Acceptable Sponsors for Residence

Defines who may sponsor a residence class visa applicant, the criteria they must satisfy, and the duration of sponsorship obligations.

Status: needs_review
Updated: 2026-04-29
Sources: R4.5R4.10R4.15R4.20R4.25S4.20.10S4.20.10.1

At a glance

A sponsor for a residence class visa must be a natural person, an organisation, or a government agency that meets the criteria set out in residence instructions. The Minister or an immigration officer has absolute discretion to decide whether a sponsor is acceptable. [R4.5]

Definition

For an applicant to be granted a residence class visa, the sponsor must:

be deemed acceptable by the Minister or an immigration officer; [R4.5]
satisfy the general eligibility requirements for acceptable sponsors in residence instructions; and [R4.5]
meet any additional criteria imposed by the specific residence category. [R4.5]

The decision on acceptability is a matter of absolute discretion. [R4.5]

Sponsors fall into three types:

Natural person – an individual who meets personal residence, character, and financial history requirements. [R4.5]
Organisation – a New Zealand registered company, incorporated society, or charitable trust with a genuine link to the applicant's purpose in New Zealand. [R4.5]
Government agency – a government department under the State Sector Act 1988 or a Crown entity as defined in the Crown Entities Act 2004 (including Crown agents, autonomous Crown entities, school boards of trustees, and tertiary institutions). [R4.5]

Application in decisions

Natural person sponsors

A natural person sponsor must: [R4.5]

be a New Zealand citizen or the holder of a current residence class visa free of conditions under section 49(1)(a) or 50 of the Immigration Act 2009; [R4.5]
have held that status for at least three years immediately before the sponsored application is made; [R4.5]
be ordinarily resident in New Zealand and have spent at least 184 days in each 12‑month period of the preceding three years in New Zealand; [R4.5]
not sponsor for financial reward or fee; [R4.5]
have no conviction for an immigration offence; [R4.5]
have no outstanding Crown or third‑party debt from a previous sponsorship; [R4.5]
have no history of breaching sponsorship obligations; [R4.5]
not be in insolvency or adjudicated bankrupt; [R4.5]
not be liable for deportation or have deportation liability suspended; [R4.5]
not be serving a custodial sentence or awaiting sentencing for an offence carrying a custodial sentence; [R4.5]
not have arrived in New Zealand as a member of a mass arrival group, unless the person was an unaccompanied minor or is acting as a sponsor under specific refugee family instructions. [R4.5]

Organisation sponsors

An organisation sponsor must: [R4.5]

be registered in New Zealand as a company, incorporated society, or charitable trust; [R4.5]
demonstrate a clear link between its activities and the purpose of the applicant's stay; [R4.5]
not sponsor for financial reward (sponsoring an employee for employment that may generate profit is not considered financial reward); [R4.5]
have no conviction for an immigration offence by the organisation or any listed directors, trustees, or management; [R4.5]
have no outstanding debt to the Crown or a third party from a previous sponsorship; [R4.5]
have no previous breach of sponsorship obligations; [R4.5]
not be in receivership or liquidation. [R4.5]

Government agency sponsors

A government agency must be a government department or a Crown entity as defined in the Crown Entities Act 2004. [R4.5] This includes Crown agents, autonomous Crown entities, independent Crown entities, Crown entity companies, Crown entity subsidiaries, school boards of trustees, and tertiary institutions. [R4.5]

Refugee Quota Family Reunification Category sponsors

A special category of sponsor exists for the Refugee Quota Family Reunification Category. An acceptable sponsor under this category must: [S4.20.10]

be a New Zealand citizen or resident who was granted a residence class visa as a mandated refugee (see S3.22), excluding people granted permanent residence under the Community Organisation Refugee Sponsorship category (see S4.25); [S4.20.10]
be living in New Zealand; [S4.20.10]
be an immediate family member of the applicant (partner, dependent child, or parent where the applicant is a dependent child); [S4.20.10]
have attended an interview with a Refugee Quota Branch immigration officer and been deemed to be an acceptable sponsor. [S4.20.10]

A person granted a permanent resident visa under the Refugee Quota Family Reunification Category is not able to sponsor under this category, as they are not a mandated refugee. [S4.20.10]

If the sponsor is a child aged 18 or under sponsoring a parent, the immigration officer must be satisfied that it is in the best interests of the child to grant a permanent residence visa to the parent(s). [S4.20.10]

The immigration officer must be satisfied that the relationship between the sponsor and the applicant is credible and genuine. If the sponsor did not declare the applicant in their own residence application, R5.15 on explaining discrepancies in family details must be followed. [S4.20.10]

Authorised contact

A sponsor that is not a natural person must nominate an individual as the authorised contact for sponsorship purposes. [R4.5]

Evidence of sponsorship

Sponsors must provide the completed sponsorship form required by the category of residence instructions the application is made under. [R4.25]

Sponsors must provide evidence that they are an acceptable sponsor and have the financial means to meet all sponsorship undertakings. [R4.25]

An immigration officer may request additional evidence that a sponsor is an acceptable sponsor and is able to meet their sponsorship undertakings. [R4.25]

If a sponsor is an organisation, they must provide evidence that they are registered in New Zealand as a company, incorporated society, or charitable trust. [R4.25]

Evidence for sponsors who are natural persons

Evidence that sponsors are New Zealand citizens may include, but is not limited to:

a New Zealand passport; or
a New Zealand birth certificate issued prior to 1 January 2006; or
a New Zealand birth certificate issued on or after 1 January 2006 that positively indicates New Zealand citizenship; or
a certificate of New Zealand citizenship; or
a confirmation of New Zealand citizenship by descent certificate issued under the Citizenship Act 1977; or
an evidentiary certificate issued under the Citizenship Act 1977 confirming New Zealand citizenship; or
an endorsement in a foreign passport indicating the fact of New Zealand citizenship. [R4.25]

Evidence that sponsors are residence class visa holders may include, but is not limited to:

a current New Zealand residence class visa in their passport or a certificate of identity; or
evidence the sponsor is deemed to hold a residence class visa. [R4.25]

Evidence of a sponsor's time spent in New Zealand as a New Zealand citizen or residence class visa holder may include:

INZ records of the sponsor's entry to and exit from New Zealand; or
the sponsor's current or previous passports; or
any other evidence of time spent in New Zealand provided by a sponsor or sought by INZ. [R4.25]

Note: Periods during which a residence class visa holder has been in New Zealand are calculated inclusive of both arrival and departure dates. [R4.25]

If criteria are not met

If a sponsor fails to satisfy the criteria, the reasons must be put to the applicant so the sponsor has an opportunity to respond. [R4.5]

Sponsorship undertakings

A sponsor who is accepted must undertake to provide for the sponsored person:

accommodation: suitable accommodation in New Zealand if the sponsored person lacks the means for their own accommodation; [R4.10]
maintenance: reasonable costs of essential provisions for the sponsored person's health and welfare (food, clothing, medical treatment) where they do not have the means; [R4.10]
repatriation: costs of the sponsored person leaving New Zealand at the end of the sponsorship period if they lack means or refuse to pay, or if they are liable for deportation; [R4.10]
deportation costs: costs incurred during the sponsorship period relating to the sponsored person's deportation, including locating, detaining, maintaining, and travel costs. [R4.10]

If the visa holder has their own means, they may fund these items themselves. However, if they do not, or refuse to, the sponsor must provide them directly or pay the cost. These debts are recoverable from the sponsor. [R4.10]

A sponsor under the Refugee Quota Family Reunification Category is exempt from meeting these sponsorship undertakings. [S4.20.10.1]

Breach of sponsorship undertakings

Where sponsorship is required for a resident visa application, it is an ongoing condition of the visa granted to the sponsored person. [R4.15]

If costs are incurred by the Crown or a third party because any part of the maintenance, accommodation, or outward travel needs of a sponsored person were not met, the sponsor is considered to have breached their sponsorship undertaking. [R4.15]

When such costs are incurred, the visa holder is deemed to have breached the conditions of their visa and therefore becomes liable for deportation; and the costs are considered to be a debt owed by the sponsor, recoverable by the Crown or the third party. [R4.15]

The sponsor's liability for any debt incurred as a result of a breach of their sponsorship undertakings persists:

after the end of the sponsorship period, until the debt is recovered; and
regardless of the subsequent status of the sponsored person in New Zealand or their departure from New Zealand. [R4.15]

Duration of sponsorship period

The sponsor's responsibility to meet their undertakings remains in place from the date the sponsored person arrives in New Zealand, or if they are already onshore, from the date the visa with sponsorship conditions is granted. [R4.20]

The sponsorship period ends at the earliest of:

the date the sponsored person is granted a new visa with a new sponsor or no sponsorship requirement;
the date at the end of the duration stipulated in the category under which the person received their visa; or
the date the sponsored person is deported from New Zealand. [R4.20]

For resident visas subject to sponsorship, the visa must specify a duration of sponsorship that does not exceed 10 years. [R4.20]

Interpretation & edge cases

Financial reward: Sponsoring an employee where employment is expected to result in a profit for the sponsor is not regarded as a financial reward. [R4.5]
Mass arrival exception: A natural person who arrived as part of a mass arrival group may still sponsor if they were an unaccompanied minor at the time of arrival, or if they are acting as a sponsor under the refugee family support category. [R4.5]
Government agency scope: The definition of Crown entity includes a wide range of public bodies; the note clarifies that school boards of trustees and tertiary institutions are within scope. [R4.5]
Absolute discretion: Even if all listed requirements are met, the Minister or an immigration officer retains absolute discretion to decline sponsorship acceptability. [R4.5]
Refugee Quota Family Reunification sponsor: Unlike the general natural person sponsor, a sponsor under the Refugee Quota Family Reunification Category does not need to meet the 3-year residence requirement or spend 184 days per year in New Zealand — the criteria are specific to the category and centred on the sponsor's status as a mandated refugee and their relationship to the applicant. The sponsor is also exempt from the sponsorship undertakings at R4.10. [S4.20.10][S4.20.10.1]
Child sponsor safeguard: When a sponsor under the Refugee Quota Family Reunification Category is aged 18 or under and sponsoring a parent, the immigration officer must assess the best interests of the child, a protection not present in other sponsorship categories. [S4.20.10]