Visa Application Fees to Increase and Immigration Tax to be Introduced December 7

New Zealand

The New Zealand government has announced that some visa fees are set to increase December 7, 2015, and there will be a reduced fee for applicants who use Immigration ONLINE, the online application system. Additionally, a new immigration tax for temporary, limited and resident visas will replace the current tax for approved residence applications.

New Visa Fees

The new visa fees are as follows:

The NZD 92 discount that applies to certain temporary and residence applications will be eliminated.

Paper-based visitor visa application fees are also expected to increase in twelve months, however online visitor visa applications are expected to remain the same.

Upfront Immigration Tax

Additionally, a new immigration tax for temporary, limited and resident visas will replace the current tax for approved residence applications.  The immigration tax will have to be paid upon the submission of visa applications. 

Some exemptions will apply, such as for visa-exempt nationals, citizens of countries with a bi-lateral fee-waiver agreement, diplomats, officials or consular staff and people applying for refugee status or protected persons.

What This Means for Foreign Nationals

Foreign nationals should be aware of the visa fee increases and should submit applications online where possible to take advantage of the lower fees.

The content of this alert is provided for information purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.

LIA 201500192

 

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