Contents
Supported Living Payment : Contents

Residence

To be granted Supported Living Payment, a client must:

  • be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident (ie not be in New Zealand unlawfully, here on a temporary entry class visa or a temporary permit) or
  • be deemed to hold a residence class visa in New Zealand under the Immigration Act 2009 (eg Australian citizens or residents) and
  • have lived continuously in New Zealand for two years or more at any one time since becoming a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident and
  • be ordinarily resident in New Zealand when they first apply for benefit and
  • generally be ordinarily resident in New Zealand

For more information see:

Note clients who are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident but have not lived in New Zealand continuously for two years may be eligible for an Emergency Benefit.

If a client is from overseas or is a refugee or protected person special provisions may apply, see:

Sponsored clients

Some clients have been granted permanent residence on condition that they will be supported by a New Zealand sponsor. Before a decision can be made about the client's application for benefit, any reasons why their sponsor can no longer support the client must first be determined and verified.

For more information see:

Clients without permanent residence

If a client does not have permanent residence they cannot get Supported Living Payment (even if they have lived in New Zealand continuously for 2 years).

They may be able to get an Emergency Benefit if they:

  • are lawfully present in New Zealand and are waiting for the outcome of their application for refugee or protection status in New Zealand or
  • are applying for a residence class visa under the Immigration Act and are compelled to remain in New Zealand through unforeseen circumstances

For more information see:

Legislation

  • Residential requirement section 16 Social Security Act 2018
  • General limitation on receiving benefit: persons unlawfully resident or present in New Zealand and persons holding temporary entry class visa section 19 Social Security Act 2018
  • MSD may refuse or cancel benefit if person not ordinarily resident in New Zealand section 204 Social Security Act 2018
  • Refugee or protected person status section 205 Social Security Act 2018
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It is not possible to detail the circumstances under which this may occur. However, there must be very strong and compelling reasons why the client is unable to return to their country of origin.

Lack of funds should not be regarded as a reason for not being able to return. When the client originally arrived in New Zealand, a condition of entry would have required a return air ticket to their ...

A protected person under the Immigration Act 2009 means a person recognised as a protected person in New Zealand under the:

Legislation

A person can be a New Zealand citizen by either:

For New Zealand citizenship, New Zealand includes the self-governing states of:

Citizenship is granted by the Department of Internal Affairs.

Note people born in New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, or Tokelau may not automatically be New Zealand citizens. To be considered a New Zealand citizen from birth, a person born on or after 1 January 2006 must have:

Temporary permits were granted before 29 November 2010 for visits, work or study. A temporary permit only allows a person to stay legally in New Zealand for the duration and purposes indicated on the permit.

Temporary permits granted under the Immigration Act 1987 continue to be valid until their expiry date.

A refugee means a person recognised under the Immigration Act 2009 as:

or

Legislation

A residence class visa means a:

A residence class visa allows people to live in New Zealand indefinitely. The visa also lets people work and study in New Zealand. There are different travel conditions based on the type of residence class visa.

Residence class visas are granted by Immigration New Zealand.

For the purpose of deciding if a person meets the residence criteria for financial assistance from MSD, people who ...