Long-Term visitors
 

Hi,

A friend was asking me how hard it would be to stay in New Zealand for longer, depending how he liked it.

I read the following:
How long can I stay?
The maximum stay under a visitor visa is usually nine months in an 18-month period.

You will need to show us that you intend to leave within the period of your visa. For example:
travel tickets (confirmed or open-dated) out of New Zealand to a country which you have the right to enter; or
written confirmation from an airline or travel agency that onward travel has been booked and paid for.

Proof of funds

You will also need to show us proof that you have enough money to support yourself during your stay. This means you have a minimum of:
NZ$1000 per person per month of the visit, or
NZ$400 per person per month if accommodation has already been paid for – we will require proof of prepayment, such as hotel prepaid vouchers.

If you have sufficient funds and don't intend to work, would they really only allow you to stay for 9 months, or would a longer stay be no issue?

Thanks

Re: Long-Term visitors
 

You can stay for 6mth if on a UK passport, extended another 3mth if necessary but this would require a visa if wanting to do this from what it says here: Extending a visitor visa - Immigration NZ Knowledgebase
It looks like you can only stay longer under exceptional circumstances and some examples are in the link.

If your friend wanted to stay longer then it would mean applying for some sort of work/residency visa which usually means getting a job offer.

Is your friend still young enough for a Working Holiday Visa?

Re: Long-Term visitors
 

Thanks for the reply. He tried finding out more information, but it seems that this is all you can find.

If you are a visa-free visitor, you apply for entry at the border by filling in your arrival card. You will be allowed to stay for three months (or six months if from the United Kingdom) on this visit, and no more than six months in any 12-month period. So, we will look at what date your three-month visit (or six-month visit) will end (eg 1 July 2014), and count back 12 months from there (eg 1 July 2013). We then make sure that in that 12-month period (eg 1 July 2013 – 1 July 2014) you will not be spending more than six months in New Zealand.

He's 38, so Working Holiday Visa would be an option. Then again I don't understand why the government won't allow people with sufficient funds to stay longer if they like, without working:confused:

Re: Long-Term visitors
 

A WHV for NZ is for those up to 30 years old so he would be too old for that. I can see why a limit is placed on it, they don't want people effectively living in NZ without a visa. What would there be to stop someone retiring on a pension and just moving over?

Only other thing I can think of would be to contact INZ directly and ask if there is any other way round it.

Re: Long-Term visitors
 

Without a Visa you couldn't stop people living in New Zealand, but as long as people have their private health insurance from the country they come from, have no criminal record and sufficient funds (certain limit), I don't see any issues allowing them to stay as long as they like, so basically a long term visa that's renewed every year. I think it would actually benefit New Zealand, because you have people spending money in the economy and that creates jobs again. I live in Ireland and as far as I know that's how it works here.