Family Pathways
Family is one of the strongest reasons people choose to come to New Zealand…
Whether you are joining a partner, bringing children to New Zealand, reuniting with parents, or exploring long-term residence options for family members, New Zealand offers a range of temporary and residence visa pathways designed to help families be together.
Some pathways provide temporary visas, while others can lead directly to residence. In many cases, families will progress through several visa stages before achieving their long-term goals.
Because every family situation is unique, understanding the options available and planning the right pathway from the outset is important.
Partner Pathways
If you are in a genuine and stable relationship with a New Zealand citizen, resident, work visa or student visa holder, there may be visa options available to you based on that relationship.
Depending on your circumstances, these may include:
- Partnership-based visitor or work visas
- Partnership resident visas
A key requirement for most partnership-based visas is that you and your partner are living together in a genuine and stable partnership relationship.
For many couples, a temporary partnership visa is the first step, with residence becoming available once the relationship meets the relevant requirements. In the case of residence applications based on a relationship with a New Zealand citizen or resident, this will normally include having lived together for at least 12 months.
Dependent Child Pathways
Dependent children can often be included as secondary applicants within their parents' visa applications. They may also be eligible in their own right for visitor, student or resident visas depending on their age, dependency status and the immigration status of their parent or parents.
The visa requirements for dependent children vary depending on the visa category involved, making early planning particularly important.
Children under 20 years of age can normally be considered dependent for temporary visa applications. For residence applications, children under 25 years of age may qualify as being dependent provided they are single, have no children of their own, and remain financially dependent on their parents.
Parent Pathways
For many families, having parents close by is an important part of building a life in New Zealand.
New Zealand offers several temporary and resident visa pathways for parents of New Zealand citizens and residents. These range from short-term visitor visa options through to long-term residence pathways and, ultimately, citizenship opportunities.
For temporary visits, parents may consider a NZeTA (if eligible), or a general visitor visa, as a first step to visit family before exploring their longer stay options.
Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa
This visa allows parents and grandparents to visit family in New Zealand on a multiple-entry basis over a three-year period, with stays of up to six months on each visit. Applications must be made from outside New Zealand.
Parent Boost Visitor Visa
The Parent Boost Visa is a five-year visa for parents wishing to spend significant time with their family in New Zealand.
This visa must also be applied for from offshore and is subject to sponsorship, financial and health insurance requirements. A Parent Boost Visa can be renewed for a further five-year period (so ten years in total) provided all requirements continue to be met, including maintaining appropriate health insurance, and continuing to meet good health requirements.
Parent Resident Visa
The Parent Resident Visa enables eligible parents to obtain New Zealand residence through sponsorship by their New Zealand resident or citizen children who are able to meet specific income requirements.
There is currently an annual quota of 2,500 people who can be approved under the Parent Resident Visa category each year.
The first step is to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) into the Parent Category pool. Once selected in one of the quarterly selection draws, applicants are invited to lodge a residence application and then have four months to complete this process.
From 5 October 2026, 90% of EOIs are selected in the order their EOI was originally entered into the EOI pool, while the remaining 10% are selected through a ballot process.
Successful applicants are granted a ten year resident visa, during which the sponsoring child must continue to meet their sponsorship obligations. At the end of this time, and provided these obligations are met, parents can then become eligible for a Permanent Resident Visa and, subsequently, New Zealand citizenship.
As this category continues to evolve, keeping up to date with policy developments is important.
Parent Retirement Resident Visa
For parents who have sufficient assets and income, the Parent Retirement Category provides an alternative residence pathway that is not subject to annual quotas, EOI selection or ballot draws.
Applicants must demonstrate:
- Assets of at least NZ$1.5 million
- Annual income of at least NZ$60,000
- The ability to transfer and invest NZ$1 million in New Zealand
Following application Approval in Principle, applicants have 12 months to transfer and invest the required funds. Acceptable investments include Government bonds, corporate bonds, listed shares and certain other approved investments, and the investment must be maintained for four years.
Unlike many residence pathways, there is no minimum requirement to spend a specific amount of time in New Zealand during the investment period. On the successful completion of the four-year investment term, applicants can be eligible for a Permanent Resident Visa.
Pathways® has extensive experience assisting families with Parent Retirement applications and maintains established relationships with banking, investment, accounting and tax professionals who are able to provide additional professional assistance as may be required.
Keeping Families Together
Many family pathways involve a combination of temporary visas and residence applications over time, and multiple applications can often be progressed simultaneously.
A parent may hold a visitor visa while also having a Parent Category EOI in the selection pool. A partner may begin on a partnership-based work visa before progressing to residence. Children may hold temporary visas while family residence applications are being processed.
Understanding how these pathways interact is often the key to developing a successful long-term family migration strategy.
More Information
How We Can Help
Every situation is different. Our experienced advisers can help you understand the options available, identify the pathway that best suits your circumstances and goals, and develop a plan that supports your future in New Zealand.
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Immigration News
Explore our Immigration News & Updates for further guidance on your family visa pathways.
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