Getting your New Zealand Visa

New Zealand is one of the few countries in the world currently accepting migrants, and welcomes more migrants from the UK than from any other nation.

Getting your New Zealand visa can seem a mammoth task, but prospective migrants from the UK have several distinct advantages, including language and compatible qualifications. We have found the New Zealand Immigration Service excellent to deal with, and hope that your experience is similarly positive.

When dealing with the New Zealand Immigration Service, it may pay to keep in mind that they are looking for migrants who can contribute to New Zealand and settle well. They tend to be quite harshly judged in New Zealand for the tiny percentage of migrants who cause problems!

We mainly deal with the financial aspects of migration and specialise in helping UK migrants to make the most of the financial opportunities they will find in New Zealand. However we also want to make the move as easy as possible for you so endeavour to provide as much information about the entire process as we can.

If you need some specific advice on New Zealand visas and New Zealand immigration, you could take a look at the many online forums that deal specifically with these issues. If you need some specialist advice on New Zealand immigration or getting a New Zealand visa, then we would advise contacting an immigration consultant.

New Zealand Visas

There are a couple of different strategies for getting a visa to live and work in New Zealand – the most popular is to apply for Permanent Residence, or PR. A lesser known and slightly more complicated route to New Zealand residence is a Work to Residence visa, which may suit you if you don’t quite qualify for permanent residence but you have a good job offer in New Zealand.

Or, if have a job sorted out and need to move to New Zealand as soon as possible, you may like to consider applying for a work visa, then applying for permanent residence once you have been in New Zealand for a while.

There are also specific business visas for migrants who wish to set up or buy a business in New Zealand, which can also provide a route to permanent residence.

What’s the difference between a Visa and a Permit?

A visa allows you to travel to New Zealand. It is put into your passport as a label.

A permit is issued on your arrival New Zealand, in most cases by an immigration officer at the airport. It is usually a stamp in your passport, and is generally the same type as your visa so you can enter New Zealand for a specific purpose.

We wish you the best of luck in your quest to emigrate to New Zealand, and invite you to contact us to discuss any aspect of the financial side of your life in New Zealand.

To find out more, request a free copy of our Financial and Pension guides for New Zealand.