Contents
Young Parent Payment : Contents

Residence

To be granted Young Parent 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 2 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 2 years, may be eligible for Young Parent Payment on grounds of hardship.

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 under the Immigration New Zealand sponsorship policy.

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 receive a Young Parent Payment (even if they have lived in New Zealand continuously for 2 years). They may be able to receive an Emergency Benefit if they:

  • are lawfully present in New Zealand and are awaiting 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

  • Young parent payment sections 56-57 Social Security Act 2018
  • Residential requirement section 16 Social Security Act 2018
  • Young parent payment: discretionary grant on ground of hardship section 60 Social Security Act 2018
Top

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

or

Legislation

Temporary entry class visas are issued to people who have arrived in New Zealand legally, but are only allowed to stay for a temporary period for the duration and purposes indicated on the visa.

A temporary entry class visa means:

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 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 ...

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

Legislation

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 ...