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Permanent Resident Visa

New ZealandLong-term residence

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

Official link

Explore pathways in New Zealand Read the five questions ↓

What exact status does accumulated residence lead to?

A Permanent Resident Visa allows a person to live in New Zealand permanently and travel in and out of the country.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Only the supported part of the approved question is captured; remaining route-specific details are unresolved.

What qualifying residence period is required and when does the period begin?

The applicant must have held a resident visa for at least 2 years in a row; the 2 years start from the date the person first arrived in New Zealand from overseas, or from the visa issue date if they were already in New Zealand.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Only the supported part of the approved question is captured; remaining route-specific details are unresolved.

Which types of residence count fully, partially or not at all where the official rules specify this?

Time held on a New Zealand resident visa counts: the applicant must have held a resident visa for at least 2 years in a row, and must currently hold one or hold one that expired 90 days ago or less. The 2 years start from the date the person first arrived in New Zealand from overseas, or from the visa issue date if they were already in New Zealand. Family members who were not in the original residence application must themselves have held a resident visa continuously for at least 24 months. The official source does not state whether time on temporary visas counts.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The page does not say whether time on temporary visas counts partially or not at all.

What absence/continuity rules affect accumulation of the qualifying residence period?

One of 5 ways to show commitment to New Zealand is the time commitment: at least 184 days in New Zealand in each of the last 2 years, checked against travel records. A current resident visa expires if the holder is outside New Zealand after its travel conditions expire.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The 184-day rule is only one of the 5 commitment options; the other options are not detailed on this page.

What other major conditions apply, how is the status obtained, and what renewal, document-validity, retention or loss rules matter?

The applicant needs a current resident visa, or one that expired no more than 90 days ago. The official source does not state the application route, document validity, retention or loss rules.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Only the supported part of the approved question is captured; remaining route-specific details are unresolved.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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