Immigration Legal Services — New Zealand
What brings you to MyLaw today?
Pick the situation closest to yours. We'll show you the specific pathways inside it — and where each one tends to get tricky.
Browse by category
Start here if you're still working out which pathway fits your situation. Each category page explains the options within it and helps you choose the right specific service.
Visiting
Most people here aren't moving to New Zealand — they're trying to be here for something that matters. A wedding, a new grandchild, time with family before it's too late. We help make sure the visa doesn't get in the way of the reason you're coming.
Read the full overviewServices in this category
Studying
Studying in New Zealand should be about the course, not the paperwork. But funds evidence, your offer of place, and your plans for after all have to hold together — and one weak link is usually where the RFI lands.
Read the full overviewServices in this category
Joining family
Real relationships rarely look textbook on paper — different countries, gaps, prior visas, complicated timelines. None of that is fatal, but how it's framed in front of an INZ officer makes the difference.
Read the full overviewServices in this category
- Guardian Visitor VisaStay in NZ while your child studies
- Parent and Grandparent Visitor VisaMulti-entry, longer-term visits
- Parent Boost Visitor VisaLong stays for parents of NZ residents
- Dependent Child Student VisaSchooling for your child on your visa
- Partnership Work VisaWork rights through your NZ partner
- Partnership Residence Visa12+ months together, residence
- Parent Residence VisaSponsored, ballot-based
- Parent Retirement Residence VisaInvestment-based parent pathway
Working
You want to get on with the job. Your employer wants the role filled. The AEWV system wants both of you ready at the same time — and most problems start when one side moves before the other is set up.
Read the full overviewServices in this category
Settling for good
Residence is the application you most want to get right. Points shift, ANZSCO categories get scrutinised, employers change, evidence ages out. The pieces have to land together — and reapplying after a decline isn't always an option.
Read the full overviewServices in this category
- Skilled Migrant Category Residence VisaPoints-based residence pathway
- Green List Straight to Residence VisaPrioritised residency pathway
- Green List Work to Residence VisaResidence after 2 years of qualifying NZ work
- Partnership Residence Visa12+ months together, residence
- Parent Residence VisaSponsored, ballot-based
- Parent Retirement Residence VisaInvestment-based parent pathway
Hiring migrants
You're trying to staff up to keep the business moving — without the immigration paperwork running it. Accreditation, Job Check, and post-accreditation compliance all stack on top of each other, and getting the foundation right is what makes the rest manageable.
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Troubleshooting
A decline letter, a PPI, an expired visa, a deportation notice — they all come with the same problem: a clock you didn't ask for. Most of these situations are still workable, but the response window is narrower than people realise. The earlier the call, the more options are still on the table.
Read the full overviewServices in this category
How to choose between overlapping categories
A few situations can fit more than one category. A short guide:
Bringing a partner to New Zealand?
A partner can come on a Visitor, Work, or Residence visa depending on your goals. Start with Joining family if you're not sure.
Visiting parents or grandparents?
Look at Visiting first — Parent Boost and Parent & Grandparent options live there.
Hiring a migrant worker?
Start with Hiring migrants — accreditation usually comes before any specific work visa.
Already in New Zealand and your visa has expired?
Go straight to Troubleshooting — a Section 61 request may be needed quickly.
Browse by filter & search
If you already know which visa or service you need, jump straight to it. Otherwise, filter by situation or search by name.
Showing all services. If you know which one you need, search above.
- Quick Start
- General Visitor VisaThe standard visitor visa for tourism, family visits, and short stays in New Zealand.
- Guardian Visitor VisaAllows a parent or guardian to stay in New Zealand for the duration of a child's student visa.
- Parent and Grandparent Visitor VisaMultiple-entry visitor visa for parents and grandparents of New Zealand citizens or residents.
- Parent Boost Visitor VisaExtended continuous stay for parents of New Zealand citizens or residents — well beyond standard visitor limits.
- Fee Paying Student VisaFull-time study at a New Zealand school, polytechnic, or university as an international student.
- Dependent Child Student VisaLets your child enrol in a New Zealand school based on your own valid visa.
- Accredited Employer Work VisaFrom first application through mid-visa changes and employer compliance, we handle the immigration and employment-law sides of your AEWV together so nothing falls through the gap.
- Partnership Work VisaWhether your relationship history is clean and simple or scattered across countries and complicated by prior refusals, we help you prepare a Partnership Work Visa application that holds together under assessment.
- Skilled Migrant Category Residence VisaPoints review, evidence preparation, EOI and ITA management, and family inclusion — the full SMC residence pathway, handled by licensed immigration professionals.
- Green List Straight to Residence VisaWe help Tier 1 Green List applicants choose the right residence pathway, prepare qualification and registration evidence, coordinate employer-side documentation, and lodge a coherent application with Immigration New Zealand.
- Green List Work to Residence VisaThe Tier 2 Green List pathway turns qualifying New Zealand work experience into a residence application — but the qualifying period, wage rules, and employer accreditation all need to line up before anything is lodged.
- Partnership Residence VisaLicensed legal assistance with Partnership Residence Visa applications — from evidence strategy and narrative review through to lodgement, INZ responses, and second-chance matters after a decline.
- Parent Residence VisaThe sponsor's income evidence, the ballot timing, and a 10-year financial commitment that outlasts the visa itself — we help families work through every stage of the Parent Resident Visa process.
- Parent Retirement Residence VisaThe Parent Retirement Resident Visa combines a qualifying New Zealand investment with a four-year compliance period before a Permanent Resident Visa becomes available. We help families structure the source-of-funds evidence, coordinate with investment and tax advisers, and manage the compliance obligations from application through to permanent residence.
- Employer AccreditationWe help New Zealand employers prepare accreditation applications that hold together under assessment, plan renewals around business changes, and respond to post-accreditation checks with considered, legally framed submissions.
- Labour Market Test & Job CheckWe help accredited employers build the advertising record, employment agreement, and market-rate evidence that a Job Check needs to hold up on first submission.
- PPI ResponseWe help applicants work through PPI letters concern by concern — from reading the letter through to lodging a considered response and following up with the officer.
- Character WaiverWhether the concern is a past conviction, a disclosure problem in a previous application, or a PPI letter already in your hand — preparation and clear legal framing can make a real difference to how your situation is presented to Immigration New Zealand.
- Section 61 RequestIf you are unlawfully in New Zealand and considering a Section 61 request, we can help you see the full picture and prepare a case that reflects your circumstances.
- Immigration and Protection Tribunal AppealWhen INZ declines a visa, cancels a status, or issues a deportation notice, the appeal window is short and the stakes are personal — we help you use it well.
No services match — try a different word, or clear the filter.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
If you’re not sure which category applies, the Quick Start tool is the fastest way to narrow it down. If your situation is more complex — for example, you’re weighing up a work visa against a residence pathway, or you’re already in New Zealand and your visa is close to expiring — it’s usually worth a short conversation rather than working through it alone. Get in touch and we’ll help you identify the right starting point.
No — many people apply on their own, and for some straightforward visas that works out. Professional help tends to make the most difference where the situation is less clear-cut: complex evidence, prior visa history, character or health questions, sponsorship arrangements, or applications already in trouble. Each specific service page explains where professional support typically adds the most value for that visa type.
Both are legally able to provide immigration advice in New Zealand. Lawyers are regulated by the New Zealand Law Society and can also represent clients in legal proceedings, including tribunal appeals and judicial review — areas where licensed immigration advisers are not authorised to act. For straightforward applications, either may suit. For complex matters, declines, or anything that may end up before a tribunal, a lawyer is generally the appropriate choice.
After you send an enquiry, we review the information you’ve provided and get back to you to discuss your situation. If we think we can help, we’ll explain what’s involved, what the next steps would look like, and provide an indication of fees. There’s no obligation to proceed after the initial discussion.
Yes. If your visa has expired, a Section 61 request may be needed, and timing usually matters. If your application has been declined, options can include a PPI response, reconsideration, or an appeal to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal depending on the circumstances. These situations are time-sensitive — get in touch as soon as possible so the available options can be assessed.
Yes. Most immigration matters can be handled remotely — by email, phone, and video call — so we work with clients across New Zealand and overseas. For clients who prefer to meet in person, our locations page lists where that’s available.
Get in touch.
Most people landing on this page aren't yet sure which option fits their situation — and that's exactly the kind of question worth raising early, before time or paperwork starts working against you. Get in touch for an initial discussion and we'll help you identify the right next step.
