18/5/17
This pathway will be made available as an additional visa stream (called ‘the New Zealand stream’) within the Subclass 189 (Skilled Independent) visa category of the General Skilled Migration component of Australia’s annual Migration Programme. The New Zealand stream allows qualified applicants to become permanent residents after five years of residence in Australia
In order to make a valid application and be granted a visa in the New Zealand stream, an applicant (the primary applicant) must, among other things:
- be a New Zealand citizen who holds an SCV;
- be usually resident in Australia for the required period of time;
- be contributing to Australia via the payment of income tax, demonstrated through notices of assessment from the Australian Taxation Office for the four full income years immediately before the application, and the taxable income for each income year is at least the level specified by the Minister in a legislative instrument; and
- meet mandatory health, character and security criteria.
Members of the family unit of the primary applicant can hold any visa and must meet mandatory health, character and security criteria.
The total amount of the visa application charge (VAC) will be consistent with the General Skilled Migration Programme, however concessional arrangements have been introduced to the New Zealand stream, allowing 20 per cent of the VAC to be paid at time of lodgement and the remainder to be paid before the visa grant.