At a Glance
- Effective October 1, 2024, Immigration New Zealand will increase several immigration application government fees, including those for the most used temporary work visas.
- The government will continue subsidizing the fees for applicants from neighboring Pacific countries.
- Where possible, applicants should try to submit visa applications before October 1, 2024, to benefit from the lower government fees.
The situation
Effective October 1, 2024, Immigration New Zealand will increase several immigration application government fees. The list of all services and the corresponding fee increase can be found here.
A closer look
Effective October 1, 2024, Immigration New Zealand will increase
several immigration application fees. Below are the most common
types of applications and their corresponding fee increases:
| Application Type | Fee from October 1, 2024 (NZD) | Previous Fee (NZD) |
| Specific Purpose Work Visa | $1,355 | $735 |
| Accredited Employer Work Visa | $1,540 | $750 |
| Employer Accreditation (Standard/Upgrade from Standard to High Volume) | $775 / $505 | $740 / $480 |
| Employer Accreditation (High Volume) | $1,280 | $1,220 |
| Employer Accreditation (Triangular Employment) | $3,870 | $4,060 |
| Work Visa – Partner | $1,630 | $860 |
| Job Check | $735 | $610 |
| Skilled Residence | $6,450 | $4,290 |
| Permanent Resident Visa | $315 | $240 |
| Visitor Visa | $341 | $211 |
| Variation of conditions on a Temporary Entry visa | $325 | $210 |
| Student Visa | $750 | $375 |
The government will continue subsidizing fees for applicants from
neighboring Pacific countries.
Impact
Where possible, applicants should try to submit visa applications before October 1, 2024, to benefit from the lower fees.
Background
Immigration New Zealand last adjusted the filing fees on July 31, 2022.
The Immigration Minister has stated that the intention of the increase was to establish a more sustainable immigration system by transferring more of the financial responsibility of application costs from taxpayers to visa applicants.
Notably, New Zealand's visa charges remain competitive with those in Australia and the United Kingdom, ensuring that the country continues to be an appealing destination for workers, tourists, and students.
Looking ahead
Future plans in New Zealand's immigration environment include:
- Plans to streamline the process for Variation of Condition/Job Change applications in instances of company takeovers, redundancies, and other similar situations as part of the Accredited Employer Work Visa.
- Stats NZ, New Zealand's official national data agency, has proposed developing a new platform for Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations Codes based on an existing jobs database project in the tertiary education sector. The platform is aimed to better reflect New Zealand labor market conditions. Stats NZ will likely hold public consultations on creating the content and organizing the system.
We will report on related developments.
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.