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Entitled to reside indefinitely in New Zealand

Residency and residence class visas

To be entitled to reside indefinitely in New Zealand, a student who is not a New Zealand citizen must hold a residence class visa. This includes a Christchurch Response Visa.

New Zealand residency documentation

Documents that provide evidence of citizenship and/or entitlement to reside indefinitely in New Zealand include a:

  • New Zealand birth certificate

Generally, a person born in New Zealand before 1 January 2006 is a New Zealand citizen by birth. A person born in New Zealand after 1 January 2006 must be born to at least 1 parent who is a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident to qualify as a New Zealand citizen by birth.

  • New Zealand passport

To hold a New Zealand passport you must be a New Zealand citizen.

  • Passport (other than a New Zealand passport) containing a residence class visa granted under the Immigration Act 2009
  • Certificate of Registration

A child born outside New Zealand (to a parent who is a New Zealand citizen) may be a New Zealand citizen from birth. However, the child must apply for a Certificate of Registration to confirm their New Zealand citizenship.

  • Grant of Citizenship

People, who are entitled to reside in New Zealand indefinitely under the relevant Immigration Act, may (normally after 5 years residence in New Zealand) apply for a Grant of Citizenship. They must meet the conditions of the Grant.

  • Certificate of Confirmation

This is a certificate issued to confirm that the holder is a New Zealand citizen by birth, descent or Grant of Citizenship.

British subjects, who immigrated to New Zealand before 1948 (and who resided in New Zealand for all of 1948) were made New Zealand citizens in 1949. These people are likely to have a Certificate of Confirmation or a Certificate of Naturalisation.

  • Certificate of Naturalisation

Previously immigrants were naturalised as British subjects and citizens of New Zealand. Today they are given a Grant of Citizenship.

  • Letter of confirmation of residence from Immigration New Zealand

Australian citizens and permanent residents

Australian citizens and permanent residents are entitled to reside indefinitely in New Zealand.

United Kingdom citizens

United Kingdom immigrants had unrestricted access to New Zealand and weren't required to apply to live and stay in New Zealand before 4 April 1974.

They were automatically entitled to reside indefinitely in New Zealand.

Therefore, they are not required to provide evidence to show that they are entitled to reside indefinitely in New Zealand.

However, MSD can ask for evidence to show that the student arrived in New Zealand before 4 April 1974.

For more information see:

Residency
Guidelines for deciding ordinarily resident
Three years living in New Zealand
Refugees
Protected person
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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:

Christchurch response visa - a permanent resident visa provided by Immigration New Zealand under the Immigration Act 2009:

See:

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 ...