What you need to know about the Parent Boost Visa

Ethnic communities were excited to see the unveiling of the long-awaited Parent Boost Visa on Sunday, which aims to support parents visiting their families in New Zealand for longer durations.

However, the excitement was followed by mixed emotions as they worked hard to figure out the conditions they would need to satisfy for their parents to be eligible for the visa.

Questions emerged about the visa's health insurance and income requirements, among other things.

Immigration New Zealand said it would release more information on its website prior to applications opening on 29 September.

Until then, here's what we know about the Parent Boost Visa so far.

What is a Parent Boost Visa?

It is a multiple-entry visitor visa that allows parents of New Zealand citizens and residents to visit for up to five years, with the possibility of extending it for another five years, enabling a total stay of up to 10 years.

Who is eligible?

Applicants must have a sponsor who is their biological or adopted child and is a New Zealand citizen or resident. The sponsor must also agree to cover the applicants' essential costs, including accommodation and other daily expenses.

What are the financial requirements?

There are three ways to meet the financial requirements.

The sponsor must earn at least the New Zealand median wage, which is $69,804.80 a year to sponsor one parent, or 1½ times the median wage for joint sponsors, equivalent to $104,707.30. The amount increases by 0.5 times the median wage ($34,902.40) for additional parents being sponsored. Immigration New Zealand updates the median wage it applies to visa applications in February each year.

Alternatively, parents can have a personal income equivalent to New Zealand Superannuation, which is $32,611.28 per year for a single parent and $49,552.88 for a couple.

Otherwise, parents must have personal funds worth $160,000 for a single applicant or $250,000 for a couple.

What are the health insurance requirements?

Applicants must hold at least one year of health insurance that covers emergency medical care (minimum $250,000 a year), repatriation, return of remains and cancer treatment (minimum $100,000). They must hold valid health insurance for the entire duration of their stay in New Zealand.

Can people apply for this visa while they're in New Zealand?

No. Applicants must apply for a Parent Boost Visa when outside New Zealand.

"This offshore application requirement reinforces the visa's temporary status and the expectation that parents maintain a connection to their home country," Jock Gilray, director of visas at Immigration New Zealand, told RNZ.

Can parents work or study here?

Parent Boost Visa holders can study for up to three months each year or undertake remote work for an offshore employer. They do not have the right to work for a New Zealand employer.

What is the third-year health check?

Visa holders are required to leave New Zealand any time between three and four years of the visa to complete a health check to confirm they can continue to meet the health standards, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said.

Gilray said the visa is a temporary one and it's essential that holders maintain strong connections to their home country, and the requirement to leave New Zealand supported that approach.

How much does the visa cost?

The visa cost most people $3000 to apply and $2450 for people eligible for the Pacific fee band. Applicants also needed to pay the $100 International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy. After three years, an additional processing fee was charged for the third-year health check of $325 for most people, or $240 if eligible for the Pacific fee band.

At the media standup on Sunday, Stanford said the visa was "not a regular visitor visa" when explaining the hefty application fee.

"There's quite a lot more to it that we're going to have to check in terms of health and insurance, a character and many other things," she said. "It is more akin almost to a residence application, so it will take longer and will cost us more to process."

How long will the application process take?

Immigration New Zealand estimated most applications would be processed within four months. Timeframes would depend on the information and evidence provided, whether further assessment was required (for example where there are potential health issues) and demand for the visa.

Is there an English language requirement?

Immigration New Zealand said no English-language requirement was needed.

Are visa holder required to spend time offshore between the first and second such visas?

Applicant must remain out of New Zealand for three months after the first visa expired before applying for a second five-year-visa, Gilray said.

This was also to reinforce the visa's temporary status and the expectation that parents maintained a connection to their home country, Gilray said.

Can parents remain in New Zealand if their sponsors leave the country?

Sponsors must continue to live in New Zealand while their parents visit to ensure they could provide the support required, Gilray said.

"This won't prevent the sponsor from going on holidays, but they should primarily reside in New Zealand," Gilray said, adding that further information about this requirement will be made available before the application opens.

Are grandparents eligible for the visa?

This visa is only available for parents of New Zealand citizens and residents except in some cases where the sponsor's parents are deceased and grandparents who fill this role could be included. Instead, grandparents can use the Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa to enter New Zealand.

Is there a cap on how many people can be granted this visa?

There is no cap. Luxon said the government was expecting 2000 to 10,000 takers a year, averaging 6000 annually.

Will the influx of senior migrant parents put pressure on the country's health system?

Although parents on the visa must hold private health insurance to visit, some worry that having them in New Zealand for prolonged periods risks putting pressure on the country's health system due to limited resources and staffing shortages.

A spokesperson from Stanford's office told RNZ the two health examinations at application and three years would ensure that parents were healthy enough to stay in New Zealand.

"The requirement for ongoing health insurance will support the visa holder to meet their health costs as they will not be eligible for publicly funded healthcare," the spokesperson said.

What is the difference between this visa and the other parent visas?

Aside from the standard visitor visa, people can also apply for a Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa, which allows visa holders to visit New Zealand for up to six months at a time, and 18 months in three years, with an application fee of $441.

A Parent Resident Visa allows parents to live in New Zealand indefinitely, with income thresholds for sponsors that have been described as a hurdle. The 2500 yearly cap, application backlog and ballot system have also made the process difficult for many families. It costs $5810 to apply. Parents will be able to apply for a Permanent Resident Visa after holding this visa for 10 years.

There is also the more expensive Parent Retirement Resident Visa, which requires parents to have at least $1 million to invest in New Zealand for four years and have at least $500,000 for settlement, and an annual income of at least $60,000. Parents can stay here indefinitely with this visa, which costs $12,850 to apply. If parents meet all conditions, they may be granted a Permanent Resident Visa at the end of the four-year investment period.

The government said the Parent Boost Visa was not a pathway to residence.

"Those seeking permanent residence should consider submitting an expression of interest under the Parent Category Resident Visa," according to Immigration New Zealand's website.

Settings for Parent Boost Visa would be reviewed in 2027 to ensure they were working as intended, Stanford's office said.

For more information, visit the Immigration New Zealand website.