4 February 2026
Sam Malik
[FYI request #33313 email]
ESOIA847
Dear Sam,
Thank you for your email of 18 December 2025 to my Office requesting, under the
Of icial Information Act 1982 (the Act), information about the Parent and Grandparent
Visitor Visa policy settings and processing times. Please see my response below.
Priority of processing
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) uses visa application groups to help manage and
prioritise the processing of applications. Temporary visas, such as the Parent and
Grandparent Visitor Visa, are grouped into one of the five visa application groups;
visitor, work, student, limited and interim. INZ generally process applications in the
order they are received, from the oldest to the newest. However, there are specific
exceptions that receive priority. Al exceptions are either listed in the General
Instructions for the order of processing visa applications (available at the following link
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/opsmanual/#44854.htm) or within the relevant
section of the Operational Manual for each visa type.
Processing times
INZ is committed to providing the fastest possible service for visa applicants and
endeavours to process all applications as quickly as possible. Currently, 80 percent of
the Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa applications are finalised within three months.
The actual time it takes to process an application can vary and wil depend on a
number of factors, including the complexity of the application, whether third-party
checks are required and whether all necessary information needed to make a decision
has been provided when it is lodged.
Equity and Family Reunification
The eligibility criteria for visas are designed to balance facilitation of visitors,
particularly where it benefits New Zealanders, while managing immigration risk.
Generally, more restrictive eligibility criteria apply for longer-term visas than shorter
term visas as, risks, for example, requiring healthcare while in New Zealand may be
more likely to occur if visa holders are in New Zealand for longer. However, additional
criteria can also apply to individual visas where specific risks might be present. In the
case of parents and grandparents the risks may be greater than standard visitor visa
applicants due to the potential age of the average applicant (and subsequently
potential health needs) and their ties to New Zealand (greater de-facto settlement risks
compared to someone visiting New Zealand for a holiday). Unfortunately, additional
eligibility criteria tend to increase average processing time as there are greater
requirements for INZ to assess.
The limit of six month stays at a time is designed to ensure it is not treated as a de-
facto long term settlement visa. For parents looking to stay longer than six months at
a time, the Parent Boost Visitor Visa and Parent Resident Visa provide alternative visa
options, noting that these visas have higher upfront eligibility requirements given
greater risks posed as noted above.
A review of the Parent and Grandparent visitor visa is not on the immigration policy
work programme. I have prioritised work on the facilitation of family members to visit
New Zealand through the introduction of the new Parent Boost Visitor Visa. This visa
was designed to strike a balance between longer term family unity and immigration
risk. You can learn more about the Parent Boost visitor visa here:
Parent Boost Visitor
Visa » Immigration New Zealand
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this
decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
Thank you for writing, I hope this information has been helpful.
Yours sincerely
Hon Erica Stanford
Minister of Immigration
