Chronological selection process for Parent Resident Visa confirmed
New Zealand's Immigration Minister Erica Stanford has announced a shift to a chronological selection process for the Parent Resident Visa starting in November. The new model replaces the previous random ballot system to prioritize applicants who have been waiting the longest.
Why it matters
This policy change directly impacts thousands of families seeking residency by providing a more predictable and transparent pathway for reunification.
Immigration Minister Erica Stanford has confirmed that expressions of interest for the Parent Resident Visa will mostly be selected in chronological order from November.
Currently, expressions of interest are randomly selected every three months by ballot, leaving many applicants waiting in limbo .
Under the new model, 90 percent of all expressions of interest would be selected from the queue chronologically, while the rest would continue to be selected by ballot to reach the annual cap of 2500 places, Stanford said Saturday.
"The new model prioritises people who have already been waiting for years, while maintaining a balanced way of allocating places in a high-demand residence pathway," she said.
"There is no perfect way to allocate places when demand is higher than the number of visas available, but this approach strikes a fairer balance."
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