New Zealand has announced the cost and conditions for the Pacific Access Category Resident Visa, a special pathway that grants eligible citizens from four Pacific Island nations the right to live, work, and study in the country indefinitely. The application fee is set at NZD 1,389 (approximately N1,111,951.60), according to Immigration New Zealand.
Eligibility and Ballot Process
The visa is open exclusively to citizens of Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga, and Tuvalu. For the 2026 round, only 650 visas are available, and applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 45. The selection process operates through a ballot system, where successful registrants are invited to apply for the visa after their names are drawn.
This competitive process makes the pathway to New Zealand residency highly selective. The cost, which is roughly equivalent to several months' earnings in some eligible Pacific nations, represents a significant financial commitment for applicants, though it offers a potentially life-changing opportunity.
Benefits of the Visa
Once granted, the visa carries no expiry date on residency. Holders are permitted to remain in New Zealand indefinitely and are free to pursue employment or education while living there. This places the Pacific Access Category Resident Visa on a different level from standard work or student visas, which typically have time limits.
Immigration New Zealand administers the visa, and the announcement follows the government's publication of the oath foreigners must recite during citizenship ceremonies. Applicants at these ceremonies choose between a religious oath of allegiance and a non-religious affirmation of allegiance.
