Foreigners who want to immigrate to New Zealand can rely on the professional services offered by our immigration lawyer. Regardless if you want to relocate here for study purposes, employment, business or investment, our immigration lawyer in New Zealand can help you ease the process of obtaining a visa.
Given the fact the visa categories that are available for those who immigrate to New Zealand are rather complex, receiving legal assistance would definitely have a positive impact in understanding what the most suitable visa would be and how a foreigner should prepare his or her application. You can find out below more on how our immigration lawyer in New Zealand can be of assistance.
Can foreigners receive legal advice on visas for immigration to New Zealand?
Yes, as a foreigner arriving in New Zealand for a short period of time or for a longer period of time (which can refer to years of staying in this country), one will almost always have to apply for a visa. The visa requirements will vary based on the nationality of the applicant, the purpose of stay, the duration of stay or even the age of the applicant.
This is why our immigration lawyer in New Zealand has prepared a detailed presentation on the visa categories available for foreigners, presented in a way that can be easily understood. You can arrive here through a visa that is issued for enrolling in local education institutions, becoming an employee in a local company, joining family members who have already relocated to New Zealand, starting a business in this country or investing a large sum of money in certain types of projects.
For each of these main categories, additional sub-categories are available. For instance, visas for study purposes can be divided based on the duration of the stay. Visas for employment purposes are divided based on whether the foreigner has received a job offer from a local employer or has not yet received one.
Visas for family related purposes are comprised of several categories, which refer to the relation the applicant has with his or her family member that lives in New Zealand (partner, child, parent). Here, additional legal criteria will be taken into consideration for the issuance of a specific visa and our immigration lawyer in New Zealand can guide you through the particularities applicable in this case.
Legal assistance for becoming a permanent resident in New Zealand
Foreigners can also rely on the expertise of our immigration lawyer in New Zealand in matters related to the issuance of the permanent resident status. Foreigners are entitled to become permanent residents by obtaining a New Zealand residence permit, as long as they meet the set of legal requirements that are imposed under the visa they have first obtained when they arrived in this country and they vary greatly.
The right to permanent residence is given to those who immigrate to New Zealand under a visa issued for investment, study, work or reuniting with family members. Permanent residency can be obtained by persons who have arrived here as refugees and who can obtain a visa created under a program designed for persons seeking protection. It is also worth knowing that permanent residency allows a foreigner to apply for New Zealand citizenship.
Visa statistics for New Zealand
In the last few years, the migration level in New Zealand maintained its upward trend. The country has a positive annual migration level and a large number of immigrants arriving here are from countries such as Australia, Philippines, India and China. At the beginning of 2020, the statistics on the visa issuance present the following:
• in January 2020, New Zealand issued 708 diplomatic visas;
• persons interested to migrate to New Zealand for residential purposes accounted for 59,262 visa approvals (this means that more than 50,000 foreigners have obtained a New Zealand residence permit);
• there were 19,543 visas issued for study purposes in New Zealand;
• the highest number of visas were issued as visitor visas (240,895 documents);
• visas that were approved for employment purposes accounted for 33,191 documents.
A visitor visa is a type of document that grants the opportunity of visiting the country for various reasons. The document can’t be used for employment, but it must be noted that the duration of the stay can be of 9 months and it can be used for vising friends or relatives or planning a trip on the country’s territory.
Persons who migrate to New Zealand for visiting purposes can also apply for the New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority, which is a document similar to a visa, but which can be obtained much easier and faster compared to other types of visas.
The applicant can request the document online and it can also request it from other entities, other than the immigration authorities available here (such as travel agencies). Please contact our immigration lawyer in New Zealand for more details and personalized advice. You can address to us if you want to obtain New Zealand citizenship.