The 2021 Resident Visa (2021 RV) is a one-off pathway launched on 1 December 2021 to provide certainty for migrant families that faced disruption because of COVID-19, and to help retain the skills New Zealand businesses need to support New Zealand’s economic recovery.
Applications for the 2021 Resident Visa opened on 1 December 2021 and closed on 31 July 2022. Those eligible had to be in New Zealand on 29 September 2021 on an eligible visa and either have lived in New Zealand for the previous 3 years, earn at or above the median wage or work in a role on a scarce list.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) received around 106,000 2021 RV applications. More than 99% of these applications have been decided.
As of 3 June 2024, we are working hard to decide the remaining 169 2021 RV applications.
Most of these require further information from the clients themselves, or third-party agencies to meet immigration criteria including health, character or verifying relationships.
Residence applications take time to process given the level of detailed assessment required for each application.
The time taken to decide an application varies depending on the level of complexity involved, whether sufficient information was provided with the application, and whether verification with third parties is required.
→2021 Resident Visa application statistics