Visa processing information

All Immigration New Zealand (INZ) offices are currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some staff are working out of our head office in Wellington or remotely, however visa processing capacity is currently limited.

To date INZ has focused the processing resources on COVID-19 related applications or requests. INZ will continue to review how it operates in this changing environment. We are now able to start the gradual transition to a fuller service. As a result, INZ can now begin processing some visa categories for applicants who are already in New Zealand.

These include:

• Temporary visas for victims of domestic violence
• Partnership category temporary visas (including reassessments
• Full Fee Paying student visas
• Post Study work visas

The assessment of these applications or requests may take longer than usual. Applications will generally be assessed in date order and will be allocated to an Immigration Officer as soon as possible.

Applicants will only be contacted if further information is required or once a decision is made on their application. If additional information is required, no deadline will be set to provide this information as INZ appreciates it may be difficult to obtain documentation in current circumstances.

INZ will not be generally processing application types outside of this list at this time. But immigration officers will retain the discretion to prioritise other applications where the circumstances of the application require particular urgency.

INZ is focusing on processing applications that are a priority and can be processed within the current operational constraints.

Relaxing visa conditions for essential services

The Government has agreed to relax visa conditions for a short period to allow temporary migrant workers and international students to further assist with New Zealand's essential services during the COVID-19 response.

This decision will help essential businesses that are operating during Alert Level 4 to keep operating while New Zealand remains at Alert Level 3 or 4.

Work visa holders with employer-specific work visas already employed in essential services will be able to vary their hours and be redeployed to do other roles within their current workplace. They can also perform their current role in a different workplace in the same region to help essential businesses keep operating while New Zealand remains at Alert Level 3 or 4 and for six weeks after that.

International students who are already employed in an essential services role will be able to work longer hours for their current employer while New Zealand remains at Alert Level 3 or 4 and for six weeks following. Students who are employed in an essential services role and wish to work more than 20 hours must still meet their study requirements and should discuss their plans with their education provider.

The policy also applies to work and student visa holders working in supermarkets. Changes to immigration instructions to relax visa restrictions for these two groups were made in March 2020 for a period of 30 days up until 25 April 2020 to help manage labour supply issues.

These changes have now finished as planned, but employers can instead apply online for a Variation of Conditions if needed.

People holding interim visas are not able to apply for a Variation of Conditions.

There are no fees or levies payable for a Variation of Conditions under this special category.

The changes came into effect on Thursday 16 April 2020. Employers must submit a request. 

Healthcare Sector

Visa applications will be prioritised for key roles necessary for the health response in New Zealand.

As a temporary measure, the Government has also changed temporary work visa conditions to allow some lower skilled temporary healthcare workers that are currently in New Zealand to work in New Zealand for an additional 12 months before they are subject to the stand down period. This will allow those health workers with lower skilled Essential Skills visas who have worked in New Zealand for three years an additional 12 months before they are subject to a stand down period where they must leave New Zealand.

Student visa holders that were employed in an essential health worker role on 3 April 2020, will be able to work more than 20 hours for the period 3 April 2020 to 3 July 2020 in order to support the public health response to COVID-19. This includes aged residential care and applies to interim visa holders who immediately prior held a student visa.

The Government has decided to postpone:

• selections for Expressions of Interest (EOI) in the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) and the Parent Category
• ballot registrations for the Samoan Quota (SQ) and Pacific Access Category (PAC)
• 19 capped Working Holiday schemes due to open in the next 6 months.

This is a temporary measure. Immigration New Zealand will continue to reassess and determine when the programmes can resume.

Travel to New Zealand

The Government has announced stricter isolation measures for ALL passengers (including New Zealand citizens and residents) departing after 23:59 New Zealand Time on Thursday 9 April 2020.

People will no longer be able to complete their 14-day isolation period at home. Arrivals assessed as high-risk of COVID-19 will be placed in quarantine facilities, while all other arrivals will be placed in managed isolation facilities.

These measures will remain in place until the Director-General of Health is satisfied that the risk of imported cases from overseas has reduced significantly.

The New Zealand border has been closed to almost all travellers from 23:59 New Zealand Time on Thursday 19 March 2020. The travel ban applies to all arrivals into New Zealand whether it is by air or sea. This includes superyachts arriving in New Zealand.

New Zealand citizens, permanent residents and residents with valid travel conditions returning to New Zealand may travel to New Zealand and do not need approval from Immigration New Zealand before travelling.

If the New Zealand resident visa was granted outside of New Zealand and the holder is travelling to New Zealand for the first time on that visa, or the resident visa has expired travel conditions, the travel ban applies.

A partner, dependent child or legal guardian travelling on the same flight as the New Zealand citizen or resident should seek approval in advance to gain certainty they may travel.

There are a limited number of exceptions for other travellers who should seek approval from INZ before travelling. The starting point for consideration is that the New Zealand border is closed for all but critical travel, and that protecting public health in New Zealand is paramount.

Transiting New Zealand

The New Zealand border is currently closed to almost all travellers to help stop the spread of COVID-19. This includes transiting through New Zealand as well unless there is an exception or transit arrangement.

The New Zealand Government announced on Monday 7 April 2020 that New Zealand will enter into transit arrangements with a range of countries to make it easier for each other’s citizens to get home.

Australian citizens, residents and immediate family (partner or spouse, legal guardian and dependent children under the age of 24) are able to transit New Zealand to Australia. Transiting travellers must remain airside, transit for no more than 24 hours and cannot enter New Zealand.

New Zealand citizens, residents and immediate family (partner, legal guardian and dependent children) who normally live in Australia are able to transit New Zealand to return to Australia. If you want to transit, you need to remain airside and not enter New Zealand. If you enter New Zealand, you will be required to self-isolate.

New Zealand citizens, permanent residents who normally live in New Zealand and immediate family (partner, legal guardian and dependent children) are able to transit Australia to New Zealand. Transiting travellers must remain airside and cannot enter Australia.

Citizens and ordinary residents of Chile, and their immediate family (partner or spouse, legal guardian and dependent children under the age of 24) if travelling with them, whose immediate or ultimate destination after departing New Zealand is Chile. Transiting travellers must remain airside, transit for no more than 24 hours and cannot enter New Zealand.

You can transit if

• You are a citizen, ordinarily resident or immediate family member of a citizen or resident (partner or spouse, legal guardian and dependent children under the age of 24) of one of the countries in the agreed country list
• Your next destination after New Zealand is one of the countries in the agreed country list or
• Your next destination after New Zealand is through an approved Transit Hub to get to one of the countries in the agreed country list

Agreed Country List:

Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States of America and Uruguay

Approved Transit Hubs:

Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Qatar, Republic of Korea and the United States of America.

Transiting travellers must remain airside, transit for no more than 24 hours and cannot enter New Zealand. Travellers must meet normal entry and transit requirements of all countries on their journey.