New Zealand's government has announced substantial increases in visa application fees, with particularly steep hikes for investment and entrepreneur pathways. The new pricing structure, set to take effect on October 1, 2024, is intended to set appropriate levels to recover the costs of processing a visa and reflect the benefits received by people using immigration services.
Fee Structure Based on Location and Citizenship
It's important to note that the fee structure varies depending on where the application is made:
- Band A fees apply to applicants who are in New Zealand when making their application.
- For applicants outside New Zealand, the fee depends on their
country of citizenship:
- Band B fees apply to Pacific country citizens.
- Band C fees apply to citizens from the rest of the world.
Entrepreneur Visas triples in cost
The Entrepreneur Category visas, for both work and residence stages, will see substantial increases. For most applicants (except Pacific region citizens), the Entrepreneur Work Visa will increase from NZD 3,710 to NZD 11,320 with an additional immigration levy of NZD 1,060. The Entrepreneur Residence Visa will see the same increase to NZD 11,320 but with a higher immigration levy of NZD 3,570.
Investment Visas increase by 154%
The Active Investor Plus Category visa fees will increase for most applicants from NZD 4,750 to NZD 12,070, with the levy increasing from NZD 3,150 to 15,400, a 283% increase. This results in a new total cost of NZD 27,470 from the current NZD 7,900.
Other Changes
Most other visa categories will increase, however the most significant increases are in the Active Investor Plus, Entrepreneur and Parent Retirement categories. The Parent Retirement visa sees an increase from NZD 3,710 to NZD 9,430. The full details of the increases is available at https://www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/media-centre/news-notifications/increase-to-visa-c harges-come-into-effect-from-1-october
Apply before 1 October 2024 to avoid impact
With the changes announced on Friday 9th August 2024, the industry will see increased demand to apply before the revised fees take effect. If you're planning to apply for a New Zealand visa, it's advisable to submit your application well before October 1st to avoid these significant fee increases.
Prospective applicants, especially those considering entrepreneur or investor visas, should carefully evaluate their plans and timelines in light of these changes. As leading immigration advisers we are expecting a surge in inquiries and applications in the coming weeks as individuals and businesses rush to beat the deadline. It's important to note that New Zealand requires medical and police checks to be completed, and supporting documentation to be provided when the visa application is submitted. It is crucial to allow sufficient time for application preparation to take advantage of the current, lower fee structure. After October 1st, applicants will need to factor these substantially higher costs into their immigration and investment plans for New Zealand.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.