Source: New Zealand Government
New Zealand citizens or residents waiting to bring their parents to New Zealand will have a fairer and more predictable selection process under changes to the Parent Resident Visa quota announced today, says Immigration Minister Erica Stanford.
The way expressions of interest are selected for the Parent Resident Visa is changing, moving to a hybrid model where most expressions of interest will be selected in date order.
Under the new model, 90% of the EOIs will be selected from the queue chronologically, while 10% will continue to be selected by ballot to reach the annual cap of 2500 places.
“I am really pleased to announce a change that will make a meaningful difference for families who have been advocating for a return to the certainty and stability provided by a chronological queue,” Ms Stanford says.
“The current ballot system, implemented by the previous Labour Government, left families anxious and stressed with no certainty that their parents would ever be selected. As Minister I have been contacted by many families highlighting the cruelty of an arbitrary ballot process for something as important as family reunification.
“We have listened, and we are making changes that will give families a clearer and more predictable process, while still giving newer applicants some chance of being selected earlier. We are also removing the current requirement to reapply every two years and pay an additional fee.
“For many migrants who have made New Zealand their home and gained citizenship or residence, having parents close by is an important part of building their lives in New Zealand. Parents can provide important support, connection and stability, whether that is helping with children, supporting families through challenging times, or simply being part of everyday family life.
“This is a positive change for those families who have been desperate for more certainty. For these families, some of whom have been waiting since 2022, this provides a clearer path through a process that has been uncertain for too long.”
The Parent Resident Visa supports New Zealand citizens and residents who meet eligibility requirements to sponsor their parents for residence in New Zealand. It is the main residence pathway for parents who wish to settle in New Zealand permanently. Parents must meet an acceptable standard of health and meet all other requirements.
“The new model prioritises people who have already been waiting for years, while maintaining a balanced way of allocating places in a high-demand residence pathway,” Ms Stanford says.
“There is no perfect way to allocate places when demand is higher than the number of visas available, but this approach strikes a fairer balance.
“The changes will not remove waiting times, but they will make the process fairer, clearer and more predictable.”
Under the new model, EOIs will no longer expire after two years, provided people confirm they still want to remain in the process and keep their information up to date. Families will also no longer have to pay an additional fee every two years to resubmit their EOI.
The new EOI selection model will take effect in the 10 November selection. People with current expressions of interest will be notified of their position in the new chronological queue in October.
“I would like to acknowledge everyone who has contacted me since I became Minister of Immigration advocating for more clarity and certainty. This Government knows that family reunification is too important to be left to random chance and we have delivered the change that is needed.”
Notes to editor
The Parent Resident Visa allows eligible parents of New Zealand citizens and residents to live in New Zealand permanently, if they meet visa requirements.
The Parent Resident Visa remains capped at 2,500 visas each financial year. The final draw under the current ballot system for the Parent Resident Visa will take place on Tuesday 11 August. As at 23 July 2026, there were 7,706 valid EOIs in the Parent Resident Visa ballot pool, representing 11,602 people. The changes are to the expression of interest selection model. Applicants and sponsors will still need to meet all Parent Resident Visa requirements, including sponsorship, health, character and relationship requirements.
Parent Boost remains separate from the Parent Resident Visa. Parent Boost is a long-term visitor visa and does not provide a pathway to residence.
The first selection under the new settings will take place on 10 November 2026.
Immigration New Zealand will provide updated information before the changes take effect.
The new EOI selection model will take effect on 5 October with the first selection being made on 10 November. People with current EOIs that expire before 5 October will need to submit a new EOI. People with current EOIs expiring on or after 5 October will not need to submit a new EOI.
Where an Expression of Interest has been resubmitted following its two-year expiry it will be ordered according to its original submission date, as long as the second EOI was submitted within 90 days of the first EOI expiring.
Table 1: Parent Resident Visa EOIs in the ballot pool as at 5 August 2026, by original submission year
Original submission year
EOIs
People
2022
140
228
2023
1430
2230
2024
1181
1778
2025
2852
4271
2026
2328
3397
Total
7931
11904
Note: These figures reflect valid EOIs currently in the ballot pool and their original submission date, where there has been less than 90 days between an expression of interest (EOI) expiring and a new EOI being submitted.
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/08/08/fairer-parent-resident-visa-process-delivered/