2021 Resident Visa

At a Glance

Item	Details
Visa name	2021 Resident Visa
Status	Closed to new applicants
Application deadline	31 July 2022
Stay	Resident visa
Cost	Country details required
Eligibility timing	29 September 2021
Location to apply	Must be in New Zealand
Work rights	Any employer or occupation
Study rights	Any study
Travel facility	Normally two years
Medicare	Not stated in the source
Citizenship	Not stated in the source
Family sponsorship	Partner and dependent children
Visa record	Not stated in the source

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Purpose

The 2021 Resident Visa was for people in New Zealand on 29 September 2021 who met residence or work-related requirements.

It closed to new applicants on 31 July 2022.

Eligibility

Applicants had to:

• Hold an eligible visa on 29 September 2021.
• Be in New Zealand on 29 September 2021.
• Be in New Zealand when applying.
• Meet the settled, skilled or scarce criteria.
• Meet identity, health and character requirements.

Eligible visas

Eligible visa types included:

• Post Study Work Visa
• Essential Skills Work Visa
• Talent work visas
• Religious Worker Work Visa
• Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa
• Silver Fern Practical Experience Work Visa
• Trafficking Victim Work Visa
• Migrant Exploitation Protection Work Visa
• Skilled Migrant Category Job Search Work Visa
• Victims of Family Violence Work Visa
• South Island Contribution Work Visa
• Certain Critical Purpose Visitor Visas
• Section 61 work visas, in specified circumstances

A person could apply if they had applied for an eligible visa before 29 September 2021 and it was granted later.

Settled, skilled or scarce criteria

Criteria	Requirement
Settled	821 days in New Zealand
Relevant period	29 September 2018–2021
Skilled	Earn NZD $27 hourly
Scarce	Job on scarce list

For the skilled criteria, evidence included employment details, pay rate, employment agreement or employer letter, and salary evidence.

For the scarce criteria, evidence included job details, relevant scarce list, employment agreement or employer letter, and occupational registration where required.

Applicants could change between skilled and scarce criteria where the relevant requirements were met.

Critical workers

Critical health workers and other critical workers in longer-term roles had different location requirements. They did not need to be in New Zealand on 29 September 2021 if they arrived and applied before 31 July 2022.

They did not need to meet settled, skilled or scarce criteria in specified circumstances.

Required Evidence

Identity

Provide:

• Passport or travel-document pages
• Head-and-shoulders photograph
• Birth certificate copy

Health

A new Limited Medical Certificate (INZ 1201) was required if health information was more than 36 months old.

No further medical certificate was needed if an acceptable health assessment had been provided within the previous 36 months.

Character

Applicants aged 17 or older were subject to New Zealand Police checks.

Immigration New Zealand could request an overseas police certificate or further information.

Family Provisions

Partner

A partner could be included in the application.

Where the partner had not previously received a relationship-based visa, provide:

• Relationship evidence
• Evidence of living together over 12 months
• Relationship timeline information

Partners did not need to be in New Zealand. Relationship history and separation caused by COVID-19 border restrictions could be considered.

Dependent children

Dependent children aged 24 or younger could be included. They had to meet identity, health and character requirements.

Children under 16 needed permission to travel with one parent or alone.

A dependent child aged 25 or older could apply independently if they were included in the parent’s skilled residence application or Skilled Migrant Category Expression of Interest on 29 September 2021. They needed:

• Parent approved for a 2021 Resident Visa
• Health and character requirements
• Dependent-child requirements, except age
• Completed INZ 1275 form and evidence

Rights After Grant

Work and study

Visa holders could:

• Work for any employer.
• Work in any occupation.
• Undertake any study.

Travel

Travel was allowed in and out of New Zealand until travel conditions expired, normally two years after first arriving as a resident.

If outside New Zealand when travel conditions expired, the visa also expired.

To travel after expiry, apply for:

• A variation of travel conditions, or
• A Permanent Resident Visa.

Obligations

Keep the visa in a valid passport when travelling.

If the passport expired, the visa had to be transferred before travel. This required:

• Old and new passports
• INZ 1023 transfer form
• Transfer fee