New Zealand

Permanent Visa Advice for New Zealanders Living in Australia

Are You a Kiwi Living in Australia but Not Sure of Your Visa Status?

So, you arrived in Australia after 26 February 2001? Do you think that by living here that long you are a Permanent Resident of Australia? NOT TRUE. Most Kiwis who arrived after this date have been granted a Non-Protected and Temporary Special Category Visa Subclass 444 (SCV 444) on arrival at the airport. It is in the immigration system, but you may not realise you have a TEMPORARY visa. yourvisa4australia can check your immigration status for you for FREE!

What does this mean? You can live and work in Australia as long as you like, but you are still only a temporary resident. There are important government benefits (unemployment benefits and University fee help are examples) that you will not be entitled to. Regardless of how long you live here (on this visa), you CANNOT get Citizenship unless you go through the process of getting Permanent Residency. This is the same for migrants from any country. Yes, you can live and work here, but you do not have any long-term certainty against immigration law changes.

Beware media announcements that promise the right to vote or be a citizen without qualifying. Visas are complex and the media generally does not explain well.

Ian’s Migration Experience

I was born in New Zealand and migrated to Australia in 1988. I am a dual Australian/NZ citizen. I value BOTH citizenships, but for practical reasons living in Australia, Australian citizenship is the most valuable. Australian pension, children get study support, and health care at all levels is free, but an NZ citizen misses a lot of this. I see many migrants from countries like India and Vietnam, and many others pay good money for an Australian visa and then citizenship; they see the value of it for the future.

Most New Zealanders in Australia won’t pay for quality advice and a visa because they are of the understanding that they are entitled to a permanent visa and citizenship. They do NOT realise they are foreigners here who get a much better temporary visa than any other country, including Canadian, English etc. If you genuinely want a safe future in Australia, I can help you.

Only 7,000 out of an estimated 75,000 who qualify have applied. Be thoughtful of your family’s future.

Were Your Children Born in Australia?

If you arrived after 26 February 2001 and have children born here, they may NOT be entitled to Permanent Residency and Citizenship.

Had problems with the law in New Zealand or significant health issues? If you have not yet arrived in Australia, it is possible you may not be allowed to enter Australia when you arrive at an Australian airport. You may be sent back on the next flight.

We can advise you about your Australian Immigration options. Citizenship has many important benefits, and you do not even have to stop supporting the All Blacks!!! How good is that? (But you may have to have an operation to fix that accent… Sorry!!)

New Zealand Visa Subclass 189

The SC189 visa is for Kiwis in Australia who arrived before 19 February 2016. It will give you a permanent visa and access to citizenship and other government benefits. You do NOT lose your NZ citizenship and passport, and you can be a dual citizen in Australia and New Zealand.

Many Kiwis do not like to pay for an Australian PR/Citizenship. They can believe they are entitled to it free. This is not the case and is not likely to change. Kiwis have special benefits in Australia but are still foreigners. We can change that for you.

You must

hold a New Zealand Special Category (subclass 444) visa.
This means you must have arrived in Australia on a New Zealand passport.
have usually resided in Australia for at least the last 5 years.
have started living here on or before 19 February 2016 (2022). This may change.
in most cases, have a taxable income at or above a specific income threshold for each of the four completed income years prior to lodging an application. For the latest years this is $53,900 (2022), but it can and may vary.
There are variations on this that may assist, which can change from time to time.
If your income is less than this, there may be some way we can help you get over this.

We are happy to assess your situation and whether we believe you qualify for the SC 189 New Zealand visa.

Some important points:

Ian Bosley was born in New Zealand and migrated to Australia in 1988. He understands the value of Australian citizenship.
You can have both NZ and Australian citizenship at the same time.
The income is the main criteria, but there are other important factors you need to qualify with.
If you do this yourself and make a mistake, you lose the money you pay.
We assess before you pay the government fees; therefore, it is doubtful you will fail if we manage the application.
Many Kiwis “DIY” and make mistakes.
We understand the rules and how they change from time to time. This means no mistakes if we get honest information.

Please contact us for an assessment.