Obtain New Zealand Permanent Residency

If you want to obtain New Zealand permanent residency, then you should start a specific immigration process. Through this, you will gain access to having the right of living here on an indefinite basis, and you will also be able to apply for citizenship, if you will want to become a citizen of this country. Below, you can find out more details on New Zealand residence permit.

In order to have the right to New Zealand (NZ) permanent residency, you must comply with a set of legal requirements, prescribed by the immigration law applicable here. First, you should know that there is a major difference between residency and NZ permanent residency, as the latter can be obtained after living here for a given period of time, and after your request for a New Zealand residence permit was approved.

What are the conditions for obtaining the NZ permanent residency in 2025?

The right to NZ permanent residency can be granted to those who have lived here for a period of minimum two years. Then, the tax residency status is also of importance – the holders of New Zealand residence permit have to pay their taxes in this country, so that they can contribute to the NZ society and benefit from their contributions.

Quick Facts
Temporary residence permit types	working holiday, temporary work, family reunification, partnership, student, visitor
Time needed to obtain the temporary residence permit (approx.)	it varies from minimum 21 days to maximum 6 months
Temporary residence permit validity	it varies from 9 months to maximum 4 years, depending on the visa type
Documents for obtaining temporary residence	the passport, evidence on having sufficient financial funds, sporsorship proof (where required), travel tickets, the application form, the application fee payment, othe relevant documents that can vary based on the visa type one needs
Mandatory registrations with state authorities (i.e. with the population/municipality register)	Immigration Office New Zealand handles the main immigration procedures
Dependents can join the temporary permit holder (Yes/No)	yes – it depends on the visa type received by the applicant
Temporary or permanent residency for investment purposes	yes, under the investor program (temporary residence at first, which can be changed into permanent residency if conditions are met)
Type of investments available for residency purposes	investments in various assets in New Zealand
Minimum investment amount	it depends based on the program ($750,000 for the Temporary Retirement Visitor Visa, $5 million for the Active Investor Plus visa)
Minimum temporary residence before applying for permanent residence	after minimum 2 years of living in New Zealand (but this applies to certain visa types)
Residency for individuals married to a citizen of the country	residence visa can be obtained after 12 months of living together
Documents for obtaining permanent residence	identity documents, documents attesting good character, the current visa issued by New Zealand officials, proof of commitment to New Zealand
Naturalization requirements	proof of permanent residency, proof of living in the country for the minimum amount of time (1,350 days in a 5 years period), meet the language requirements, meet the good character requirements
Citizenship after permanent residence	one can apply for citizenship after 5 years of permanent residency
Dual citizenship permitted (Yes/No)	yes, the law in New Zealand allows dual citizenship

This can also be available for foreigners who migrate to New Zealand for the purpose of starting a business; you can request more information on the eligibility criteria from our immigration lawyer in New Zealand. It is worth knowing that the right to NZ permanent residency can be obtained through specific immigration programs, and below we present few of such programs:

• the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa – addressed to those who arrive here for employment purposes and who have a set of skills that are necessary for various industries;
• the Parent Retirement Resident Visa – available for elderly persons who want to retire in New Zealand and who can prove that they have sufficient funds to live here on an indefinite basis;
• Samoan Quota Resident Visa – it is organized as a ballot where the registered persons will be drawn based on a yearly quota and those who are selected will be invited to become permanent residents of New Zealand;
• Talent (Arts, Culture, Sports) Resident Visa – persons who work in these industries and who have been working here for two years can be invited to apply for a permanent residence permit in New Zealand in certain conditions.

Please know that 2025 brings a few changes for the parent retirement program, with the introduction of the new Parent Visitor visa. The new visa program will allow the parents of individuals living in New Zealand the right to residency for a period of 5 years (the visa is offered as a multiple entry document).

It must be noted that the visa holder can renew the document for another 5 years. The program is set to run starting with 30 November 2025. In order to apply for this visa, the parents of New Zealand residents must be in good health and have adequate health insurance.

The visa is available only for the parents of New Zealand citizens or residents. Considering that the program has not been launched yet, we invite to address our lawyers for further clarifications.

How can Samoans obtain permanent residency in New Zealand?

Permanent residency in New Zealand can be obtained following a simpler route in the case of certain nationalities, which have a historic bond with New Zealand. One of these situations is applicable to Samoan citizens, who can actually apply for a visa created specifically for this nationality – the Samoan Quota Resident Visa.

For such persons who want to immigrate to New Zealand, there is a yearly ballot, through which the New Zealand government can offer minimum 1,100 visas per year that grant the right to permanent residency to those who register in the ballot, as mentioned above. The single thing the Samoan citizen has to do is to register in the ballot system. In 2024, the number was increased at 1,650 and it must be noted that, up until 2026, the New Zealand authorities can provide an extra 550 visas/year.

If the person’s name will be selected, the local authorities will analyze the person’s application and the person will receive an invitation to permanently relocate to New Zealand. The visa provides the right not only to permanent residence, but also the right to work and study here and develop any other activities that are available for local citizens.

In order to participate, the Samoan citizen must provide supporting evidence regarding his or her Samoan nationality, but also regarding the age, as the eligibility criteria involve an age requirement – only persons with an age between 18 to 45 years old can participate in the ballot.

As a bonus of the visa, the Samoan citizen is free to include in his or her permanent residence application his close family members – that refers to the spouse or partner and/or the dependent children with an age below 24 years old. This procedure can be done only if the applicant will mention the name of spouse/partner and children in the ballot application.

Although the visa provides numerous rights which are not automatically granted to other categories of foreigners, there are still certain minimum requirements that the Samoan applicant has to comply to; for instance, it is necessary to have a good command of the English language, the national language in New Zealand.

Besides this requirement, the applicant or the spouse/partner of the applicant must have a job offer in New Zealand. If you want to migrate to New Zealand as a Samoan citizen, it is important to know that it is necessary for you to check when the new ballot will open – for this, it is advisable to check the online platform of the immigration authority.

How many applications for residency are registered in New Zealand?

New Zealand is a country that receives numerous applications for residency each year; foreigners apply for both residency and NZ permanent residency, through programs as the ones mentioned above. The latest data on the overall number of applications for a residence permit in New Zealand was influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic, which means that 2020 and 2021 may register lower values, but this is not always the case. Below, you can find a short presentation on this matter:

• the Skilled Migrant Visa has been maintaining the same level of applications over the years, of more than 20,000 (measured since 2010-2011 to 2021-2021 – for the latter, on June 2021, there were only 3,696 applications, this being a program which can open the way to NZ permanent residency);
• in the family stream visa category, the highest demand is for the Partnership visa, recording more than 10,000 applications per year for a residence permit in New Zealand (in 2020-2021, there are 12,131 applications, the highest volume registered since 2010-2011);
• the Parent Retirement program has also registered the highest application rate in 2020-2021, reaching 353 applications in the current year (the highest number of applications was of 201 in 2019-2020);
• the refugee program has also registered numerous applications for residency and NZ permanent residency, with 322 applications in 2020-2021 (the single year that had more applications in the period of 2010-2021 was in 2017-2018, with 330 applications).

For 2022, the visa applications for the Skilled Migrant program closed on 11 November 2022. By that date, the immigration authorities received 6,515 expressions of interest (EOI) for residency in New Zealand, which are to be processed after this date.

This visa type is issued based on a point system and applicants were required to have at least 160 points in order for their application to be considered, which, in 2023, was modified to a minimum of 180 points. However, in 2024, there were new rules concerning the points system (starting with 9 October 2023).

Thus, in that year, the point system was modified to only 6 points (the point system has been re-structured). Along with this, the Skilled Migrant program has new requirements concerning the skilled job categories, the job offer, the number of applications that can be received, etc.

We invite you to address our immigration lawyer in New Zealand, who can provide more details on other modifications brought to the visa system, which have been maintained in 2025 as well.

As a general rule, the local immigration authorities will try to grant a total number of visas for residency in New Zealand ranging between 85,000 visas to 95,000 per year, according to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. However, these values can depend based on various factors that appear in certain economic fields or the NZ society.

Any of the visas presented here can be used when moving from USA to New Zealand on a permanent basis. Americans have many options for relocation, based on the main reason of their arrival.

Please mind that the visa application process has to be initiated before arriving in this country, but for those who are already in the country, the permanent residency application is also available.

The following video offers a short presentation on the process of obtaining New Zealand permanent residency:

How long does it take to process residence visas in New Zealand?

When you will migrate to New Zealand, you will have to apply for a specific type of visa, unless you are exempt from this procedure. The application file will be processed in a given period of time, depending on the visa that you apply for; below, you can find a list regarding the time required for processing residence visas:

• the transfer of a visa that grants the right to residency in New Zealand can generally be completed in 1 day for 50% of the applications (it can take 2 days for 75% of the applications and 5 days for 90% of the applications);
• processing documents for traveling conditions of persons who can reside in New Zealand can be completed in 6 days for 50% of the applicants or in 8 days or 15 days (for the shares presented above);
• the Partner of a New Zealander visa, which can offer the right to NZ permanent residency, can be processed in a period of 4 months (in 50% of the cases), or in 7 months or 10 months;
• residency in New Zealand in the Skilled Migrant Program are processed in a period of 4 months;
• the procedure for the NZ permanent residency visa is generally completed in approximately 1 week.

What should one know when applying for NZ permanent residency in 2025?

According to the law on immigration in New Zealand, in order to have the right to NZ permanent residency, you will most likely have to be the holder of a temporary residence permit. Upon your arrival in New Zealand, you will receive a residence visa for the purpose of your stay, which is issued for a limited amount of time (2 years).

The residence visa will also impose certain traveling restrictions, unlike the permanent residence visa. Upon the expiration of your temporary residence visa, you will be able to apply for NZ permanent residency in the case in which you have lived in New Zealand for at least 2 years under a residence visa and you have respected the requirements imposed under the respective visa.

More than this, you must also prove that you have shown your commitment to New Zealand under one of the many ways that are prescribed by the national law. All these three basic conditions can open the way to permanent residency in this country; our immigration lawyer in New Zealand can provide more information on this subject.

When you will immigrate to New Zealand, when applying for permanent residency, you must know that you will have similar rights as the ones available for NZ citizens, but there are few very important differences between the two categories. Although permanent residents have almost the same rights, they do not have the right to a NZ passport as they are not citizens of the country, they can’t vote in this country, nor can they work in specific governmental functions.

The holders of NZ permanent residency permits are entitled to work here, study and live in this country on an indefinite basis, they can purchase properties and apply for bank loans, they will be registered for social security and health benefits and numerous others. They will also enjoy the right of traveling to and from New Zealand without restrictions.

In this application, the person applying for permanent residency has the right to include close family members, including children with an age of up to 24 years old. However, this can happen only as long as the applicant included family members in the original applications forms, when the person arrived here under a temporary residence visa.

Please mind that although the holders of NZ permanent residency visas can travel without restrictions, they will need to have their permanent residence visa in their passport; in the case in which the travel document will expire, then the holder must apply for a transfer of the permanent residency visa on the new passport.

For almost all categories of persons who are foreigners that immigrate to New Zealand, the law stipulates that they first have to apply for a temporary residence visa, regardless of the reason of their relocation. However, the law also stipulates the group of persons who can apply directly for NZ permanent residency.

This is the case of persons from Samoa, Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga and Tuvalu, who can enter a ballot where they show their intention of relocating to New Zealand and, in the case in which they are selected, then they will be able to start the formalities for permanent residency in this country. Please mind that there is an age requirement – only persons with an age of minimum 18 years old to 45 can enter the program.

If you need further information and want to want out the list of documents you should prepare for your NZ permanent residency application file, do not hesitate to address to our lawyer. Our immigration lawyer in New Zealand can provide step-to-step legal assistance.