The ballots for the Pacific Access Category (PAC) and Samoan Quota (SQ) to select who will be invited to apply for residence in New Zealand were drawn on July 24, 2024.
- This year 1650 Samoan citizens, 250 Tongan, 250 Fijian citizens, 75 Kiribati and 75 Tuvaluan citizens will be granted residence under each category.
- Sufficient registrations in the ballot have been drawn to meet these quotas.
- Registrations for the ballots can contain more than one person, for example if a family are included under the same registration.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) will publish successful registrant reference numbers on the Immigration New Zealand website in the first week of August. Registrants whose ballot is selected, will receive a letter with an invitation to apply after the reference numbers are published. This letter will include information about how to apply for the residence visa.
Applications for New Zealand residency must be submitted within eight months of receiving an invitation to apply.
Minimum Income Requirements
The minimum income requirement for those applying for residence under PAC and SQ with dependent children will be NZD53,515.28 from August 1, 2024. This will apply to those who are invited to apply for residence following this ballot draw. The purpose of this requirement is to ensure that parents can adequately support children in New Zealand. The income of a secondary applicant partner may also be considered, as long as both applicants have an acceptable offer of employment in New Zealand.
Erickson Insights & Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue to monitor developments and share updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or case-specific questions.