One-off increase in Parent Resident Visa quota

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has announced a one-off increase in the Parent Resident Visa quota for the current financial year (ending 30 June 2025). This adjustment enables INZ to issue more visas to eligible applicants who have submitted a ‘queue’ Expression of Interest (EOI).

What is new?

• Standard quota: Each financial year, INZ can issue 2,500 Parent Resident Visas—2,000 for those who made a ‘queue’ EOI and 500 for those who made a ballot EOI.
• One-off increase: INZ approved more visas for queue applicants than the standard limit till end of financial year (June 2025). The Minister of Immigration has now approved increasing the quota for queue EOIs up to 2,331 visas—an extra 331 visas for this financial year. The ballot cap of 500 visas remains unchanged.
• Notification: Applicants with a selected queue EOI will be contacted directly.

Understanding the Parent Resident Visa application process

To be eligible for a Parent Resident Visa in New Zealand, applicants must be sponsored by a New Zealand citizen or resident child aged 18 or older who meets the required income threshold to support them. Additionally, applicants must pass health and character checks and generally have no dependent children.

Key eligibility points:

• Sponsorship: Must be sponsored by a New Zealand citizen or resident child (aged 18+).
• Income requirements: Your sponsoring child must earn enough to support you.
• Health and character: Applicants must pass the necessary health checks.
• No dependent children: Generally, you should not have dependent children to apply for this visa.

To apply for a Parent Resident Visa, you must first submit an Expression of Interest (EOI). Here is how it works:

Expression of Interest (EOI):

• • Submission: Applicants can submit their EOI online or via a paper form.
  • Selection: EOI’s are randomly selected by a ballot every three months. The ballot comprises EOI’s received from 12 October 2022 onward.
  • Ballot process:
    • Selections are held in February, May, August, and November (typically on the second Tuesday of each month).
    • To be eligible for a selection, your EOI must be submitted by the last day of the month before the selection (e.g., submit by 31 July for the August ballot).
    • EOI’s in the ballot expire after 2 years, and only one EOI per applicant is permitted.

What happens after selection?

Once your EOI is selected, it enters a checking process that typically takes about two weeks. After this review:

• Successful EOI’s will receive an invitation to apply for residence.
• Unsuccessful EOI’s will be declined without further notification.

This targeted one-off increase demonstrates INZ’s commitment to processing as many eligible applications as possible within the current financial year, ensuring that more parents can obtain permanent residency without delay.

For expert guidance on how this update impacts you, contact Absolute Immigration NZ today at aisupport@absoluteimmigration.com

Note: The visa limit for the next financial year (2025/2026) remains fixed at 2,500.