New Zealand Pacific Access
New Zealand
Residency
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See if you're a match →New Zealand's Pacific Access Category Resident Visa is a ballot-based residence route for eligible citizens of Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga, and Tuvalu aged 18 to 45.
- Type
- Pacific residence ballot
- Who it covers
- Eligible citizens of Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga, and Tuvalu
- Core requirements
- Ballot selection, country tie, job offer, English, and admissibility
- What to know
- Selection is not the same as approval
Summary
New Zealand's Pacific Access Category Resident Visa is a ballot-based residence pathway for eligible citizens of Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga, and Tuvalu.
The route is valuable, but it is not guaranteed. A person must be selected from the ballot and then satisfy the resident visa requirements.
Eligibility
You may be a fit if:
- You are a citizen of Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga, or Tuvalu.
- You are 18 to 45.
- You were born in that country or have a parent born there.
- You are overseas or lawfully in New Zealand when required by the route.
- You are selected from the ballot.
- You or your partner can show a qualifying New Zealand job offer.
- You meet English, health, character, and identity requirements.
Duration, Renewal, and Long-Term Path
- Duration: Resident visa from approval.
- Renewal: Can support permanent resident status after residence conditions are met.
- Citizenship: May support citizenship by grant after the required residence and presence period.
What This Route Allows
If approved, this visa lets you live, work, and study in New Zealand indefinitely. Eligible family members may be included if they meet the route's family and admissibility rules.
What This Route Is Not
This is not a general Pacific residence route. It applies only to the listed countries and depends on ballot selection and a later residence application.
Next Steps
- Confirm eligible citizenship and birth or parent-birth evidence.
- Register for the ballot when open.
- If selected, secure or document a qualifying New Zealand job offer.
- Prepare English, health, police, identity, and family records.
- Apply by the deadline in the invitation.