Pacific Access Category

At a glance

The Pacific Access Category (PAC) grants residence to up to 250 citizens of Fiji, 250 citizens of Tonga, 75 citizens of Tuvalu, and 75 citizens of Kiribati each year. For 2023 and 2024, an additional 650 places were available (250 each for Fiji and Tonga, 75 each for Tuvalu and Kiribati) [S1.40.1]. The total number of resident visas granted includes principal applicants, their partners, and dependent children [S1.40.1]. Selection is by random electronic draw from registrations lodged during an annual registration period [S1.40.10][S1.40.25]. Successful registrants are invited to apply for a resident visa, which must be lodged within eight months (extensions possible) [S1.40.5].

Principal applicants must:

• be a citizen of Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu, or Kiribati and meet country-specific birth and location requirements [S1.40.5(1)–(5)]
• have their registration drawn from the relevant country pool [S1.40.5(1)(ii)]
• lodge the residence application within eight months of written advice from INZ that their registration was drawn [S1.40.5(1)(iii)]
• be aged 18–45 (inclusive) at the registration closing date [S1.40.5(1)(iv)]
• have an acceptable offer of employment in New Zealand (or a partner included in the application who does) [S1.40.5(1)(v)][S1.40.30]
• if dependent children are included, meet the minimum income requirement of NZD $54,133.04 [S1.40.5(1)(vi)][S1.40.35]
• meet minimum English language ability assessed by an immigration officer [S1.40.5(1)(vii)][S1.40.45]
• meet health and character requirements themselves, and ensure partners and dependent children do [S1.40.5(1)(viii)][S1.40.5(6)][A4][A5]

All partners and dependent children must be included in the registration; failure to do so has lasting consequences for later residence under other categories [S1.40.15].

How to apply

1. Registration period: INZ announces an annual registration period. During this window, principal registrants submit a completed registration form to the specified receiving office [S1.40.10(1)–(4)].
2. Who can register: Only one registration may be lodged per person; duplicate registrations are not accepted [S1.40.20]. Overstayers who left New Zealand voluntarily and are not subject to a removal order or prohibition on entry may register [S1.40.10(7)].
3. Family inclusion: All partners and dependent children must be listed on the registration [S1.40.15(1)]. A partner or dependent child omitted from the registration cannot be added later and is permanently barred from a subsequent residence application under the Partnership or Dependent Child Categories [S1.40.15(2)–(3)].
4. Ballot draw: After registration closes, INZ conducts an electronic draw to select enough registrations to fill the available places, using separate pools for each country [S1.40.25(1)–(2)].
5. Invitation to apply: Successful registrants receive written notice in the month following the draw and must lodge their resident visa application within eight months [S1.40.25(3)][S1.40.5(1)(iii)].
6. Lodging the application: Submit a resident visa application with:
   • evidence of citizenship and identity, and compliance with the country-specific birth/location requirements [S1.40.5(1)–(5)]
   • evidence of the acceptable job offer (written offer, detailed job description, signed employment agreement, employer letter) [S1.40.40]
   • evidence of meeting the minimum income requirement if dependents are included [S1.40.35]
   • demonstration of English language ability through interview [S1.40.45]
   • health and character certificates for all applicants [A4][A5]
7. INZ verification and decision: The immigration officer verifies the job offer directly with the employer or through the nearest INZ office, and assesses English ability; successful applicants are granted a resident visa [S1.40.50][S1.40.55].

Eligibility criteria

Principal applicant requirements

1. Citizenship: Must be a citizen of Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu, or Kiribati. Country-specific birth and location conditions apply (see below) [S1.40.5(1)–(5)].
2. Ballot success: Registration must be drawn from the relevant country pool [S1.40.5(1)(ii)].
3. Lodgement timeframe: Application lodged within eight months of written advice from INZ that the registration was drawn; extensions are possible for special circumstances by an immigration officer (individual) or by a Director Visa or Operations Director (class of applicants) [S1.40.5(1)(iii)][S1.40.5(7)–(8)].
4. Age: 18–45 inclusive on the registration closing date [S1.40.5(1)(iv)].
5. Acceptable offer of employment (or partner has one): [S1.40.30]
   • Must be for on-going and sustainable employment: either permanent/indefinite, or a fixed term of at least 12 months with genuine reasons that do not exclude employment law rights or serve as a trial period [S1.40.30(1),(5)–(6)].
   • Full-time (on average at least 30 hours per week) unless partner income is used to meet the minimum income requirement and one job is full-time [S1.40.30(2)(i)][S1.40.35.1(c)].
   • Must be current at assessment and at grant of visa [S1.40.30(2)(ii)].
   • Genuine, paid by salary or wages (no self-employment, commission-only, or retainer positions), and any professional/technical registration required by law must be evidenced [S1.40.30(2)(iii)–(v)].
   • Employer must comply with all relevant employment and immigration law, including minimum wage, holiday entitlements, occupational safety, and only employing people entitled to work. Employers on the Labour Inspectorate's list of non-compliant employers are not acceptable [S1.40.30(3)–(4)][R5.110][Appendix 10].
6. English language ability: Immigration officer must be satisfied the principal applicant can read English, understand and respond to questions, and maintain a conversation about themselves, their family, or background [S1.40.45].
7. Minimum income (if dependent children included): Gross minimum income of NZ$54,133.04 derived from an acceptable offer of employment [S1.40.35]. The partner's income can be included only if both have acceptable job offers and the partnership is genuine and stable for at least 12 months [S1.40.35.1]; in that case only one job needs to be full-time [S1.40.35.1(c)].
8. Health and character: Applicant and all accompanying family must meet health and character requirements for residence [S1.40.5(1)(viii)][S1.40.5(6)][A4][A5].

Country-specific requirements

• Fiji: The principal applicant must be in Fiji or lawfully in New Zealand at the time of application, and must have been born in Fiji or born overseas to a Fijian citizen who was born in Fiji [S1.40.5(1)–(2)].
• Tonga: The principal applicant must be in Tonga or lawfully in New Zealand at the time of application, and must have been born in Tonga or born overseas to a Tongan citizen who was born in Tonga [S1.40.5(1)–(3)].
• Kiribati: The principal applicant must be in Kiribati, Fiji, or lawfully in New Zealand at the time of application, and must have been born in Kiribati or born overseas to a Kiribati citizen who was born in Kiribati [S1.40.5(1)–(4)].
• Tuvalu: The principal applicant must be in Tuvalu, Fiji, or lawfully in New Zealand at the time of application, and must have been born in Tuvalu or born overseas to a Tuvaluan citizen who was born in Tuvalu [S1.40.5(1)–(5)].

Partner and dependent children

• Must be included in the registration to be included in the application; exceptions only for children born after registration [S1.40.15(6)].
• Must meet health and character requirements [S1.40.5(6)].
• A partner or dependent child included in the registration but not in the resulting residence application may still later obtain residence under Partnership or Dependent Child Categories [S1.40.15(4)]. If an applicant attempts to include someone omitted from the registration, INZ must give the principal applicant an opportunity to explain the discrepancy under R5.15 before applying the limitation [S1.40.15(5)][R5.15].
• New-born children who were not eligible at registration but are eligible at application time can be added provided R2.1 is met [S1.40.15(6)][R2.1].

Interpretation & edge cases

Extension of 8‑month application window
An immigration officer may extend the 8‑month period for an individual if special circumstances justify it; a Director Visa or Operations Director (or higher) may extend for a class of applicants [S1.40.5(7)–(8)]. The instructions do not define “special circumstances,” giving officers flexibility.

Family registration rule and its consequences
The obligation to include all immediate family at registration is strict. A partner or dependent child not included at registration cannot be added to the residence application and is permanently barred from later obtaining residence under the Partnership or Dependent Child Categories [S1.40.15(2)–(3)]. However, a person who was listed on the registration but not placed in the application may later apply under those categories [S1.40.15(4)]. The opportunity to explain a non‑declaration under R5.15 must be offered before the limitation is enforced [S1.40.15(5)][R5.15]. Children born after registration can be added provided R2.1 is met [S1.40.15(6)][R2.1].

Overstayer eligibility
Even a person who previously overstayed in New Zealand can register, as long as they departed voluntarily and are not subject to a removal order or prohibition on entry [S1.40.10(7)].

Quota counting
The annual quota includes the principal applicant, their partner, and dependent children counted against the country cap [S1.40.1(1)]. This means a single registration may consume multiple visa places and affects the likelihood of selection.

Sustainable employment and fixed‑term offers
For fixed‑term offers, INZ must be satisfied the employer has genuine reasons, not simply excluding employment law rights or testing the employee's suitability. The term must be valid at both lodgement and decision, and the offer must continue to be valid until grant [S1.40.30(1)(ii),(5)–(6)]. A 12‑month fixed term that expires during processing would fail the test.

Minimum income and partner income
The $54,133.04 threshold applies per family, not per applicant. If both partners have acceptable job offers and have lived together in a genuine partnership for ≥12 months, their combined salaries count. Only one job must be full‑time (≥30 hours) [S1.40.35.1(c)]. The partnership requirement mirrors the standard partnership instruction at R2.1.15 [R2.1].

Employer compliance
INZ assesses the employer's past and current compliance with employment and immigration law, including minimum wage and holiday entitlements, and uses the Labour Inspectorate's list of non‑compliant employers [S1.40.30(3)–(4)][R5.110][Appendix 10]. A job offer from a non‑compliant employer is not acceptable.

English language assessment
There is no formal test score; the immigration officer makes a holistic assessment through conversation [S1.40.45]. This can favour applicants with functional English, even without a standardised certificate.

Country-specific location flexibility
Unlike the Samoan Quota Scheme, which requires the applicant to be in Samoa or New Zealand, the PAC allows Kiribati and Tuvalu citizens to also be in Fiji at the time of application [S1.40.5(4)–(5)]. This accommodates geographic ties between these Pacific nations.

Citations

• S1.40.1 — Objective
• S1.40.5 — Criteria for a resident visa
• S1.40.10 — Registration process
• S1.40.10.1 — Definition of principal registrant
• S1.40.15 — Inclusion in registration of immediate family members
• S1.40.20 — Number of registrations that may be lodged
• S1.40.25 — Selection process following closure of registration
• S1.40.30 — Acceptable offers of employment
• S1.40.35 — Minimum income requirement
• S1.40.35.1 — Ability to include partner's income
• S1.40.40 — Evidence of employment offer
• S1.40.45 — Minimum English language requirement
• S1.40.50 — Determining applications
• S1.40.55 — Grant of visas
• A4 — Health requirements
• A5 — Character requirements
• R2.1 — Who may be included in an application
• R5.15 — Explaining discrepancies in family details
• R5.110 — ...
• Appendix 10 — Rules for non-compliant employers