New Zealand changes residency visa rules, family application to be rejected if child is illegal

The New Zealand government has made a major change in residency visa rules, which has come into effect from November 12. According to the instructions issued by Immigration New Zealand, if a main applicant's dependent child is living in the country without a valid visa, the residency application of the entire family including the parents will be rejected.

The Immigration Department has clarified that this rule will apply only to new resident visa applications submitted on or after November 12. Files submitted before this date will be decided according to the old rules.

According to the department, earlier there were many cases in which children came on temporary visas and their visas were not extended due to non-fulfillment of health or other criteria, but the parents got residency. Due to this, a big difference used to occur in the visa status of family members. This step has been taken to eliminate this loophole and bring family consistency.

Under the new rules, families will also be given an opportunity to present their case. Before pronouncing the final decision on any application, parents will get adequate time to fix the child's visa status. If an application is cancelled due to any special compulsion, the family can file an appeal before the 'Immigration and Protection Tribunal'.

Key developments

• New residency visa rules implemented in New Zealand from November 12
• Entire family's application will be rejected if dependent child lacks a legal visa
• Old rules will remain applicable to applications submitted before November 12
• Families will get an opportunity to improve visa status before a decision is taken