VISAS
WHAT WE PROVIDE
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Provision of an initial Visa assessment report to review you and your circumstances and advise which visas you could apply for, what you need to do to be able to make a successful application, and what things you need to consider. We charge a fee for undertaking this Visa Assessment which covers a formal written report and a follow up phone/SKYPE consultation.
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Facilitate building the best strategy to make your dream of living and working in New Zealand a reality. BritsNZ Ltd really do offer a one-stop-shop covering all aspects of emigrating to New Zealand.
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We will do our utmost to ensure that all your concerns are met and dealt with in a timely, professional and courteous manner. Remember we too have walked this emigration road and know what you will be facing.
LICENSED IS THE LAW
The New Zealand Government decided some time ago that it wished to regulate the way in which immigration advice is given. As such it is a legal requirement for people giving advice to be licensed through the Immigration Advisers Authority [IAA]. Alexandra Cole is fully licensed to give advice across the whole range of visas available for entry into NZ as well as being able to give guidance and advice to anyone facing visa issues and who may be 'illegally' in New Zealand.
MAINTAINING LAWFUL STATUS
If you have had a visa allowing you to visit or live in New Zealand but your situation has changed, your visa has run out or you are otherwise currently living unlawfully in New Zealand, we can help. We can assess whether you are eligible to apply to regain your lawful status within New Zealand under Section 61 of the Immigration Act, 2009. Contact us directly if this is your situation.
Download the New Zealand Licensed Immigration Advisers Professional Standards to read over the professional code of conduct you can expect from licensed advisors.
TEMPORARY VISAS
If you intend to stay temporarily in New Zealand the kind of visa you will be able to obtain depends on what you want to do whilst you are here .i.e. work, study, holiday. In order to fully advise you please it is best to let us know your plans by completing our visa assessment form.
In order to satisfy Immigration New Zealand requirements you will need to meet certain requirements of your particular visa category.
Temporary visa categories are:
Visitor or Holiday Visas
Working Holiday Visas
Work Visas
Student Visas
Have a read of the Immigration Policy changes due and what it may mean to you as a migrant
TEMPORARY
VISAS
RESIDENCE VISAS
If you are interested in applying to live permanently in New Zealand, we advise you to complete our visa assessment to see which visa category you might qualify for.
In order to satisfy Immigration New Zealand requirements you will need to meet certain health, character and English standards as well as meeting the requirements of your particular visa category.
Residence visa categories are:
PERMANENT
VISAS
Louise @ Auckland (JANUARY 2022)
Alex has been an invaluable support through this journey, her knowledge and experience have helped us speedily and smoothly navigate this process. More than that, Alex has taken all the stress out of it for us, communicated brilliantly and kept us informed along the way of progress. We have been impressed by her professionalism and wholeheartedly recommend her.
Thanks for everything!
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temporary visas
From 1 October 2019, you will not be allowed to travel to New Zealand if you do not have a visa or an NZeTA.
Things to note
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From 1 October 2019, If you are a permanent resident of Australia or travelling on a passport from a visa waiver country you will need an NZeTA before you travel.
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Allow up to 72 hours for processing, but it could take as little as 10 minutes.
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An NZeTA request costs NZD $9 on our free app, or NZD $12 if completed online.
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You pay an International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) at the same time as your NZeTA. This costs NZD $35.
visit / holiday visa
You may need to apply for a visitor visa prior to arriving into New Zealand if you intend to stay temporarily in New Zealand, but do not intend to study or work. In order to find out if you do and what requirements you need to meet by completing our visa assessment. Some countries have been granted an exemption to getting a visa prior to travel as these will be issued on arrival into NZ – for a list of those countries follow this link: Visa Waived Countries.
working holiday visa
New Zealand will allow people from various countries to come to the country on a Working Holiday Visa. Contact us to find out whether you can have such a visa, what you need to do to get this visa and what it will allow you to do once in New Zealand.
work visa/accredited employer (aewv)
If you have decided to come to New Zealand to work temporarily, you will need to apply for a work visa. To find out if you meet the criteria you need to completer our visa assessment.
study visa
Everyone who comes to study in New Zealand from overseas must meet certain rules and requirements. If you are coming to New Zealand to study for more than three months, you will need a student visa. Complete our visa assessment to find out whether you need a visa, whether you'll qualify and what a student visa will allow you to do.
Helen lindley uk to taranaki (july 2020)
I can not thank Alex enough for her work and support through the process of becoming a resident here in New Zealand. It is a daunting task looking at it on your own but Alex felt more like a friend to my partner and I and was incredibly welcoming. She completely took away the worries of all the paperwork and made the whole process much easier for us. She kept in contact and let us know the status of everything as we moved through the steps and gave clear direction on the information she needed to complete the process. I would highly recommend Alex.
residence visas
PATHWAY TO RESIDENCY(2022)
The Green List will make it easier for employers to hire and attract migrants for specified high- skilled, hard-to-fill occupations, with guaranteed residence pathways for eligible people.
The Green List only contains a small number of highly skilled roles that have been identified as being in high demand globally and in ongoing shortage in New Zealand.
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Health and Social Services
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Teachers Secondary and Primary
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Trade roles
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Agriculture
Employers won’t need to provide proof of advertising for these occupations when progressing an Accredited Employer Work Visa job check application.
Eligible migrants working in these occupations will have clear pathways to residence, either through a direct to residence application or after working in New Zealand for two years, depending on the role. Their partners will have open work rights. Both residence pathways will be limited to migrants 55 years or younger, which is aligned with the Skilled Migrant Category requirements.
The Fast Track to Residence pathway
Eligible migrants employed in these occupations can now come to New Zealand on a work visa and apply for residence from September 2022. From September residence can also be applied for directly from offshore.
Minimum salary requirements apply where specified, and these will be indexed to the median wage and change over time.
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Construction Project Manager
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Project Builder
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Quantity Surveyor
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Surveyor
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Chemical Engineer
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Civil Engineering Technician
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Civil Engineer
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Electrical Engineer
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Electronics Engineer
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Electrical Engineering Technician
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Electronic Engineering Technician
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Environmental Engineer
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Geotechnical Engineer
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Industrial Engineer
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Materials Engineer
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Mechanical Engineer
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Production or Plant Engineer
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Structural Engineer
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Engineering Professionals (Not Elsewhere Classified)
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Telecommunications Engineers
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Telecommunications Network Engineers
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General Practitioner
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Anaesthetist
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Psychiatrist
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Specialist Physicians Not Elsewhere Classified
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Surgeons (Including General Surgeons, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Neurosurgeon, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Otorhinolaryngologist, Urologist And Vascular Surgeon)
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Other Medical Practitioners (Including Dermatologist Obstetrician And Gynaecologist, Ophthalmologist Diagnostic And Interventional Radiologist And Radiation Oncologist)
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Resident Medical Officer
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Medical Laboratory Scientist
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Clinical Psychologists & Psychologists
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Physicist (Medical)
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Orthoptist
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Veterinarian
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Other Spatial Scientist
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Environmental Research Scientist
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Food Technologist
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ICT Managers ($120,000)
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Software Engineer ($120,000)
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ICT Security Specialist ($120,000)
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Multimedia Specialists ($95,000)
The Work to Residence pathway
Eligible migrants in these occupations can apply for residence after two years:
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Anaesthetic Technician
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Midwife
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Medical Laboratory Technician
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Medical Imaging Technologist
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Medical Radiation Therapist
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Occupational Therapist
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Sonographer
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Podiatrist
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Audiologist
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All Registered Nurses (including but not limited to Aged Care)
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Automotive Electrician
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Diesel Motor Mechanic (including Heavy Vehicle Inspector)
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Electrician (General) –registered
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Plumber – registered
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Dairy Farm Manager
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Secondary and pre-Primary School Teachers
Specific education roles are deemed enduring skill shortage occupations and are captured on the green list. Employment must be for a position as a teacher in one of the following areas:
Secondary school teacher in one of the following specialisations:
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Science (including chemistry, biology, physics, agricultural and horticultural science, and earth and space science)
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Mathematics (including statistics and calculus)
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Technology (including digital technologies, computer science, construction and mechanical technologies, materials technologies, and processing technologies)
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Pacific languages (including languages of Tokelau, Niue, Cook Islands, Sāmoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Fiji, Rotuma, and Kiribati).
Early childhood (pre-primary School) teacher – registered.
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Teachers must hold a New Zealand registration and a provisional practising certificate issued by the Teaching Council.
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For the green list teaching roles, the migrant will have a work to residency pathway after two years.
Migrants paid at least twice the median wage in other roles can also apply for residence after two years.
skilled migrant CATEGORY
Selections of expressions of interest (EOIs) for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa has now closed.
Complete our visa assessment and allow us to tell you which option you will meet and what you then need to do to be able to apply.
Sophie @ New Plymouth (June 2023)
I sought Brit NZ’s expertise with a number of NZ visas as I found the entire process overwhelming and complex. I didn’t want to get anything wrong & I wanted to remove the stress of the visa process from my life. From start to finish, Alex’s help was invaluable. She was a great communicator, gave reassurance & clarity when needed and worked hard to get the outcome we needed. Her professionalism, diligence, perseverance & warm, friendly personality made the visa process so much easier for me. I am eternally grateful for her support and would 100% recommend her services.
family category visas
A family member who is already a New Zealand citizen or resident can sponsor you to come to New Zealand if you are their:
Partner
You are the husband, wife, defacto or civil union partner of a New Zealand citizen or resident. Your partner must be eligible to sponsor you, meaning that they must be able to prove their immigration status and meet certain character requirements. You must also be able to show that you and your New Zealand partner are in a genuine and stable relationship and have been living together in that genuine and stable relationship for at least the last 12 months.
Dependent child
You are a dependent child with a parent who is a New Zealand resident. The parent must be living permanently and lawfully in New Zealand and be able to provide proof of their residency status. You may qualify if you are aged up to 24 years old with no children of your own, single and rely on your parents for financial support.
Parent Category - Parent categories have now been re-opened. Selections of EOIs from the current queue from 14 November, and selections are planned for every three months after that. New EOIs will be selected by ballot with the first selection in August 2023.
Changes:
The Parent Category allows any New Zealand resident and citizen who has lived here for at least 3 years to sponsor their parent’s application for residence if they meet the sponsorship criteria.
The changes to the Parent Category include lowering the income threshold for sponsors and expanding the joint sponsorship arrangements to allow two adult children (siblings in most cases) to combine their income to meet the relevant threshold, rather than only their partner.
Parent Retirement
If you have an adult child who is a New Zealand citizen or resident and you have no dependent children and you are able to nominate funds and/or assets equivalent to at least NZ$1 million for investment funds into New Zealand for four years, have NZ$0.5 million as settlement funds and be able to show an annual income of NZ$60,000 at the time of your application then you may be eligible for this category. There are rules around what constitutes funds/assets and it does include your current house in the UK. This is a technical area and if you feel you might fit this category then please contact us for more details.
N.B. General health and character requirements must be met by all applicants in order for a visa to be issued allowing entrance to New Zealand. Many visa categories have English language requirements. Find out how your English language background may allow you to meet the language requirements for other visa categories and how your family can pre-purchase English language lessons that they'll go to when they arrive in New Zealand.
Complete our visa assessment to see if you qualify.
kirill efremov @ Auckland (March 2017)
I would like to say a very big thank you for all helping me get the visas I needed to stay in NZ. Your support and professionalism gave me a lot of confidence. Right from the outset I was really impressed how professional the preparation and signing of the contract was done.
You also made me feel that I dealt with people focused on the result and you constantly proved your professionalism during this long 2-year journey. All advice I had was very helpful and gave me hope and energy not to give up. Even when I was frustrated and queried what was happening with different aspects you were able to keep calm and just do your job.
I must also say that I have found that your fee was more than reasonable. I would like to recommend you to anyone who’s looking for professional immigration advice and support.
BUSINESS AND INVESTORS
New Zealand's business migration categories are designed to contribute to economic growth, attracting ‘smart’ capital and business expertise to New Zealand, and enabling experienced business people to buy or establish businesses in New Zealand.
People wishing to invest funds in a business and live in New Zealand can apply for residence under the Investment Categories.
The government has announced changes to New Zealand’s investor visa settings.
The changes are being made to better attract experienced, high-value investors who will bring growth opportunities to New Zealand businesses.
The new Active Investor Plus visa category replaces two existing categories which have been running for more than 12 years, and which facilitated passive investments.
In summary:
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The new Active Investor Plus visa category replaces the existing Investor 1 and Investor 2 visa categories.
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Eligibility criteria includes a minimum $5 million investment if it is a direct investment. It also encourages greater economic benefit to New Zealand companies by capping passive investment in listed equities to 50% and excluding bonds and property.
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The visa category will open 19 September 2022.
The Active Investor Plus visa category will incentivise direct investment in New Zealand firms through a weighting system. Direct investments will receive a 3x weighting per dollar invested. This system has a minimum investment threshold of $15 million NZD or weighted equivalent. This means that applicants who want to make acceptable direct investments will be eligible with $5 million NZD.
This system sets lower weightings for indirect investments, such as private equity or venture capital funds (2x) and listed equities and philanthropy (1x). It also limits the scope for indirect investment by capping investment in listed equities to 50% of total investments. It also excludes bonds and property from being eligible asset classes.
This system will improve flexibility for investors by allowing them to invest over a three-year period. It will also allow investors to maintain their investments up to the end of a fourth year. Investor migrants will need to spend at least 117 days in New Zealand over the four-year investment period.
The new system will also include an English language requirement of an IELTS score of at least 5.0. This will ensure investors are able to share their knowledge and skills, and engage in the New Zealand investment network.
The eligibility criteria for each investment class will be confirmed soon.
Complete our visa assessment to see if you qualify