The ballot draws for the Pacific Access Category (PAC) and Samoan Quota (SQ) to select who will be invited to apply for residence in New Zealand will happen on October 6, 2023.
The PAC and SQ residence pathways recognize the special relationship between New Zealand and Samoa and the Pacific Access Category countries of Tonga, Tuvalu, Kiribati, and Fiji.
Sufficient registrations will be drawn to allow up to 1,650 Samoan citizens, 500 Tongan, 500 Fijian citizens, 150 Kiribati, and 150 Tuvaluan citizens to be granted residence.
Registrations for the ballots can contain more than one person, for example if a family have applied under the same registration.
What to Expect
- Immigration New Zealand will publish successful registrant reference numbers online by the end of October 2023.
- Successful applicants will be sent an invitation to apply letter after the reference numbers are published. This letter will include information about how to apply for the residence visa.
- Invited applicants must apply for New Zealand residency within 8 months of receiving an invitation to apply.
New Income Threshold
The minimum income requirement for those applying for residence under PAC and SQ with dependent children will increase to $51,734.80 from October 20, 2023.
This will apply to those who are invited to apply for residence following the 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 taken into account as long as both applicants have an acceptable offer of employment in New Zealand.
Erickson Insights
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.