News and Publications

Parent Visa Boost

The Government has announced a long-term visitor visa, intending to draw in skilled migrants and unite families. The Parent Boost Visitor Visa is a new pathway for parents of New Zealand citizens or residents to enter the country for five years. Applicants may apply for a second visa, enabling a total stay of up to 10 years.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• Have a sponsor who is willing and financially able to support them for the duration of their stay.
• Have private health insurance for the duration of the stay.
• Meet financial criteria where:
  • The sponsor earns at least the median wage ($33.56 an hour) for one parent, or 1.5 times the median wage for joint sponsors. The requirement increase if sponsoring both parents jointly; or
  • The parent or parents must have a personal annual income equivalent to NZD $32,611.28 for a single parent and NZD $49,552.88 for a couple; or
  • Demonstrate personal savings or wealth of: NZD $160,000 (individual) or NZD $250,000 (couple) .

As this visa was only announced on 8 June 2025, we are still awaiting the finer details from the Government.

Amendments to the Immigration Act 2009

The ‘Fiscal Sustainability and System Integrity’ Bill has passed through its first reading and has been referred to a select committee at Parliament. The Bill makes 10 targeted amendments that have the intention of enabling the legislation to better meet its purpose of managing immigration in a way that balances the national interest and the rights of individuals.

Included in the amendments are:

• Making it an offence to knowingly seek or receive a premium for employment from a migrant.
• Creating the power for the Minister of Immigration to cancel residence class visas for individuals who pose a threat or security risk, but cannot currently be deported because of a credible chance they could be tortured.
• Clarifying that deportation for residence class visa holders is only triggered when an individual is
• The system can be more flexible in responding to unusual events such as natural disasters.
• There will eventually be the option to expand the levy payer base and create a new immigration levy in the future. This is to share the costs of immigration more broadly across the Immigration space. However, there is no intention to make this change this year.

Change to the Investor Visa

Over 200 applications have been received under the new Active Investor Plus Growth and Balance categories.

Further changes have been made to the category for on-call investments requiring 75% of the investment to be held in acceptable bonds or equities. For example, if an applicant commits NZD 5 million, at any one time $1.25 million can be placed in a New Zealand bank account or term deposit so that it is readily available when it is needed. The remaining $3.75 million must be placed into acceptable listed equities or bonds.

More trade occupations to be added to the Work to Residence pathway

Ten more trade occupations will be added to the Work to residence pathway on the Green list of in-demand occupations in August 2025.

Eligible applicants will be able to apply for a residence if they are currently employed or have an offer of employment in the following occupations and have worked in New Zealand for the past 24 months:

• Metal Fabricator
• Metal Machinist (First Class)
• Fitter (General)
• Fitter and Turner
• Fitter Welder
• Pressure Welder
• Welder
• Panel Beater
• Vehicle Painter
• Paving Plant Operator

For Metal Fabricator, Welder, Fitter, and Machinist roles listed above, applicants must be earning at least $43.63 an hour for at least two years.

For Paving Plant Operators, Panel Beaters, and Vehicle Painters, applicants must be earning at least $38.59 an hour for at least two years.

We suspect that the government may need to revise the Green List way rate for the roles set out above in future to be more in line with market rates.

More qualifications added to list of qualifications exempt from NZQA assessment

INZ allows certain qualifications to be exempt from NZQA assessment. This list has been updated to allow select qualifications contained in the list from the following countries:

• France
• Germany
• India
• Italy
• Singapore
• South Korea
• Sri Lanka
• Sweden
• Switzerland

Qualifications from the following countries will also be updated: Australia, Japan, Malaysia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Only specific qualifications will be exempt, there will be qualifications from list countries e.g. Australia, where the qualification is not listed and a NZQA assessment is required.

Moving Forward

The immigration space continues to change. Our team of specialists are ready to help with bespoke and practical advice and solutions on navigating the tricky immigration landscape. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need help.

Disclaimer: This update provides commentary on employment law, health and safety, and immigration topics; it should not be used as a substitute for legal or professional advice for specific situations. Please seek legal advice from your lawyer for any questions specific to your workplace.