If your adult child is a New Zealand citizen or resident, the Parent Boost Visitor Visa lets you spend real quality time together - with stays of up to five years at a time (for a total of ten years). It’s the perfect way for families to stay connected without the stress of short visits, particularly if you are considering an application under the Parent Resident Visa category as well.
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If you have New Zealand citizen or resident, adult child (living in New Zealand) and you would like to spend more than the occasional holiday here, the Parent Boost Visitor Visa is the new long-stay visitor option designed exactly for that. It’s a multiple-entry visitor visa that lets eligible parents visit for up to five years at a time, with the option to apply for a second five-year visa - so families can realistically be together for years rather than weeks.
This is still a visitor visa - it’s intended for extended family time, not automatic residence — so there are a number of safeguards built in to make sure parents can be supported while they’re here. One of the first things to know is that the visa is sponsor-based: an adult child who is a New Zealand citizen or resident must sponsor the parent. Sponsors take on real responsibilities — they generally need to be living in New Zealand, remain resident while the parent is onshore, and can be held liable if the government picks up costs for the parent’s care or return travel.
Because long stays can create financial and health risks, the rules include clear financial and health tests. There are three main ways applicants can meet the money test: the sponsor can meet a minimum income threshold (the policy is set with reference to the New Zealand median wage and rises with each additional parent being sponsored), or the parent(s) can show they receive an ongoing income similar to New Zealand Superannuation, or the parent(s) can show they have a set level of ready funds available (the policy proposes figures such as NZ$160,000 for a single parent or NZ$250,000 for a couple as an example of the “readily available funds” option). These measures are there to show parents won’t become an unexpected burden on public services.
Health safeguards are also significant. Applicants must meet an acceptable standard of health (aligned with the higher standard used for residence) and must hold and maintain suitable health insurance for the period onshore. There’s also a built-in compliance check: parents will have a medical re-check partway through their five year visa and must demonstrate they’ve kept their insurance - failing these checks could affect your ability to return, secure a future visa or your potential application for residence.
Parent Boost Visitor Visa – Requirements at a Glance
Sponsor: You must be sponsored by your adult child who is a New Zealand citizen or resident.
Stay length: Up to 5 years on your first visa, with the option to apply for a second 5-year visa.
Financial requirements:
Your sponsor must meet a set income threshold, or
You must show a regular retirement-style income, or
You must have sufficient personal funds available.
Health & insurance: Applicants must meet New Zealand’s health standards and hold comprehensive health insurance for the full stay.
Application: Generally, you need to be outside New Zealand when applying and when the visa is granted.
Temporary visa: This is not a residence visa — you are expected to leave when your visa expires unless you apply for another visa.
A few practical points worth knowing: applicants generally need to be outside New Zealand when they apply and when the visa is granted, the visa allows multiple entries during its five-year term, and to be eligible for a second five-year Parent Boost visa the parent usually needs to spend some time offshore before re-applying. The visa is expressly temporary - applicants must sign that they understand it is not residence and that they are expected to leave when their visa expires unless they’ve obtained a different visa. Fees and levies are set to reflect the processing and compliance checks for a longer-term visitor product.
All of this means the Parent Boost Visitor Visa is a real opportunity for families to spend lengthy, meaningful time together in New Zealand - but it also brings new paperwork and upfront checks (income, funds, insurance, medicals and sponsorship commitments).
Interested? Talk to one of our team today to find out if you might qualify.
Your immigration specialists
Jackie Qi - Licensed Adviser
Sejoo Han - Support
