Clarification on Visitor Visa Staying Conditions
William made this Official Information request to Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
Response to this request is delayed. By law, Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment should normally have responded promptly and by (details and exceptions)
From: William
Dear Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment,
I am seeking clarification on the staying conditions for the following visa types:
Visitor Visa: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/visas/vi...
Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/visas/pa...
Background:
My mother is currently in New Zealand. She initially held a Visitor Visa for 6 months and then transitioned to a Partner of a Student Visitor Visa (valid from April 3rd to October 31st), which will extend her stay beyond 12 months in total.
I note that the Multiple Entry Visitor Visa states:
"If you have a multiple entry visa, you can visit New Zealand as a tourist as many times as you want and stay for a total of up to 6 months in a 12-month period."
Questions:
1. Eligibility for Multiple Entry Visitor Visa After Current Visa Expires
a. Can my mother apply for a Multiple Entry Visitor Visa IMMEDIATELY after her Partner of a Student Visitor Visa expires in October, given she will have already stayed in NZ for 12+ months (6 months on a Visitor Visa + 6+ months on a Partner of a Student Visa)?
b. Does applying inside vs. outside NZ affect eligibility or conditions?
2. Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa Conditions
This visa allows stays of up to 6 months per visit and a maximum of 18 months within 3 years.
If she applies for this visa in October (before her current visa expires), will her prior 6-month stay on a Visitor Visa count toward the 18-month limit, but not her time on the Partner of a Student Visa?
Thank you for your time and assistance. I appreciate your guidance on these matters.
Yours sincerely,
William
From: William
Dear Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment,
I hope this message finds you well.
I’m writing to follow up on my above question, for which a response was expected by September 19, 2025, as stated at the top of this page. As today is that date and I have not yet received a reply, I wanted to kindly check if my query could be reviewed.
I’d greatly appreciate any updates when convenient.
Yours faithfully,
William
From: INZ General Enquiries
Good morning,
To assist us with our query please reply to this email with the following
client details:
* full name
* date of birth
* passport number
* client number or any previous application numbers
We may be better placed to assist with your enquiry when we have access to
your client file.
Kind regards,
Raghu M
CLIENT SERVICES ADVISOR
MBIE Customer Service Centre, Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Hīkina Whakatutuki
+64 (9) 914 4100
PO Box 1473, Wellington, New Zealand
NZBN 9429000106078
If you wish to provide service feedback, here is the link:
[1]https://feedback.immigration.govt.nz/
Make sure you check out our [2]Immigration ONLINE system when applying for
your next visa.
From: [email address]
Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2025 10:23 AM
To: [email address]
Subject: FW: Re: Official Information request - Clarification on Visitor
Visa Staying Conditions CRM:0264673
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kia ora team,
Please see the below follow up email.
Note that the original request was forwarded to you on 25/08/2025. I have
attached our email to you for reference.
Also note, this request has been received via FYI.org.nz and any response
to the email address will be automatically published on the FYI.org.nz
website.
Guidance on these requests can be found here
> [3]https://mako.wd.govt.nz/otcs/llisapi.dll....
Do not request or provide any personal information via this address.
Thanks
Tipene
show quoted sections
From: William
Dear INZ General Enquiries,
Sorry, do you mean I need to submit all this personal information here in this channel, where everyone else can browse?
Yours sincerely,
William
From: INZ General Enquiries
Kia ora,
Thank you for your email.
Our Immigration Contact Centre is open from 06:00 to 22:00 Monday to
Friday (NZT), excluding public holidays. For faster response to your
enquiry, we recommend that you contact us during these hours.
Alternatively, we aim to respond to queries to this email address within 3
working days.
For New Zealand visa information, please refer to our website at
www.immigration.govt.nz
If your email is regarding the status of your online application, please
log in to your Immigration account.
Nga mihi,
MBIE Customer Service Centre | Ministry of Business, Innovation &
Employment (MBIE)
From: INZ General Enquiries
Kia Ora,
Thank you for contacting us.
My colleague requested that you reply to this email conversation with the
following information:
* full name
* date of birth
* passport number
* client number or any previous application numbers
Your original submission was forwarded to the INZ Customer Service Centre,
as we are better place to respond to your request. Any information that
you provide in response to this email will be received by the Customer
Service Centre which is not in a public forum, nor can be browsed by
anyone, and is protected by our privacy policies, governed by the New
Zealand Privacy Act 2020.
If you would prefer you may call the INZ Customer Service Centre and speak
to a Client Services Advisor. You can phone us on +64 9 9144100 or 0508 55
88 55 (if you are in New Zealand but outside Auckland area). This service
is available from 06:00 to 22:00 Monday to Friday (NZT) excluding New
Zealand public holidays.
Nga Mihi,
Pip
SENIOR CLIENT SERVICES ADVISOR
MBIE Customer Service Centre, Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Hīkina Whakatutuki
+64 (9) 914 4100
PO Box 1473, Wellington, New Zealand
NZBN 9429000106078
If you wish to provide service feedback, here is the link:
[1]https://feedback.immigration.govt.nz/
Make sure you check out our [2]Immigration ONLINE system when applying for
your next visa.
From: [FOI #32107 email]
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2025 12:12 PM
To: [email address]
Subject: Re: FW: Re: Official Information request - Clarification on
Visitor Visa Staying Conditions CRM:0264673
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear INZ General Enquiries,
Sorry, do you mean I need to submit all this personal information here in
this channel, where everyone else can browse?
Yours sincerely,
William
show quoted sections
From: William
Dear INZ General Enquiries,
I received an email from "help at fyi.org.nz" containing the following message:
"
You have a new response to the Freedom of Information request
'Clarification on Visitor Visa Staying Conditions' that you made to
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment.
To view the response, click on the link below.
https://fyi.org.nz/request/32107-clarifi...
When you get there, please update the status to say if the response contains any useful information.
Although all responses are automatically published, we depend on you, the original requester, to evaluate them.
"
This email arrived shortly every time after you responded to my enquiry on this forum. Could you please confirm if I should respond to that email with the personal details?
I would appreciate your clarification.
Yours sincerely,
William
From: INZ General Enquiries
Kia ora,
Thank you for your email.
Our Immigration Contact Centre is open from 06:00 to 22:00 Monday to
Friday (NZT), excluding public holidays. For faster response to your
enquiry, we recommend that you contact us during these hours.
Alternatively, we aim to respond to queries to this email address within 3
working days.
For New Zealand visa information, please refer to our website at
www.immigration.govt.nz
If your email is regarding the status of your online application, please
log in to your Immigration account.
Nga mihi,
MBIE Customer Service Centre | Ministry of Business, Innovation &
Employment (MBIE)
From: William
Dear Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment,
Could you please take a moment to read my previous message carefully, rather than repeating the same response?
To clarify, I am not asking how to call you, as calling is not convenient for me.
I am asking how I can send my personal details via email. Is "help at fyi.org.nz" the correct address to use for this?
Yours faithfully,
William
From: INZ General Enquiries
Kia ora William,
Thank you for contacting us.
We are not in a position to tell you what to do if you have received an
email from "help at fyi.org.nz" as it does not appear to be a part of
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) or the Ministry of Business, Innovation and
Employment (MBIE).
If you have an immigration related query, you can email us from the email
address that was listed as the communication email address on the most
recent application form submitted to Immigration New Zealand and ensure
you include your full name, date of birth and passport number.
Alternatively, you can phone us on +64 9 9144100 or 0508 55 88 55 (if you
are in New Zealand but outside Auckland area). This service is available
from 06:00 to 22:00 Monday to Friday (NZT) excluding New Zealand public
holidays. A Client Services Advisor will verify your identity and, if
satisfied, will be able to release specific information to you.
Ngā mihi,
Prashant
CLIENT SERVICES ADVISOR
MBIE Customer Service Centre, Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Hīkina Whakatutuki
+64 (9) 914 4100
PO Box 1473, Wellington, New Zealand
NZBN 9429000106078
If you wish to provide service feedback, here is the link:
[1]https://feedback.immigration.govt.nz/
Make sure you check out our [2]Immigration ONLINE system when applying for
your next visa.
From: [FOI #32107 email]
Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2025 11:09 AM
To: [email address]
Subject: Re: FW: Re: Official Information request - Clarification on
Visitor Visa Staying Conditions CRM:0264673
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear INZ General Enquiries,
I received an email from "help at fyi.org.nz" containing the following
message:
"
You have a new response to the Freedom of Information request
'Clarification on Visitor Visa Staying Conditions' that you made to
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment.
To view the response, click on the link below.
https://fyi.org.nz/request/32107-clarifi...
When you get there, please update the status to say if the response
contains any useful information.
Although all responses are automatically published, we depend on you, the
original requester, to evaluate them.
"
This email arrived shortly every time after you responded to my enquiry on
this forum. Could you please confirm if I should respond to that email
with the personal details?
I would appreciate your clarification.
Yours sincerely,
William
show quoted sections
From: William
Dear INZ General Enquiries,
I am not lodging any new applications at this stage. I’m asking the questions above to confirm whether I am eligible to lodge the application.
Additionally, I have not been able to find an appropriate email address for contact based on previous visa applications.
Your team instructed me to send through personal details via email, but did not provide the actual email address to use. The original message from your office stated:
"
To assist us with our query please reply to this email with the following client details:
full name
date of birth
passport number
client number or any previous application numbers
We may be better placed to assist with your enquiry when we have access to your client file.
"
Could you please simply provide the correct email address for sending this information? This would help avoid unnecessary back-and-forth communication.
Thank you for your assistance.
Yours sincerely,
William
From: INZ General Enquiries
Kia ora,
Thank you for your email.
Our Immigration Contact Centre is open from 06:00 to 22:00 Monday to
Friday (NZT), excluding public holidays. For faster response to your
enquiry, we recommend that you contact us during these hours.
Alternatively, we aim to respond to queries to this email address within 3
working days.
For New Zealand visa information, please refer to our website at
www.immigration.govt.nz
If your email is regarding the status of your online application, please
log in to your Immigration account.
Nga mihi,
MBIE Customer Service Centre | Ministry of Business, Innovation &
Employment (MBIE)
From: INZ General Enquiries
Kia ora,
Thank you for contacting us.
Immigration related queries may be communicated via this channel.
Ngā mihi,
Jess
CLIENT SERVICES ADVISOR
MBIE Customer Service Centre, Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Hīkina Whakatutuki
+64 (9) 914 4100
PO Box 1473, Wellington, New Zealand
NZBN 9429000106078
If you wish to provide service feedback, here is the link:
[1]https://feedback.immigration.govt.nz/
Make sure you check out our [2]Immigration ONLINE system when applying for
your next visa.
From: [FOI #32107 email]
Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2025 2:20 PM
To: [email address]
Subject: Re: Official Information request - Clarification on Visitor Visa
Staying Conditions CRM:0264673
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear INZ General Enquiries,
I am not lodging any new applications at this stage. I’m asking the
questions above to confirm whether I am eligible to lodge the application.
Additionally, I have not been able to find an appropriate email address
for contact based on previous visa applications.
Your team instructed me to send through personal details via email, but
did not provide the actual email address to use. The original message from
your office stated:
"
To assist us with our query please reply to this email with the following
client details:
full name
date of birth
passport number
client number or any previous application numbers
We may be better placed to assist with your enquiry when we have access to
your client file.
"
Could you please simply provide the correct email address for sending this
information? This would help avoid unnecessary back-and-forth
communication.
Thank you for your assistance.
Yours sincerely,
William
show quoted sections
From: William
Dear INZ General Enquiries,
This is a public channel. Why am I being asked to share personal details here where everyone can see them? Don’t you have a secure email address for sensitive information? If not, why did someone from INZ direct me above to contact you via email?
Yours sincerely,
William
From: INZ General Enquiries
Kia ora,
Thank you for your email.
Our Immigration Contact Centre is open from 06:00 to 22:00 Monday to
Friday (NZT), excluding public holidays. For faster response to your
enquiry, we recommend that you contact us during these hours.
Alternatively, we aim to respond to queries to this email address within 3
working days.
For New Zealand visa information, please refer to our website at
www.immigration.govt.nz
If your email is regarding the status of your online application, please
log in to your Immigration account.
Nga mihi,
MBIE Customer Service Centre | Ministry of Business, Innovation &
Employment (MBIE)
From: INZ General Enquiries
Good morning William,
Thank you for your email.
Please refer to the following links, and subsections, which outline the
amount of time someone can stay in New Zealand on a Visitor Visa:
· [1]Visitor Visa -> How long can you stay
o Multiple-entry Visitor Visa
o Single-entry Visitor Visa
· [2]V2.5 Length of permitted stay
You can also phone us on +64 9 914 4100 (0508 558 855 within New Zealand)
if you wish to follow up on your query. This service is available from
06:00 to 22:00 Monday to Friday (NZT) excluding New Zealand public
holidays.
Kind regards,
Anthony
CLIENT SERVICES ADVISOR
MBIE Customer Service Centre, Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Hīkina Whakatutuki
+64 (9) 914 4100
PO Box 1473, Wellington, New Zealand
NZBN 9429000106078
If you wish to provide service feedback, here is the link:
[3]https://feedback.immigration.govt.nz/
Make sure you check out our [4]Immigration ONLINE system when applying for
your next visa.
From: [FOI #32107 email]
Sent: Friday, September 26, 2025 1:44 PM
To: [email address]
Subject: Re: Official Information request - Clarification on Visitor Visa
Staying Conditions CRM:0264673
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear INZ General Enquiries,
This is a public channel. Why am I being asked to share personal details
here where everyone can see them? Don’t you have a secure email address
for sensitive information? If not, why did someone from INZ direct me
above to contact you via email?
Yours sincerely,
William
show quoted sections
From: William
Dear INZ General Enquiries,
Thank you, but there were no links in your comments. Based on the text, I believe I’ve already come across this information in the INZ Operational Manual many times. However, the content wasn't clear to me, which is why I’ve continued asking this question here in the forum. Unfortunately, despite going back and forth several times, I still haven’t received a clear answer. Most of the responses have either repeated the same points or haven’t been particularly helpful.
Yours sincerely,
William
From: INZ General Enquiries
Kia ora,
Thank you for your email.
Our Immigration Contact Centre is open from 06:00 to 22:00 Monday to
Friday (NZT), excluding public holidays. For faster response to your
enquiry, we recommend that you contact us during these hours.
Alternatively, we aim to respond to queries to this email address within 3
working days.
For New Zealand visa information, please refer to our website at
www.immigration.govt.nz
If your email is regarding the status of your online application, please
log in to your Immigration account.
Nga mihi,
MBIE Customer Service Centre | Ministry of Business, Innovation &
Employment (MBIE)
From: INZ General Enquiries
Kia Ora,
Thank you for contacting us.
Your original request was directed to the Customer Service Centre to be
addressed. If you reply to this email it will not be sent to the public
forum you originally contacted.
Unfortunately, I can no longer see your original request, if you have
contacted us several times it appears the email thread has been cut.
If you have a visa and you want information regarding its currency and
conditions please reply to this email, stating your full name, date of
birth, and passport number.
If you want general information regarding currency and conditions of a
visitor visa, as you wish to apply for a visa please reply to this email
stating your question.
Nga Mihi,
Pip
SENIOR CLIENT SERVICES ADVISOR
MBIE Customer Service Centre, Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Hīkina Whakatutuki
+64 (9) 914 4100
PO Box 1473, Wellington, New Zealand
NZBN 9429000106078
If you wish to provide service feedback, here is the link:
[1]https://feedback.immigration.govt.nz/
Make sure you check out our [2]Immigration ONLINE system when applying for
your next visa.
From: [FOI #32107 email]
Sent: Saturday, September 27, 2025 1:32 AM
To: [email address]
Subject: Re: Official Information request - Clarification on Visitor Visa
Staying Conditions CRM:0264673
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear INZ General Enquiries,
Thank you, but there were no links in your comments. Based on the text, I
believe I’ve already come across this information in the INZ Operational
Manual many times. However, the content wasn't clear to me, which is why
I’ve continued asking this question here in the forum. Unfortunately,
despite going back and forth several times, I still haven’t received a
clear answer. Most of the responses have either repeated the same points
or haven’t been particularly helpful.
Yours sincerely,
William
show quoted sections
From: William
Dear INZ General Enquiries,
I'm feeling quite frustrated with the ongoing communication around this matter, as it seems there is a disconnect between me and the staff responding to my queries.
To clarify:
I have not received any DIRECT email from INZ. All of my correspondence has taken place on the public forum FYI (https://fyi.org.nz/). This is a public platform where anyone can view both my messages and INZ's responses on the current post. That's why I have consistently avoided sharing any personal information there.
Whenever INZ replies to me (either via FYI or using INZ internal platform, I don't know how you did), I receive a notification from the FYI platform, prompting me to return to the forum and post a response. Therefore, when INZ asks me to reply to “the email”, I genuinely struggle to do so - because no email has ever been sent directly to me. I only have the option of commenting on the public forum.
Could you please clarify if I've misunderstood something?
Alternatively, can you provide a secure email address that I can use to send my personal information privately?
Thank you for your help.
Yours sincerely,
William
From: INZ General Enquiries
Kia ora,
Thank you for your email.
Our Immigration Contact Centre is open from 06:00 to 22:00 Monday to
Friday (NZT), excluding public holidays. For faster response to your
enquiry, we recommend that you contact us during these hours.
Alternatively, we aim to respond to queries to this email address within 3
working days.
For New Zealand visa information, please refer to our website at
www.immigration.govt.nz
If your email is regarding the status of your online application, please
log in to your Immigration account.
Nga mihi,
MBIE Customer Service Centre | Ministry of Business, Innovation &
Employment (MBIE)
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