The Parent visa program is being reopened by the Government, however, the numbers are being capped and the costs are increasing. This specific visa allowed parents to live in New Zealand with their adult children, if they were either a citizen or a resident and was closed in 2016 on a temporary basis by Michael Woodhouse, former Immigration Minister, so as to clear application backlogs. This visa was criticized as was considered to be a burden on taxpayers.
New Criteria Reset for the Parent Visa Program Category
However, as per the new criteria, the requirement of having a guaranteed lifetime income for parent applicants will be removed and the focus will be on the capability of the skilled migrant child of supporting the parents. The requirements in terms of finance will increase and parents will have to meet the requirements of health and character which is part of the process of application.
As of May, there were about 5000+ parents who expressed their interest to live in New Zealand with their children. However, the reset will fix a cap of just 1000 people. The present scheme with the new criteria will be reopened in February 2020.
Lain Lees-Galloway, Immigration Minister, stated that this new reset would permit those people who submitted the Expression of Interest (EOI) as per the old settings to decide as to what they wished to do. Lees-Galloway also said that the Coalition Government was dedicated to appealing to and retaining the highly skilled migrants. Reopening as well as resetting this visa program would make sure that businesses can obtain skilled workers as required by offering a path for the parents to live with them.
Results of the New Reset for the Parent Visa Program Category
According to Lees-Galloway, this new reset will raise the finance requirements and the focus will be shifted to the income of the adult migrant child and it will be in sync with the ‘highly-paid’ settings as per the Skilled Migrant Category as well as the latest changes to Temporary Work visa settings that are employer-assisted. Parents who are already in the queue with an EOI can get their applications updated to check the latest requirements and hold their positions in the queue.
How much you need to earn to sponsor your parents in New Zealand
A single person who is sponsoring just one parent has to earn two times the median income in New Zealand which is around $106,000 a year – and $159,000 a year in case they sponsor two parents. Joint sponsors (for a single parent) will be increased from $90,000 to $159,000 a year and in case the sponsorship is for two parents, it will be $212,000 a year.
Those who are unable to match the new eligibility criteria can have the EOI withdrawn as well as apply for a total refund.