One can immigrate to New Zealand from Japan following basic immigration rules. The duration of the stay is the main factor in establishing the immigration procedures that have to be followed. The legislation on immigration in New Zealand distinguishes between short-term stays, of maximum 90 days in a period of 180 days, and stays of more than 90 days.
In the case of persons who immigrate to New Zealand from Japan, for short-term stays, one is not required to apply for a visa, as Japan is on the list of visa waiver countries (containing more than 60 nations).
However, for long-term stays, visas are required, and here, our immigration lawyer in New Zealand can provide legal advice and legal representation.
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What are the New Zealand immigration formalities for short stays?
Although Japanese passport holders do not have to apply for a visa for short stays, there are some basic procedures that they should follow prior to their arrival.
An obligation in this sense is to apply for the New Zealand electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA), which does not represent a visa document. This is necessary provided that the Japanese national is in transit in New Zealand or if he or she has arrived here for tourism purposes.
The document can be obtained online very easily, by following few steps; this regulation became mandatory for the nationals of visa waiver states starting with 1st of October 2019.
The same rules and rights apply to foreign nationals who immigrate to USA from New Zealand, as they are also included in the visa waiver list.
The procedures to apply for the NZeTA are the same regardless for all foreigners, as long as they arrive from one of the countries that are included in the visa waiver program. In all cases, the application formalities have to be initiated before arriving in New Zealand.
Does New Zealand provide a working holiday program for Japan?
The working holiday program is addressed to young persons from certain countries who can arrive here for travel, work, study and training purposes. The law on immigration in New Zealand provides a working holiday program for Japan as well.
Currently, those who want to immigrate to New Zealand from Japan can apply for this program (for other nationalities the program has not been open for 2022). The applications can only be done online.
With regards to the Japan working holiday visa program, persons interested should know that the following are the basic requirements:
- it is addressed solely to persons with an age between 18 to 30 years old;
- it allows the right to migrate to New Zealand for a period of 12 months;
- in the 12 months period, the Japanese national can also participate in study/training courses with a duration of maximum 6 months;
- all applicants must have a minimum of NZ $4,200 to spend while being in New Zealand;
- please mind that Japanese nationals are not required to pay the processing fee, which is generally imposed at a fixed fee of NZ $35.
Compared to other visa processing procedures, the duration of this visa processing is generally of only 11 days. This applies for most of the visa applications (for 90% of them).
For most nationalities, the work holiday program has the same characteristics regarding the age, residency in New Zealand, financial requirements.
But there are certain exemptions from this rule, such as it the case of British nationals, because they have 2 options for this visa program – to choose for a program of 12 months or a program of 23 months (the latter option is not available for most nationalities).
Persons who apply for a visa to immigrate to New Zealand from Japan must address to the New Zealand officials working in Japan. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Japanese citizens can address to the office currently open in Tokyo.
This can be done through the New Zealand Visa Application Centre. In order to start the immigration procedure, the New Zealand Office will require a large set of documents that has to be prepared by the applicant.
Persons who need legal advice on this can request more details from our immigration lawyer in New Zealand.
The documents will vary based on the visa required – thus, Japanese nationals arriving here for business purposes will have to provide documents regarding their business activities.
Those who want to work here must show evidence on their qualification for a specific job offer. Family reunification is also a visa pathway available for those who want to immigrate to New Zealand from Japan.
For advice on the visa options Japanese nationals have, we invite you to contact our immigration lawyer in New Zealand.
