Book an Appointment
Foreigners studying or working in New Zealand can bring their parents to stay with them. If a parent has a child who is a New Zealand citizen or resident, the child must apply for a Parent Resident Visa to reside in New Zealand. The children must make enough money and agree to sponsor the parents.
Immigration New Zealand has approved in principle more Parent Category Resident Visas than is normally allowed to grant this financial year until 30 June 2025.
Each financial year, 2,500 visas can be issued under the Parent Category Resident Visa. 2,000 can be issued to people who made a ‘queue’ application (EOI) and 500 can be issued to people who made a ‘ballot’ application. Enough EOIs are selected to reach 500 visa approvals each year. EOIs in the ballot expire after 2 years.
The Minister of Immigration has agreed that Immigration New Zealand can grant up to 2,331 visas to people who made ‘queue’ applications this financial year, an increase of 331, as a one-off to those who have already been approved in principle.
The ballot cap of 500 visas remains unchanged. The limit of visas that can be granted under the Parent Category in the 2025-2026 financial year remains at 2,500.
To apply for a Parent Resident Visa, one must first submit an expression of interest (EOI). If the EOI is selected, the invitation to apply for residence is sent.
New Zealand randomly selects EOIs every 3 months by ballot. The ballot contains EOIs received from 12 October 2022. The first selection was 8 August 2023. Selections occur in February, May, August and November, and generally take place on the second Tuesday of the relevant month. To be included in a selection,n your EOI must be submitted by the last day of the month before the selection. For example, submit your EOI on or before 31 July to be in an August selection.
The Parent Resident Visa restarted on 12 October 2022 with reduced requirements for sponsors and selecting existing expressions of interest (EOIs) was resumed on 14 November 2022.
The rules for sponsors were changed at that time. 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 was allowed.
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.
From 28 February 2025 onwards, the Median wage is NZD $69,804.80 and the Minimum income for 1 sponsor is NZD $104,707.20 and for 2 parents it is NZD $139,609.60.
Your sponsors need to be New Zealand citizens or residents who have been resident here for at least 3 years. And, if you are being sponsored by a child and their partner, they must have been living together for at least 12 months. They must have earned at least the minimum income we require for 2 years in the 3 years before your expression of interest was selected. The minimum income they need changes depending on whether you have single or joint sponsors.
Source: https://www.financialexpress.com/business/investing-abroad-new-zealand-parent-resident-visa-quota-increased-till-june-2025-3770222/
