New Zealand Publishes Conditions for Foreigners to Include Family in Permanent Residence Application
- New Zealand has outlined specific conditions that foreigners must meet before they can include their partners or dependent children in a Permanent Resident Visa application
- The requirements differ depending on whether family members were part of the applicant's original resident visa or are being added for the first time
- Family members not included in the original resident visa application face stricter individual assessments, including a minimum 24-month continuous residency requirement
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Legit.ng as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
New Zealand's immigration authority has set out the conditions under which foreigners living in the country can include their partners and dependent children in an application for permanent residence.
According to Immigration New Zealand, a person cannot apply for a Permanent Resident Visa (PRV) until they have held a resident visa continuously for at least two years and satisfy all other eligibility requirements.
Source: Getty Images
Once that threshold is met, they may apply to have family members included in the application, but the rules governing this depend heavily on how those family members came to be in New Zealand.
Include family in New Zealand permanent residence application
For families who were included in the principal applicant's original resident visa, the process is relatively straightforward. A partner or dependent child who was part of that initial application can be added to the PRV without needing to independently meet the "commitment to New Zealand" requirement, which applies only to the principal applicant.
However, each family member is still assessed individually on character and identity, and updated information may be required. Under normal circumstances, a non-principal applicant cannot receive a PRV before the principal applicant. They must either be included in the same application or apply simultaneously or after the principal applicant has applied.
Exceptions exist in specific circumstances, such as the breakdown of a partnership through separation or divorce, the death of the principal applicant, situations involving family violence, or cases where the principal applicant has since become a New Zealand citizen.
New Zealand permanent residence application: Adding family members
The conditions become considerably more demanding for family members who were not part of the original resident visa application.
Each person in this category is assessed fully on an individual basis, meaning they must have held a resident visa continuously for at least 24 months and independently satisfy all standard PRV requirements, including those related to character, identity, and commitment to New Zealand.
Immigration New Zealand also makes clear that including such family members in a PRV application does not guarantee them permanent residency, even if the principal applicant's own application is approved.
Legit.ng has also published residency years for foreigners who want to become Qatari citizens.
Citizenship: Australia mentions residency years for foreigners
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Australia's Department of Home Affairs outlined the residence requirement foreigners must meet before applying for citizenship.
Applicants must have lived in Australia on a valid visa for a number of years before the date they apply for citizenship.
The rules also specify how much time applicants are allowed to have spent outside Australia during that period.
Source: Legit.ng
