Permanent Residency in a different country apart from your home country always gives you added advantages over other visa options come under a country’s immigration and visa policy. A New Zealand Resident Visa offers you the right to live, study and work in the country. Talking about the added benefits of being a resident, you can actually have the access to New Zealand government’s (funded) healthcare, education and social security benefits; and the rights that a New Zealander is entitled to. For example, as a student, with a resident class visa you can enroll to any course you want without having to pay the fees that an international student is entitled to. The right to vote and acquire New Zealand passport, however, comes after attaining citizenship of New Zealand.

Residence Class Visa Categories

There are a number of categories under the New Zealand Residence Class Visa under which an applicant can file an immigration application to New Zealand. An international applicant can choose any of the New Zealand immigration visa options (whichever is applicable) to enter and live in New Zealand.

• Skilled Migrant to New Zealand: An applicant and his accompanying family is assessed and given points for skills, work experience and many other factors. Based on the points, the applicant is issued with a Skilled Migrant Visa for residence in New Zealand, with (if applicable) spouse and children accompanying as dependents.
• Long Term Business Visa (LTBV) to New Zealand: This visa category offers, to the qualified applicants, an opportunity to start a business in New Zealand. He will need to identify a business plan that outlines his planned business initiative in New Zealand as part of the application process. Applicants holding Long Term Business Visa (LTBV) to New Zealand are entitled to apply for permanent resident visa under the entrepreneur migrant visa to New Zealand.
• Entrepreneur Resident Migrant Visa to New Zealand: This visa option is for the entrepreneurs, businessmen and investors who can support their immigration application to New Zealand under the entrepreneur category with the documentary evidence which confirms that they have started a business in New Zealand and are running it successfully. Normally, they would need to prove that they have met the requirements of Long Term Business Visa under which they will be given initial permission to live and do business in New Zealand.
• Entrepreneur Plus Resident Migrant Visa to New Zealand: Individuals holding Long Term Business Visa and who have invested a minimum amount of 0.5 Million NZ Dollars to start up and run a business in New Zealand, are eligible to apply under this resident visa option.
• Investor: This option is for individuals who are willing to invest a minimum amount of 1.5 Million NZ Dollars in the country.
• Investor Plus: Those who want to invest at least 10 Million NZ Dollars in New Zealand are eligible for this visa category.

If you are interested in applying for a residence permit to New Zealand, mail following information ASAP at ajay@abhinav.com for a free of charge assessment by Ajay Sharma, principal consultant, ABHINAV.

• Your updated resume if skilled professional, or if businessmen, then brief on business profile along with information on your current personal net worth.
• If married, provide the resume for your spouse as well.
• If applicable, please provide information on children and their age.
• Information on any blood relatives residing in New Zealand. This is not a compulsory requirement to qualify for immigration to New Zealand, but serves as additional positive assessment and suitability factor.