New Zealand Visa Fee Increase Planned? (After 01/10/2024)

New Zealand Visa Fees

Back in August, the Immigration New ZealandThe New Zealand visa fees were already a bit of a burden, and now they've decided to increase almost all of them by so much that it's going to be even more of a burden for prospective visa applicants.

New Zealand visa fees (after October 1, 2024)

There are actually a lot of different types of New Zealand visas, so we'll talk about the most common ones first. The visa fees below are in New Zealand dollars.

Skilled Residence Category migrant visas (Skilled Immigrant Permanent Residence)

The most noticeable increase is for those applying for permanent residence through skilled immigration. From the existing $4290, it will increase to $6450 after October 1, 2024. This is an increase of more than $2000 all at once, which is about 5 million won in Korean money.

Family Category (Partner Visa) Dependent Child visa

The second thing I noticed is that the visa fees for partners and dependents have also gone up really high. For example, let's say you have a family member applying for permanent residency through skilled migration.

The New Zealand visa fee for a Skilled Migrant Permanent Resident applicant is $6450 for themselves, $5360 for their spouse, and $6460 for two dependent children ($3230 per person) for a total of $18,270.

Student visas Post-study work visa

Fees for student visas and post-graduate work visas for those planning to immigrate to New Zealand after studying abroad have also increased significantly. First, the student visa has doubled to $750.

After I graduated, my work visa went up so much that it made me doubt my eyes. No, it went from $700 to $1670. It has more than doubled, and I think it will be a big burden for those who want to apply for a work visa after graduating from school.

Working Holiday

If you're applying for a Working Holiday visa next year, it's important to note that the fee has increased from $420 to $670.

For visas other than the New Zealand visa above, or for those who want to learn more about them, I've put together a file below that you can download and take a look at if you need to.

Reasons for the New Zealand Visa Fee Increase

New Zealand's Ministry of Immigration has raised visa fees significantly this year, ostensibly to reduce the deficit that has been building up.

USCIS says it will use the revenue from these increased visa fees to upgrade USCIS systems to help more applicants in the future.

However, politically, it seems that the National Party, which won the election, has followed through on its promise to stop using taxpayer money for immigrants, meaning that all of the money for immigration will come from people who need visas.

And the At its heart, it's New Zealand's current immigration policy, a measure aimed at discouraging low-wage, low-skilled immigration.I think they're trying to discourage people from immigrating to New Zealand by making the visa fees so high.

To add insult to injury, it's becoming more and more difficult to immigrate to New Zealand, so I wonder if this is too much of a burden for those planning to immigrate to New Zealand.

Finalize

Today we've been talking about the New Zealand visa fees that will take effect on October 1, 2024. The government has already made the announcement, and the only way to save money is to apply for your visa before October.

You still have about a month to apply, so I wonder if you can ease the financial burden a bit by applying early. Of course, you'll need to prepare documents quickly to do so. Thank you for reading this article.

If you are wondering how to apply for New Zealand Permanent Residency online, please refer to my previous article Apply online for permanent residency in New Zealand for more information.