New Zealand unveils 10-year Parent Boost Visa to unite families
Applications to open in September 2025 under strict health and income rules
DUBAI: In a move to strengthen family ties and attract skilled migrants, the New Zealand Government has launched a new long-term visitor visa for parents of citizens and residents.
Known as the Parent Boost Visa, the scheme will allow parents to stay in the country for up to ten years, offering a multiple-entry option with strict eligibility criteria.
Applications will open on 29 September 2025, providing a fresh alternative for families previously caught in lengthy backlogs under the Parent Resident Visa system. Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said the initiative balances the need for family connection with the government’s commitment to maintaining manageable public service demands.
The visa is not a pathway to permanent residency, but it provides a meaningful opportunity for extended family visits while meeting healthcare and financial self-sufficiency standards. Those aiming for permanent residency should consider the Parent Category Resident Visa, which remains open, albeit under a quota system.
What’s the Parent Boost Visa?
The Parent Boost Visa grants an initial five-year stay with the opportunity to apply for another five-year term, bringing the total to ten years, provided the applicant meets all requirements throughout.
It is designed for parents of New Zealand citizens or residents, who must sponsor them. The visa allows multiple entries and exits, making it suitable for parents who want to visit frequently or spend prolonged periods in the country.
How to qualify?
Applicants must be of good character and meet the acceptable standard of health, the same as that required for residency. Two health assessments are mandatory – one during the initial application and another in the third year, which must be completed outside New Zealand.
Sponsorship is essential. Sponsors must be either biological or adopted children who are New Zealand citizens or residents. They must commit to covering the parent’s daily living expenses, ensure access to financial and health support, and be responsible for repatriation costs if necessary.
What are the costs?
The standard visa fee is NZD $3,000, while applicants eligible for the Pacific fee band will pay NZD $2,450. An additional NZD $100 will be charged for the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy.
In the third year, the second health assessment comes at an extra cost – NZD $325 for most applicants and NZD $240 for those under the Pacific fee band.
Health insurance is a non-negotiable requirement. Coverage must include emergency medical treatment (minimum NZD $250,000 per year), repatriation, return of remains, and cancer treatment (minimum NZD $100,000). Applicants must maintain insurance for their entire stay, or risk visa cancellation, ineligibility for future visas, or deportation.
Who can afford it?
Applicants must satisfy one of three financial criteria:
- Their sponsor earns at least the New Zealand median wage (or 1.5 times for joint sponsors) for one parent, with an extra 0.5 times added per additional parent.
- The parents themselves have personal income equal to the NZ Superannuation – currently NZD $32,611.28 gross annually for a single and NZD $49,552.88 for a couple.
- Alternatively, they must have personal savings of NZD $160,000 (single) or NZD $250,000 (couple).
These thresholds ensure applicants won’t rely on public services, a key concern cited by both the government and supporting parties such as ACT.
Why now?
The visa comes after years of pressure to address the bottleneck in parent residency applications. As of June 2024, around 12,000 parents were waiting to reunite with their families, with only 500 picked in the year prior. Some had reportedly died waiting.
To alleviate this, the government earlier authorised an extra 331 queue-based visas in addition to the annual 2,500 cap. The Parent Boost Visa now offers a long-term, non-residence solution while work continues to improve the resident visa process.
While ACT initially proposed an annual fee to offset healthcare costs, the final scheme mandates comprehensive insurance instead – a move expected to lighten the load on public healthcare systems.