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 will be drawn on May 21, 2025, and the results will be posted on the Immigration New Zealand (INZ) website by May 30, 2025.
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.
What to Expect
- This year up to 1650 Samoan citizens, 250 Tongan, 250 Fijian citizens, 75 Kiribati and 75 Tuvaluan citizens may be granted residence under each category.
- Sufficient registrations in the ballot will be drawn to meet these quotas. Registrations for the ballots can contain more than 1 person, for example, if a family are included under the same registration.
- INZ will publish successful registrant reference numbers on the INZ website in the first week of August.
- If an applicant’s ballot is selected, INZ will send them 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.
Applicants must apply for New Zealand residency within eight months of receiving an invitation to apply.
New Income Threshold
Effective June 1, 2025, the minimum income requirement for those applying for residence under PAC and SQ with dependent children will be NZD 54,133.04 per year.
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.