- New Zealand Immigration has confirmed that certain categories of foreigners are exempt from paying visa application fees and immigration levies
- The fee waiver covers three specific groups, and New Zealand also has bilateral agreements with select countries that grant their citizens similar exemptions
- Eligible applicants can use an official tool on the New Zealand Immigration website to check whether a fee waiver applies to their case
New Zealand’s immigration authority has confirmed that three categories of foreign nationals are not required to pay visa application fees or immigration levies when applying to enter or remain in the country.
According to New Zealand Immigration, the exemptions apply to refugees, refugee claimants, and protected persons, as well as victims of family violence.
Photo Credit: Michael Bradley, Wong Yu Liang
Source: Facebook
Each of these groups is fully exempt from both the standard visa application fee and the immigration levy that most other applicants must pay.
New Zealand: Who qualifies for fee waiver
Refugees and those who have been recognised as protected persons under New Zealand law are covered by the waiver, as are individuals who have filed refugee claims that are still being processed.
Victims of family violence form the third category, with the exemption applying to the application fee and the immigration levy in full.
Beyond these three groups, New Zealand also has agreements with a number of countries that waive visa fees for their citizens. The authority noted that visitors from certain countries do not pay for their visa at all, depending on the bilateral arrangement in place between New Zealand and their home country.
New Zealand: How to check your eligibility
New Zealand Immigration advised prospective applicants to use its official Fees, Decision Times and Where to Apply tool to find out whether a waiver applies to their specific situation before submitting an application.
The tool takes into account the visa type, the applicant’s nationality, and their individual circumstances.
In a related story, Legit.ng reported that New Zealand had named the jobs that foreigners could use to qualify for permanent residency.
New Zealand changes salary rules for foreigners seeking PR
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that New Zealand had announced new salary rules for foreigners who want to get permanent residency.
The update, published by New Zealand Immigration, affects holders of the Tier 2 Green List Work to Residence Visa, the Transport Work to Residence Visa, and the Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa, as well as applicants under the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Visa.
Under the current rules, migrants must meet the required wage rate at three separate points: when they begin counting their 24 months of eligible work experience, when they change jobs or employers, and again when they apply for residence.
Source: Legit.ng