Pacific Access Category Resident Visa

At a Glance

Item	Details
Visa name	Pacific Access Category Resident Visa
Stay	Indefinitely
Cost	From NZD $1,389
2026 ballot	Closed
Eligibility timing	Apply within eight months of invitation
Age	18–45 at ballot closing
Eligible citizenships	Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga, Tuvalu
Ballot places, 2026	650 total
Work rights	Any job, any employer
Study	Any course, any duration
Medicare	Not stated in the source
Travel facility	Multiple entry for two years
Permanent residence	Eligible after two consecutive years
Citizenship	Usually eligible after five resident years
Family sponsorship	Partner and dependent children included
Visa record	eVisa
Health and character	Required
Job offer	Full-time, at least 12 months

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Purpose

This resident visa is for citizens of Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga or Tuvalu selected through the Pacific Access Category ballot. It allows the holder to live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely.

Annual ballot places are:

• Fiji: 250
• Kiribati: 75
• Tonga: 250
• Tuvalu: 75

Eligibility

Ballot registration

To register, you must:

• Be a citizen of Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga or Tuvalu.
• Be aged 18 to 45 when registration closes.
• Have been born in your citizenship country, or have a parent born there.
• Be overseas or lawfully in New Zealand when registering online.
• Include your partner and dependent children in the registration if they will apply with you.

Visa application

You may apply only after selection and an invitation to apply. You must:

• Meet the ballot requirements.
• Apply from your country of citizenship or New Zealand on a valid temporary visa.
• Have an acceptable full-time job offer for at least 12 months, or have a partner with one.
• Meet income requirements.
• Meet health and character requirements.
• Speak, read and understand English.
• Show genuine relationships with any included partner and dependent children.

Citizens of Kiribati and Tuvalu may also apply from Fiji.

Job and income requirements

The job offer must be supported by certified copies of:

• Job offer
• Job description
• Employment agreement
• Required occupational registration, if applicable

A visa cannot be granted if the employer is on a Labour Inspectorate or immigration stand-down list.

If dependent children are included, you and your partner must earn at least NZD $55,404.96 per year combined. Both job offers may be combined, but only one must be full-time.

If no dependent children are included, you must be paid at least the New Zealand minimum wage.

Income thresholds are reviewed annually.

English

You must speak, read and understand English. Immigration New Zealand may assess this through a conversation about you, your family and background, including written questions in English.

Health and character

You must provide:

• A medical examination and chest X-ray.
• Police certificates for applicants aged 17 or older.

Chest X-rays are generally not required for children under 11 or pregnant women, unless a special report is needed.

Police certificates must be less than six months old when you apply. Provide certificates from:

• Every country of citizenship; and
• Every country where you spent 12 months or more during the past 10 years.

The 12 months do not need to have been continuous. Certificates must show all criminal history, not only the last 10 years.

A criminal conviction or security risk may prevent visa approval.

Family provisions

You may include your partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger. They must have been included in your ballot registration.

You must provide evidence of:

• Genuine relationship with your partner and children.
• Their identity.
• Their health and character compliance.
• Acceptable photos.

Documents

For ballot registration

Provide:

• Your full birth certificate.
• Birth certificates for included partner and dependent children.

If you were born outside your citizenship country, Immigration New Zealand may request your parent’s full birth certificate and passport or certificate of identity.

For the visa application

If invited, provide:

• Passport or certificate of identity.
• One acceptable photo.
• Medical examination and chest X-ray evidence.
• Required police certificates.
• Proof of your application location.
• Job-offer evidence.
• Evidence of required income.
• Family relationship and identity evidence, where applicable.
• Certified English translations and original-document copies for documents not in English.

Medical and chest X-ray evidence must be less than three months old when received.

Immigration New Zealand may also request your original passport, further English evidence, or parental birth evidence.

Application steps

1. Register online for the ballot using an email address or mobile number.
2. Wait for results. You will receive a ballot number by text or email.
3. Receive an invitation to apply if selected and eligible.
4. Gather documents, including translations, health evidence, police certificates, job and income evidence.
5. Submit the application and pay the fee within eight months of the invitation.
6. Wait for a decision. Immigration New Zealand may request further information and will email the decision.

If not selected, or if you do not apply within eight months, you may register again the following year if still eligible.

Cost and processing

The visa cost starts from NZD $1,389. Country-specific process and cost information is displayed after providing nationality details.

Processing time is not stated in the source.

After approval

You must enter New Zealand within:

• Three months of visa grant, if you are the principal applicant.
• Twelve months of visa grant, for your partner and children.

The visa starts:

• On first entry to New Zealand, if granted while outside New Zealand; or
• On the grant date, if already in New Zealand.

You will receive an eVisa by email.

Rights in New Zealand

You may:

• Live in New Zealand indefinitely.
• Work in any job for any employer.
• Study anywhere for any length of time.

Your visa conditions are recorded in your eVisa.

Travel conditions

You may travel in and out of New Zealand multiple times until travel conditions expire. Travel conditions expire two years after:

• Your first arrival as a resident; or
• Visa grant, if you were in New Zealand when granted.

After expiry, you need a Permanent Resident Visa or an extension of travel conditions to return to New Zealand.

Warning: If you are outside New Zealand when travel conditions expire, your resident visa also expires.

If your passport expires, transfer the visa to a new passport before travelling.

Permanent residence and citizenship

After holding this visa for two consecutive years, you may apply for a Permanent Resident Visa. This permits indefinite travel in and out of New Zealand while the visa remains in a valid passport.

Most people may apply for New Zealand citizenship after five years living in New Zealand as a resident, if they meet citizenship requirements. A Permanent Resident Visa is not required first.

Arrival and obligations

All travellers must complete a New Zealand Traveller Declaration:

• By air: from 24 hours before travel begins.
• By sea: from 24 hours before the vessel leaves its final overseas port.

You may be refused entry permission if you:

• No longer meet character requirements.
• Have changed circumstances since visa grant.
• Refuse a photo, fingerprint or iris scan.

Important warnings

• Ensure identity details exactly match your passport or certificate of identity.
• Incorrect identity details may delay, decline, or affect entry permission.
• If applying from New Zealand, keep a valid visa while the application is processed.
• If your temporary visa may expire, apply for another temporary visa or leave New Zealand before expiry.