If you are from Kiribati, Tuvalu, Tonga or Fiji you can register for a ballot. If your registration is drawn from the ballot we may invite you to apply for residence.
The Pacific Access Category ballot is closed. It will reopen in 2025.
The 2024 successful ballot numbers were announced on 2 August 2024:
Pacific Access Category Resident Visa ballot results
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Open for more information
Provide your country to make the experience more relevant to you.Check if you are eligible to apply for this visa and what supporting documents and information you need to provide.
You must register for the Pacific Access Category ballot by the closing date
You must register your Pacific Access Category ballot using the online form if you are in Fiji and Tonga.
If you are in Kiribati or Tuvalu you can register online or use the paper Pacific Access Category Registration Form (INZ 1375).
Your ballot registration must include:
Don’t send original birth certificates, as we may not be able to return them to you.
If you don’t include your partner or children in your ballot registration, they won’t be included in an invitation to apply for residence later.
You must be at least 18 but no older than 45 when the registration for the ballot closes
We’ll use the birth certificate you send with your ballot registration to confirm your age.
You must be invited to apply for residence
If invited to apply for residence, you must apply within 8 months of being invited to apply.
You must provide proof of your identity
You don’t need to provide proof of your identity until you’re invited to apply for residence.
You must be in good health
You must have a chest x-ray and a medical examination as proof of your good health.
You don’t need to have an x-ray or medical examination until you’re invited to apply for residence.
You must be of good character
If you, or anyone else included in your application, are aged 17 or older you must provide a police certificate from:
Police certificates must be less than 6 months old at the time you apply.
You don’t need to provide any Police Certificates until you’re invited to apply for residence.
You must be a citizen of Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga or Tuvalu
If you’re invited to apply for residence, you’ll need to provide a valid passport from your country of citizenship.
You or one of your parents must be born in the country you are a citizen of
If you were born in the country you are a citizen of, you must provide your birth certificate.
If you were born overseas, you must provide the following documents for your parent:
You don’t need to provide any evidence until you’re invited to apply for residence.
You must apply for residence while in your country of citizenship or while in New Zealand on a valid temporary visa
Any documents that prove where you’re living. Examples include:
You can also apply from Fiji.
You must speak and understand English
If invited to apply for residence, we’ll test your English by talking to you about yourself, your family and your background.
You’ll need to be able to read and answer questions in English to pass the test.
You must have a job offer
If you’re invited to apply for residence, you must provide evidence of a current offer of full-time work that is for 12 months or more.
Evidence must include certified copies of your:
We can’t grant a visa if your employer is included on the list of non-compliant employers maintained by the Labour Inspectorate.
The job offer can be for you or for your partner.
If you include your partner and children in your application, you must have a genuine relationship with them
If invited to apply for residence, you must provide evidence:
If your partner or dependent children have, or applied for, a New Zealand temporary entry visa based on their relationship with you, you must include them in your residence application.
You must earn enough money to support your children
If you are invited to apply for residence, you need to provide evidence, such as employment agreements, that you and your partner will earn NZD$53,515.28 or more between you each year.
We review minimum incomes each year.
The information below will help you understand the process, timeframes and costs involved in applying for this visa, so you can plan ahead and have the best chance of submitting a complete application.
We cannot display any process or costs information until you have provided your country details. Enter your country details in the panel above to view information relevant to your situation.
Payment methods and receiving centre details if applicable.
We cannot display any receiving centre or payment method information until you have provided your country details. Enter your country details in the panel above to view information relevant to your situation.
These are the conditions that you must meet once you have your visa.
You must apply for entry permission when you arrive in New Zealand. You can do this by completing a digital New Zealand traveller declaration (NZTD), or an NZTD paper declaration.
New Zealand Customs and Biosecurity also check that you meet their entry requirements.
You can be refused entry permission if:
When we grant your visa, you’ll have 3 months to come to New Zealand.
Your partner and dependent children will have 12 months to come to New Zealand.
If you and your family are unable to come to New Zealand by these times, your visa will expire and you’ll have to apply for a new visa.
Your family must have been included in your resident visa application for them to come to New Zealand.
If you want to travel, your visa must be in a valid passport.
If your passport expires, you must apply to transfer your visa to a new passport before you can travel.
To transfer your visa, you must:
You can travel in and out of New Zealand as often as you like until your travel conditions expire — normally 2 years from the date you first arrive in New Zealand as a resident.
If you are outside New Zealand when your travel conditions expire, your visa will expire as well.
To travel in and out of New Zealand after your travel conditions expire, you need to apply for:
Your travel conditions will expire 2 years from the date you first arrive in New Zealand as a resident.
If you are outside of New Zealand when your travel conditions expire, your visa will expire as well.
Get all the details for a visa, NZeTA, or how to update your passport sticker.
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