New Zealand Refugee Family Support
New Zealand
Residency
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See if you're a match →New Zealand's Refugee Family Support Resident Visa can help some family members join a New Zealand citizen or resident who was granted residence as a refugee, protected person, or certain Afghan pathway holder.
- Type
- Refugee family residence
- Sponsor
- Eligible refugee-background New Zealand citizen or resident
- Core requirements
- Sponsor eligibility, registration, invitation, relationship, and admissibility
- What to know
- The sponsor-registration tier matters
Summary
New Zealand's Refugee Family Support Resident Visa can help some family members join an eligible refugee-background sponsor in New Zealand.
The process starts with the New Zealand sponsor. Immigration New Zealand currently emphasizes tier-one sponsor registrations, so sponsor category and timing matter.
Eligibility
You may be a fit if:
- You have an eligible sponsor in New Zealand.
- The sponsor is a New Zealand citizen or resident who was granted residence as a refugee, protected person, Afghan interpreter, or eligible Afghan evacuee.
- The sponsor registers and is invited under the relevant tier.
- You meet the family relationship requirements.
- You meet health, character, identity, and document 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 can let family members live, work, and study in New Zealand indefinitely.
What This Route Is Not
This is not a general family visa. It is specifically tied to an eligible refugee-background sponsor and the sponsor-registration process.
Next Steps
- Confirm the sponsor's New Zealand citizenship or residence status.
- Confirm the sponsor's refugee, protected-person, or Afghan pathway background.
- Check whether the sponsor fits tier one or another available registration category.
- Gather relationship and identity records.
- Prepare health, character, and document evidence after invitation.