In order for a foreigner to immigrate to New Zealand from China, the issuance of a visa is necessary. This is necessary regardless of the visa that the Chinese citizen needs. Thus, whether the person wants to move to New Zealand for short-term stays, of up to 90 days, or for stays longer than 90 days, the Chinese passport holder has to start the immigration formalities.
If you need advice on the immigration formalities and the documents that are required for each visa type, our immigration lawyer in New Zealand remains at your service. Our attorney can help you relocate to New Zealand.
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Is there a Working Holiday Visa for Chinese citizens?
Yes, the law on immigration in New Zealand has a working holiday program which is also addressed to Chinese citizens. It is solely addressed to young Chinese persons, who are Chinese passport holders.
The working holiday program is available for many nationalities interested in staying in this country for a limited period of time while studying and working.
The same characteristics presented in the list below are also available for persons moving from USA to New Zealand as participants in this program, the difference being that for US nationals the program is not capped to a specific number of visas per year.
For those moving from USA to New Zealand, besides the visa costs that the need to pay for the visa that they will want to apply for (and qualify for), the costs associated with transportation must also be taken into consideration.
Currently, the cost of a ticket from USA to Auckland is around USD 1,800, but there are also companies that offer low cost tickets, at prices below USD 1,000.
However, given that the participants will stay in the country for a period of 1 year, this implies that they will have to complete the necessary formalities for residency in New Zealand.
If you need information concerning the residence permit, our immigration lawyer is ready to provide legal assistance and information concerning on any procedure involved in the issuance of the document.
For the moment (January 2024), the program is closed, as the yearly quota has been reached, but it is advisable to check the website of the New Zealand Immigration Office to find out when the new application session will open. Persons who want to apply for the program the following year should know the following:
- under this visa program, one can immigrate to New Zealand from China for a period of 12 months;
- the program also grants the opportunity to study or participate in trainings for a maximum period of 6 months, concluded throughout the overall visa validity;
- the working holiday program is addressed only to young persons with an age of minimum 18 years old and maximum 30;
- the New Zealand authorities can issue only 1,000 working holiday visas per year to Chinese citizens;
- one must also demonstrate having an income of NZ $4,200 in order to participate in the program.
Can Chinese apply for skilled work visas in New Zealand?
Yes, skilled work visas are also available for eligible Chinese nationals. One of the visa options is the China Skilled Worker visa, which offers the opportunity to relocate to New Zealand for a period of 3 years.
This visa is capped at a maximum of 1,000 visas per year. The applicant must prove that he or she has the necessary qualification for the respective skilled work of interest.
An advantage of this visa is that the foreigner is also allowed to study in New Zealand for a period of minimum 3 months to maximum 12 months.
Besides this, one can arrive here with their partner or dependent children, although the procedure will not be completed as part of the same visa application.
In this particular case, the person who will immigrate to New Zealand from China will have the right to bring the above mentioned if they will apply for visas suitable for their situation, based on the relation that the persons have with the applicant.
Our immigration lawyer in New Zealand can present the types of visas that the spouse or the dependent children can apply for; our attorney can also help you in the process of preparing the visa application for your family members, in order to move to New Zealand.
What documents are necessary for visa application in New Zealand?
The documents that Chinese citizens have to prepare are similar with the ones required for all other foreign nationals. The differences in documents can appear based on the specific visa of interest.
Regardless, one should prepare documents such as: 1) the valid passport, 2) a recent passport photo, 3) proof of having sufficient financial funds, 3) completed application form, 4) documents attesting the purpose of stay.
Please mind that the procedure to immigrate to New Zealand from China is currently more difficult to complete, as the country still applies Covid-19 restrictions, which limit the access of foreigners on the New Zealand territory.
However, exemptions are granted in certain cases and if you want to arrive in this country as soon as possible, our immigration lawyer in New Zealand advises you to first verify the border rules and regulations.