Refugee Claimant Visitor Visa
If you are in New Zealand and have applied for refugee or protection status, this visa lets you stay here while we process your refugee or protected person claim.
Length of stay
As needed
until we decide your claim
Processing time
80% within
4 weeks
Cost
From
NZD $0
To apply you must:
- have made claim for or status in New Zealand
- meet the other requirements of this visa.
This visa lets you:
- stay in New Zealand while we process your claim for refugee or protected person status
- get subsidised public healthcare
- have access to support services in New Zealand for refugees and protected persons.
You can include your partner, and dependent children aged 19 and younger, in your visa application.
Who can apply
Check if you are eligible to apply for this visa and what supporting documents and information you need to provide.
Identity
You must provide proof of your identity:
- 2 acceptable photos of your head and shoulders
- your passport or
You may provide your original passport, or a certified copy when you submit your application. If you provide a certified copy we may request your original passport to complete your application.
Note
Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after you plan to leave New Zealand.
Citizens of China applying from China
Also provide your:
- Hukou (household registration book)
- Chinese identity card.
If you are a citizen of China and you are submitting a paper application form in China, you must also complete a supplementary form.
Applicants from Hong Kong or Macao applying within Hong Kong or Macao
Also provide a copy of your identity card.
If you are submitting a paper application form, you must provide a supplementary form for Hong Kong and Macao visitors, workers and students.
Health
You must be in good health.
We may ask you to have a chest X-ray, a medical examination or both as proof of your good health.
If you are staying less than:
- 6 months you do not normally need a chest X-ray
- 12 months you do not normally need a medical certificate.
When we process your application we let you know if we need you to have a chest X-ray or medical examination.
Applicants from China, Hong Kong or Macao applying within China, Hong Kong or Macao
You must provide a chest X-ray completed in the last 3 months, even if you have provided one to us previously, if:
- you have spent 6 months in a row in China since the last X-ray certificate was issued, and
- you are now coming to New Zealand for more than 6 months.
Character
You must be of good character.
If you have a criminal conviction or are a security risk to New Zealand we may not be able to grant you a visa.
You must provide police certificates if your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer across all visits. This includes any time you have spent in New Zealand in the past on other visas, even if you have been out of the country since then.
You also must provide police certificates if we ask for them.
Police certificates must be less than 6 months old when you submit your application. They must be from any country you are a citizen of, or have spent more than 5 years in since you turned 17.
If you are 16 years old or younger you do not need to provide police certificates.
How to get a police certificate
If you have already sent us police certificates with a previous visa application and they are less than 24 months old, you do not need to send them again.
Genuine intentions
You must genuinely intend to meet the conditions of your visa.
When we decide if your intentions are genuine, we consider all the information:
- you provide to support your application
- we have about your personal circumstances
- you provided in any previous applications.
Claim for refugee or protection status
You must have made a claim for refugee or protection status.
We will check our records for information about your claim.
Relationship with family
If you include your partner and children in your application, you must have a genuine relationship with them.
You must provide evidence:
- of your relationship with your partner and dependent children, like a marriage certificate and birth certificates
- that your partner and dependent children meet the health, character and identity requirements for this visa, if necessary.
Note
A family can include yourself, your partner, and dependent children 19 and under.
English translations
You must provide certified full English translations of any documents that are not in English.
Documents must be translated by someone who meets our requirements for providing English translations.
How to pay and submit
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While you are in New Zealand
These are the conditions that you must meet once you have your visa.
Travel
You will not normally be granted travel conditions.
Note
If you leave New Zealand, we will consider you have withdrawn your claim (or appeal) for refugee or protection status.
Work
You cannot
in New Zealand on this visa, however, you may be able to or work remotely for an employer or client based outside New Zealand.Note
If the Ministry of Social Development declares a seasonal labour shortage, you can apply for a one-off variation to your visa conditions to do seasonal work for up to 6 weeks.
Visa expiry
You must leave New Zealand before your visa expires.
Note
If more time is needed to make a decision about your refugee or protection status claim, you may apply for another visa to stay in New Zealand. You will need to apply before your current visa expires.