After a very long time in limbo, applicants with parent category Expressions of Interest in the pool can now look ahead to a future in New Zealand.
The reopening of the parent category EOI selection pool on 14 November 2022 for EOIs submitted before 12 October 2022 is not the only good news.
What are the changes?
- The number of people approved annually under this category has been increased from 1000 to 2500. Given the current number of EOIs in the pool, it is estimated that EOI selection will take up to 3-4 years to complete. EOIs will be selected in date order.
- The minimum income thresholds have been lowered to 1.5 times the New Zealand median threshold for one parent being sponsored by one sponsor (between $106,080 and $115,481 in the past three years). This makes it much more affordable for couples to bring their families to New Zealand, although, bringing two sets of parents will still require a combined income of around $202,000.
- Siblings who meet the criteria of being citizens or having held residence for 3 years can now pool their resources and sponsor their parents together – this is a big bonus for families where more than one sibling has emigrated to New Zealand.
- Ironically for 2 sponsors, the median income threshold increases to 2 times the median wage, which makes little sense. Surely there is more exposure to one person losing their income when supporting their family compared to two people providing a combined income?
Things to Note:
Sponsors must be New Zealand citizens or have held residence in New Zealand for at least 3 years.
Sponsors must have earned the income threshold for at least 2 years of the 3-year period before their EOI is drawn – this is a bit of a moving target if you consider that EOIs currently in the pool can take up to 3 – 4 years to be drawn.
Furthermore, income must be shown under the sponsor’s IRD statements, rather than for instance trust income. This calculation can be complex and we recommend contacting us for an assessment of whether you would meet the income threshold before you submit the EOI.
New EOIs to be selected by Ballot
If you haven’t submitted an Expression of Interest in this category by 12 October, you can submit an EOI closer to August 2023. These EOIs will be drawn randomly from the ballot after August 2023 and every three months after that – up to 500 visas will be available each year for this ballot selection.
INZ fees have increased
The only bit of bad news in the announcement is that the INZ application fee has increased from $1480 to $3160.
We are here to help. Contact us if you need any assistance with bringing your parents to New Zealand.
Vanessa Sharratt
Director and Senior Licensed Adviser