and
- single
or
- aged 17 or younger and single
If your parents were granted residence but you did not move with them, it is also important that they declared you in their residence application.
Parent categories
There are a few options for parents of New Zealand residents or citizens to help them join permanently or temporarily their family. They all require that you have a child or grandchild that is a New Zealand resident or citizen and some require that you be sponsored by them or their parents (if you are a grandparent).
The Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa
The New Zealand Parent & Grandparent Visitor visa allows multiple entry into New Zealand for up to 6 months at a time, for a total maximum stay of 18 months over 3 years, to visit your child or grandchild. You must also be sponsored by them. You may include your partner in this application but if you want to bring dependent children with you they will have to apply for their own visas. This visa can also only be applied for while offshore.
The Parent Resident Visa
This residence-class visa is based on a NZ resident child sponsoring their parent(s) for residence. A key criteria is the income of the NZ sponsor.
The Parent Retirement Resident Visa
The New Zealand Parent Retirement visa option allows to live, work and study in New Zealand permanently. To be eligible, you will need a yearly income of NZ$60,000, NZ$1 million to invest over 4 years, and another NZ$500,000 to live on. You may then apply for permanent residence after 4 years. You may include your partner in this application.
See more retirement options here
Guardian of a Student Visitor Visa
The New Zealand guardian visa allows parents and legal guardians to visit New Zealand with the purpose of living and caring for their children who are in New Zealand on a student visa, and studying in year 1-13. You must also show that you have enough funds to live on for your stay.
You must be in New Zealand for the same time as the student visa of the child you are accompanying, and can only be granted to one parent at any one time, even if you have more than one child studying in New Zealand. Your partner or other children would have to apply for their own visas.
On this visa, you may not work unless you apply for a variation of conditions of your visa, which may allow you to work only during the times your child is at school.
Are you eligible for this visa?
Talk to Licensed Immigration Adviser today.
What about brothers and sisters?
There is no current policy or visa option to join your sibling(s) in New Zealand. You would have to apply for a visitor visa in your own right.
