Applications for the Parent Resident Visa will reopen 24th February 2020 with new criteria that applicants and sponsors must meet. Applicants who do not meet the new eligibility criteria can withdraw their EOI and apply for a full refund.
It’s now been re-opened – but the rules may mean it’s still out-of-bounds for some would-be applicants.
The visa, which enabled parents to join their adult children in New Zealand if they were a resident or citizen, was temporarily closed in 2016 by former Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse in order to clear a backlog of applications.
Where previously a single earner had to make $65,000 a year to sponsor a parent, they are now required to earn twice the New Zealand median income – about $106,000 a year – and, if sponsoring two parents, $159,000 a year. Joint sponsors (for one parent) will increase from $90,000 a year to $159,000, and $212,000 a year if sponsoring two parents. That’s three times the median New Zealand income.
You can submit expressions of interest (EOI) for this visa when it reopens on February 24.
If you submitted an EOI before the visa closed, you can update or withdraw it now.
For assistance with assessing your circumstances and submitting your application, contact us to talk to an Adviser.
