Refugees, protected people and special visas

You may meet the residency requirements if you are a refugee or protected person, Afghan evacuee, or Christchurch response visa holder. You may also meet the residency requirements if you are an immediate family member of someone in 1 of those situations. 

Refugees and protected people

If you are a refugee or have protected person status, you meet the residency requirements if you have 1 of these:

• a resident visa
• a valid temporary entry visa.

Qualifying through an immediate family member

If you have an immediate family member who is a refugee or has protected person status, you meet the residency requirements if you are in 1 of these situations:

• you live in New Zealand on a valid temporary entry visa, and you can change to a resident visa with your family member who is a refugee or protected person
• you have a resident visa that you changed to with your family member who is a refugee or protected person
• you were sponsored into New Zealand by someone in your family who, when you were sponsored, was a refugee or protected person and held a resident visa. 

If a child is a refugee or protected person, you are their immediate family member if you are the child’s parent, brother or sister. 

Afghan evacuee

If you have an Afghan emergency resettlement residency visa, you meet the residency requirements.

Christchurch response visa

You meet the residency requirements if you can say ‘yes’ to 1 of these points: 

• you have a Christchurch response visa 
• you could have got a Christchurch response visa but you had another resident visa. 

Qualifying through an immediate family member

You may meet the residency requirements if an immediate family member has the Christchurch response visa, or if they would have been eligible for it.

You must also have a resident visa.

Your immediate family member must be alive, and have a Christchurch response visa.

If your immediate family member does not have a Christchurch response visa, they must be in 1 of the situations below.

• They are currently a New Zealand citizen but held a Christchurch response visa on 15 March 2019.
• They are currently a New Zealand citizen who held citizenship, permanent residency or a resident visa on 15 March 2019 but would have been eligible for a Christchurch response visa. 
• They are currently a permanent resident who held either permanent residency or a resident visa on 15 March 2019 but would have been eligible for a Christchurch response visa. 
• They are currently a resident visa holder who held a resident visa on 15 March 2019 but would have been eligible for a Christchurch response visa.