Latest news with #ParentResidentVisa
RNZ News
25-06-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
‘Torturous' Parent Resident Visa ballots leave families in limbo
Evan Chen and his parents on the summit of Auckland's Mt Eden in 2024. Photo: Supplied Chinese families have slammed the unfairness of a ballot system that is used to allocate Parent Resident Visas to some applicants. They also called for expressions of interest in the visa to be extended beyond the existing two-year limit, arguing that the submission process was costly despite little guarantee of success. An online petition to reform the settings of the visa has attracted nearly 10,000 signatures so far. The Parent Resident Visa - a separate visa category from the recently announced Parent Boost Visa - allows migrants' parents to stay in New Zealand indefinitely if they met certain requirements surrounding finances and health. The visa was suspended in 2016 before being reinstated in 2020 with a lower annual cap and significantly tougher financial requirements, which have been described as impossible by many . In 2022, the visa's annual cap was increased from 1000 to 2500 , and the income threshold for sponsors was also lowered. Up to 2000 visas were granted to applicants who had filed existing expressions of interest, while a further 500 visas were granted from a ballot that was introduced for new expressions of interest submitted from October 2022 until the old queue had been cleared. Michael Wood, immigration minister at the time, said that moving to a ballot meant people would avoid lengthy queues. Jock Gilray, visa director at Immigration New Zealand Photo: Supplied As of now, all queued expressions of interest have been drawn "with some still in progress for various reasons", according to Immigration New Zealand's visa director, Jock Gilray. Meanwhile, 9746 expressions of interest covering 14,792 applicants were currently in the ballot pool as of 23 June, Gilray said. "The average processing time for a Parent Resident Visa application is 13 months," Gilray said. However, Auckland woman Sophie Liu said the actual time frame was unlikely to be as promising. Liu, who works in risk management in healthcare, submitted an expression of interest for her mother, who lives alone in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou two years ago. "Nine draws have taken place in the past two years, but we haven't been selected," Liu said. "I can't see any hope." The emotional swing between being hopeful and disappointed when the draw happened every three months was "torturous", she said. "The ballot system isn't reasonable," she said. "It's stressful and torturous. It has been affecting my mental health." An expression of interest stays in the ballot pool for two years, so applicants need to resubmit the paperwork when it expires - a process that costs between $450 and $575. The system was "unfair" because there were no guarantee applications would be approved, Liu said. Sophie Liu celebrates her mother's birthday in China in 2023. Photo: Supplied In the petition before Parliament, Liu called on the government to remove the two-year expiry setting or waive reapplication fees, select most expression of interests in order of the date of submission, introduce a bonus draw and increase the annual cap to 5500. The new Parent Boost Visa wasn't practical in terms of high application fees, a lack of insurance offerings , which could potentially be costly and health check requirements, Liu said. She said the situation was particularly difficult for children of China's one-child generation, as they typically don't have siblings to jointly sponsor parents' applications and their parents don't have a lot of support in their home country. Many were unable to apply for residency for their parents due to the income threshold and those who could were mostly highly skilled migrants with high incomes, Liu said. "We have made a huge contribution to society, but our parents don't have a chance to reunite with us," Liu said. "We may have to leave New Zealand, either returning to our home country or going to another country that has more friendly parent residency policies." Immigration Minister Erica Stanford Photo: Samuel Rillstone / RNZ Jane Li, who hails from China's Hebei province, recently purchased one-way air tickets to China for herself and her two young children after failing to secure residency for her parents in New Zealand. Li, who works as a medical specialist, has been earning enough to sponsor both of her parents' applications. The Auckland resident first submitted an application in 2022, resubmitting it last year after it expired without success. "I feel anxious and frustrated," Li said. Li gave birth to her first child during the Covid-19 pandemic and developed postnatal depression. However, she felt in a much better mental state raising her second 2-month-old child because her mother had flown to Auckland to share the workload. As her mother held a regular visitor visa, she was set to return to China soon. "I have no choice but to [also] return to China," Li said. "I wanted to continue working here, and I'm very good at my job. "I face a lot of challenges returning to China, but for the sake of being with my parents and getting their help, I have no choice." Her parents provided Li with emotional support that was just as useful as their day-to-day assistance. "My parents are getting older," Liu said. "They also want us to be around. They're lonely on their own." Evan Chen and his parents in Waipara, Canterbury in 2023. Photo: Supplied Wellington IT worker Evan Chen, from Heilongjiang province in northeastern China, has been waiting almost two years for his parents' visa application to be approved. Chen is now preparing to hand in a new application for the visa as the expiry date looms. As of May 2025, 10,441 applications had been filed covering 15,887 applicants, according to latest published data from Immigration New Zealand. Based on the current annual quota of 2500, the chance of Chen's parents being successful with their application was about 16 percent, and there was no guarantee that applications could be approved after 10 or 20 years, he said. Chen, who is also an only child, said a selection process based on a queue would provide more certainty. "If Immigration told me to wait for five years or even seven, eight years, I could accept that because at least I can make plans," Chen said. "I don't know what I need to do with the ballot system," he said. "Can I start a business or other things? My parents are waiting for the news as well. ... It's a huge mental pressure." Chen said he would love to stay in New Zealand but would consider other options if it was too hard for his parents to join him. "A lot of us are only children," Chen said. "Our family doesn't want to use New Zealand's medical and other resources. "We just want to be able to look after them when they're older." A spokesperson from Immigration Minister Erica Stanford's office said the government's focus had been on delivering the Parent Boost Visa to support parents living offshore to visit and stay with their families in New Zealand for longer. The spokesperson said the ballot was introduced by the previous government in 2022, and advice from officials at the time said it would take six to 10 years for a parent to reach the front of the queue, with that time frame extending as the queue lengthened. "Regardless of the mechanism, it has always been the case that the demand for the Parent Resident category has been significantly more than the places available," the spokesperson said. "The two-year expiry ensures the information provided is up to date and accurate about current interest and eligibility for the visa. "This reduces the chance that EOI [expressions of interest] are selected for people who are no longer interested or eligible, causing delays for those who are," the spokesperson said. "As the EOI fee covers the cost for Immigration New Zealand to process the EOI, it is not refunded if the EOI is not selected and must be paid again for each new EOI," the spokesperson said. "The minister has directed officials to ensure this fee is at an appropriate level in the next fee and levy review."
Mint
16-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Immigration news for Indians: New Zealand launches Parent Boost Visa
The New Zealand government is launching a new Parent Boost Visa, a multiple-entry visitor visa that allows parents of New Zealand citizens and residents to visit for up to five years. The Parent Boost Visa holders can apply for a second visa, enabling a total stay of up to 10 years, provided they continue to meet all eligibility requirements. Opening on September 29, 2025, the Parent Boost is a visitor visa, not a pathway to residence, and parents are expected to leave before it expires. People who remain in New Zealand after their visas expire are automatically liable for deportation. For those seeking permanent residency, the existing Parent Resident Visa remains available. Eligibility: Applicants must demonstrate that they are of good character, meet the acceptable standard of health (aligning with the standard for residence). There is no English language proficiency requirement. Sponsorship: Applicants must have an eligible sponsor who is: • Their biological or adopted child The sponsor must also agree to take on specific responsibilities for the full duration of the visa, including: • Covering essential costs such as accommodation and daily living costs • Ensuring access to health and financial support • Covering costs related to repatriation or deportation, if required Citizens and residents can sponsor jointly with either their partner or an adult sibling. Financial requirements: Applicants must meet one of the following financial criteria: • The sponsor earns at least the New Zealand median wage (or 1.5 times the median wage for joint sponsors) to sponsor one parent, with the amount increasing by 0.5 times the median wage for additional parents being sponsored, or • The parent(s) have a personal income equivalent to New Zealand Superannuation, currently NZD $32,611.28 gross per annum for a single parent and NZD $49,552.88 for a couple, or • The parent(s) have sufficient personal funds: NZD $160,000 for a single applicant or NZD $250,000 for a couple. Health insurance: Applicants must hold at least one year of health insurance that covers: • Emergency medical care (minimum NZD $250,000 a year) • Cancer treatment (minimum NZD $100,000) They must also maintain valid health insurance for the entire duration of their stay in New Zealand. Not maintaining valid health insurance while in New Zealand may impact a person's eligibility for future visas, including residence under the Parent Category. It may also result in visa cancellation or make the individual liable for deportation. Applicants will be required to undergo two health assessments to ensure they are of an acceptable standard of health. The first health check is completed as part of the initial visa application. In the third year of the visa, applicants must get a second health check while outside of New Zealand. They will also need to show proof that they have held valid health insurance while visiting New Zealand. How to apply: Apply online through the Immigration New Zealand (INZ) website when the applications open on September 29, 2025. Visa fees: The cost of the visa is NZD $3,000 for most applicants and NZD $2,450 for applicants eligible for the Pacific fee band. This includes both the immigration fee and levy. An International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy of NZD $100 will also be charged. After three years, there is an additional processing fee for the third-year health check of NZD $325 for most people, or NZD $240 if eligible for the Pacific fee band. Processing: Within 4 months. As with other visitor visas, Parent Boost Visa holders may study for up to three months each year or undertake remote work (for an offshore employer). For more substantial work or study, they will need to apply for the appropriate visa. Some parents who come to New Zealand on a Parent Boost Visa and receive income (either from remote work or passive income sources) may trigger New Zealand tax obligations. • The Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa allows parents to come to New Zealand for 18 months within a three-year period for a maximum of six months at a time. • The Parent Resident Visa provides 2,500 places per annum for residence (through a ballot system). • The Parent Retirement Resident Visa provides residence to parents who will invest at least NZD $1 million in New Zealand bonds, shares or property (excluding their home) for at least four years. Applying for or holding a Parent Boost Visa will not prevent anyone from submitting a visa application or having an active expression of interest in applying for other visas- Parent Boost, Parent Retirement, and Parent Resident. However, a person can only hold one visa at a time. For example, if a parent currently has a Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa, they can apply for a Parent Boost Visa. When the Parent Boost Visa is granted, the Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa will be cancelled.
