Return of Parent and Skilled Migrant Resident Visa Categories

Two big announcements from Immigration New Zealand (INZ) today. First, selections for the Parent Resident Visa Category expressions of interest (EOIs) are restarting. Second, selections of expressions of interest (EOIs) for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa (SMC) will resume on 9 November 2022.

1.     Parent Resident Visa Category

INZ has announced that selections for the Parent Resident Visa Category expressions of interest  are restarting and the number of visas that can be granted each year has increased from 1,000 to 2,500. The income threshold required for sponsors has also been lowered.

INZ advises they will restart selections of EOIs from the current queue from 14 November 2022, and selections are planned for every three months after that. New EOIs will be selected by ballot with the first selection in August 2023.

EOI selection has been paused since 2016 to allow for a review of the Parent Category settings. It was set to restart in 2020, however, it was further paused due to the pandemic.

Parent Resident Category: Expression of Interest selection

INZ has advised that the first selection of EOIs under the Parent Resident Visa category will take place on 14 November 2022, and selections will be every three months after that. INZ will select enough of these EOIs to approve 2,000 visas a year under the Parent Category. EOIs will be selected in date order, with the oldest EOIs selected first. EOIs submitted after 12 October go into a ballot and 500 visas each year out of the 2,500 will be reserved for those EOIs

Parent Resident Category: People with existing Expressions of Interest

INZ has explained they will contact people who made an EOI under the Parent Resident Visa category to advise of the changes and to provide an opportunity to update or withdraw their EOI and to request a refund. People who withdrew their EOI after the previous income thresholds were announced for this visa category will be invited to resubmit their EOI.

2.     Skilled Migrant Resident Visa Category

Selections of expressions of interest (EOIs) for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa (SMC) will resume on 9 November 2022.

INZ uses a points-based system to assess EOIs. On 9 November they will select all EOIs with at least 160 points, which is the current threshold.

After 9 November, the threshold will increase to 180 points.

EOIs will be selected again on 18 January 2023.

The threshold increase will only affect EOIS after 9 November 2022.

To discuss your or your family’s potential eligibility for either of the above resident visa categories, contact me on +64 22 645 9875 or at james@jamesmcleod.co.nz.