Keeping the special bilateral relationship between Australia and New Zealand in mind the Australian Government has announced to provide a streamlined pathway to Australian permanent residence, for many New Zealand citizens who have been living in Australia for at least five years and shown a commitment and contribution to Australia.
The new visa pathway will be available from 1 July 2017 for New Zealand Special Category Visa (SCV) holders who were resident in Australia on or before 19 February 2016 and, at the time of application, have resided in Australia for at least five years.
New Zealand citizens who are granted this visa will be eligible to apply for Australian citizenship after a period of 12 months (in addition to the five years as an eligible New Zealand SCV holder).
Options for permanent residence for ‘non-protected’ SCV holders
This additional visa pathway will be available from 1 July 2017, for New Zealand citizens who arrived post 26 February 2001, but on or before, the date of the announcement, 19 February 2016. The requirements for the pathway include:
- have been resident in Australia for the five years immediately prior to visa application
- contributed to Australia, demonstrated through income tax returns (Notice of Assessment) for the period of residence evidencing taxable income at or above the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) (The Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) is a salary threshold used by the 457 programme as an indicator that an occupation is skilled and to ensure that a visa holder has reasonable means of support whilst in Australia. It is currently set at AUD53,900.
- mandatory health, character, and security checks
Limited exemptions to the income test requirement will be considered for particularly vulnerable New Zealand citizens. The mandatory residence criterion, including all other relevant criteria, will still need to be met before a visa could be granted.
Visa application charge (VAC)
The visa application charge will be consistent with the General Skilled Migration Programme.
|
S.no. |
Visa applicant category |
Visa Application Charge (AUD) |
|
1. |
Primary applicant |
3,600 |
|
2. |
Partner applicant |
1,800 |
|
3. |
Dependent child over 18 |
1,800 per child |
|
4. |
Dependent child under 18 |
9,00 per child |
The announcement has come as a boon for aspiring applicants who are eligible for permanent residency.
Seek Migration has been committed towards the success of its clients. For all your visa needs for Australia and New Zealand please contact Seek Migration.
Source: https://www.border.gov.au/Visasupport/Pages/an-additional-pathway.aspx