The Parent Boost Visitor Visa will begin from 29 September 2025. This visa allows eligible parents to stay in New Zealand for up to five years, with the flexibility to leave and re-enter the country as often as they wish during that time. The visa can be extended for another 5 years, giving families the chance to be together for up to ten years in New Zealand.
Please appreciate that this visa is not a pathway to New Zealand residence.
To be eligible for the Parent Boost Visitor Visa, applicants must:
- Be outside New Zealand when applying and when the visa is granted.
- Meet character and health requirements.
- Be sponsored by an adult NZ citizen or resident child(ren).
- Show sufficient funds or income, or that their sponsor meets income requirements.
- Have no dependent children.
- Provide proof of 12 months of acceptable health insurance (to be organised after the application is approved in principle)
After the visa is granted, the applicant must arrive in New Zealand within six months and the 5 year visa duration begins from the date of first arrival. However, between years 3 & 4 the applicant must leave New Zealand and complete a compliance check which includes submitting a new medical certificate and evidencing the required health insurance, and must remain offshore until this check is approved.
Health Insurance
Health insurance is mandatory, must be maintained for the entire duration of the stay, and must cover:
Applicants should wait until their application is approved in principle and they then have 3 months to organise their insurance for the first 12 months which they must then renew annually for the visa duration. Insurance from both NZ and overseas providers can be acceptable.
Health and Medical Requirements
Applicants must be of Acceptable Standard of Health i.e. prove to INZ that they will not be a risk to public health:
- Medical certificates from the past 12 months may be reused for the first visa.
- New certificates (no older than 3 months) are needed for the compliance check and any subsequent Parent Boost visa application.
- No medical waivers will be granted.
Financial Support
Applicants can either support themselves or be supported by their New Zealand child(ren). Similar to the Parent Resident Visa, joint sponsorship is allowed and can include:
- Adult child + partner
- Two adult children
- One adult child of each parent
Parents’ funds must be genuinely owned, i.e., no gifts or loans allowed.
Option 1: Parent’s Available Funds Requirements
Option 2: Parent’s Ongoing Income Requirements
Option 3: NZ Sponsor’s Income Requirements
Parent Resident Visa
Parents in New Zealand on the Parent Boost Visitor Visa remain eligible to apply for New Zealand residence, provided they can meet the Parent Resident Category requirements. These requirements mainly relate to their child/children in New Zealand meeting specific sponsorship criteria which are different from those for the Parent Boost Visa. They include a higher income threshold for sponsors and a requirement that sponsors must have held New Zealand residence and lived in New Zealand for at least three years.
Whether the Parent Boost Visa will have similar sponsorship requirements remains to be seen and is likely to be detailed in the Immigration Instructions.
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