Restart and Policy Restructuring of the Parent Resident Visa Category

Policy effect

Restarted the Parent Resident Visa category with lower income requirements for sponsors (1.5 times the median wage), allowed two adult children to combine income for sponsorship, increased the annual cap from 1,000 to 2,500 visas, and introduced a ballot selection system alongside a queue for existing EOIs. Phase scope: Immediate restart on 12 October 2022; EOI queue selection resumed 14 November 2022.

Official source excerpt

Quoted verbatim from the official source below. Ellipses indicate omitted text.

The Parent Resident Visa restarts on 12 October 2022 with reduced requirements for sponsors. We resume selecting existing expressions of interest (EOIs) on 14 November 2022. We are increasing the number of visas available each year from 1000 to 2500. Changes for sponsors We are lowering the income requirements for sponsors and allowing 2 adult children, rather than just an adult child and their partner, to combine their income to sponsor parents. A sponsor now needs to earn 1.5 times the New Zealand median wage rather than twice the median wage. This limit increases by half the median wage for each joint sponsor or additional parent. These new requirements apply to existing expressions of interest and those we receive from 12 October 2022.

Review method

Two separate automated exact-claim source reviews

Other New Zealand changes operative in 2022

• 2022-01-31Immigration Online Enhancements & Automated Electronic Decision-Making Instructions
• 2022-02-21Staged early access to the 2021 Resident Visa for eligible Phase 2 applicants
• 2022-03-01General Phase 2 opening of the 2021 Resident Visa
• 2022-04-12Border Reconnection Step 3: Entry for Offshore Temporary Visa Holders, Australian Travelers, and Student Cohort 4 Border Exception
• 2022-05-092021 Resident Visa eligibility preserved for specified special-direction visa holders
• 2022-07-01Operational Manual Amendments to Refugee Family Support Category & Duration of Sponsorship (Amendment Circular No. 2022-38)
• 2022-07-01Refugee Family Support registration, visa fees and immigration levy waived
• 2022-07-04Offshore visa-application exception extended to families of work-visa applicants
• 2022-07-31Immigration fee and levy schedules revised
• 2022-09-05Operational Commencement of the Green List "Straight to Residence" Resident Visa
• 2022-09-27Annual Cap Increase for the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Scheme