Specific visas and sponsorship

All the visa types listed on this page fall into the categories of temporary entry class visa or residence class visa. The type of assistance the visa holder may qualify for will depend on what category of visa they have and their individual circumstances.

Immigration New Zealand has a range of visas that allow people to join family in New Zealand. These include partner, children, parent, or grandparent visas.

Immigration New Zealand also has visas that allow people to work in New Zealand. This includes (but is not limited to):

• working holiday visas for specific countries
• skilled migrant visas
• visas for people with job offers from accredited employers in areas with skills shortages
• visas that allow people to start a business or invest in New Zealand

Other types of visas fulfil New Zealand's obligations as a good international citizen, for example:

• the Refugee Quota category
• Refugee Family Support visas
• Pacific Access visas, and
• Samoan Quota visas

If a person was granted a visa based on a definite offer of employment (supplied in writing), MSD may need to determine what happened to the job offer before deciding what assistance they qualify for. This may include contacting the employer.

Immigration New Zealand will decide on any action to be taken with regard to the person's visa if the offer was withdrawn or the employment was terminated.

In some situations a person may be granted a visa based on their personal cash assets. If they apply for assistance from MSD that has a cash asset test, MSD may need to determine what happened to the assets before deciding what assistance they qualify for.

If there is a significant drop in the person's cash assets declared, MSD should determine:

• what cash assets the person included in their visa application and
• what has happened to these cash assets

It is not acceptable for these cash assets to be used to purchase capital items such as a house, furniture or motor vehicle.

Settlement funds can be used to purchase capital items, as these are not the same as cash assets declared as personal resources.

For some people, their visa is granted on the condition that they will be supported by a New Zealand sponsor for a specific period or until the person can sustain themselves.

If a person with a sponsored visa applies for financial assistance, MSD may consider any assistance the sponsor has given to the person or their family when determining what resources are available to the person. However, the sponsor's own finances are not considered available.

MSD has an approved information sharing agreement with Immigration New Zealand to provide Immigration New Zealand with information about people who have been granted financial assistance from MSD within their sponsorship period.

If the sponsor is no longer supporting the person, MSD must verify the reasons why. If the person has chosen not to get support from the sponsor, this may result in MSD declining financial assistance or granting assistance at a reduced rate.

This may happen if MSD considers that a person has (directly or indirectly) deprived themselves of income or property and this results in them qualifying for a benefit or an increased rate of benefit.