Community Organisation Refugee Sponsorship Category Pilot

At a glance

The Community Organisation Refugee Sponsorship (CORS) category pilot enables approved community organisations to sponsor mandated refugees, along with their partners and dependent children, for New Zealand permanent residence. [S4.25.1] The pilot aims to complement the Refugee Quota Programme by providing an alternative admission pathway that engages community organisations in refugee settlement. [S4.25.1]

• Pilot cap: Up to 150 persons over three years ending 30 June 2024, with a further 51 places available until 30 June 2025 for existing applicants who could not be approved earlier. [S4.25.5]
• Approved community organisations: Selected through an application process; must meet legal, financial, and experience requirements and enter a Deed of Agreement for Services with INZ. [S4.25.7]
• Eligible applicants: Mandated refugees residing in a UNHCR priority area within one of the resettlement regions (Africa, Americas, Asia-Pacific, Middle East), who are nominated by an approved community organisation or identified by UNHCR and matched by INZ. [S4.25.5]
• Settlement support: Approved community organisations must provide settlement services for two years. [S4.25.5]

How to apply

Expression of interest and invitation

1. The principal applicant must be a mandated refugee nominated by an approved community organisation or identified by UNHCR and matched by INZ to an approved organisation. [S4.25.10]
2. The applicant completes and submits a CORS Expression of Interest (EOI) form. [S4.25.10]
3. EOIs are placed in a pool, valid for six months, and selected in the order received. EOIs still in the pool after six months or rejected will be withdrawn. [S4.25.10]
4. An immigration officer may invite the person to apply for a CORS permanent resident visa if:
   • the person is nominated by, or matched to, an approved community organisation; and
   • the principal applicant is a mandated refugee; and
   • the cap on approvals will not be exceeded; and
   • the information does not indicate health, character, or other family category eligibility issues, and the principal applicant's age, English language proficiency, and work experience/qualifications appear credible at face value. [S4.25.10]
5. The invitation to apply can be revoked at any time by the Minister or an immigration officer. An invitation does not guarantee a positive assessment or visa grant. [S4.25.10]

Note: As the 150 cap has been reached, new EOIs are currently ineligible. However, applicants who submitted a CORS permanent resident visa application before 30 June 2024 that was not withdrawn or declined may submit a further application until 30 June 2025 without a new invitation, provided they include only partners and dependent children from the original application. [S4.25.15]

Lodging the residence application

• Applications must be made within four months of receiving the invitation. [S4.25.15]
• Applications are processed by immigration officers from the Refugee Quota Programme. [S4.25.15]
• Lodgement requirements waived by special direction: passport-sized photographs, completed medical certificate, and chest x-ray. No application fee or immigration levy is payable. [S4.25.15 Notes]
• Immigration officers may waive other mandatory lodgement requirements by special direction, and may request waived items at a later date. [S4.25.15 Notes]
• If a birth certificate or identity card is unavailable, a signed declaration confirming full name, date and place of birth, and both parents' full names must be submitted. [S4.25.15]
• For children under 16, if custody documents are unavailable, a UNHCR Best Interest Assessment or Determination or a statutory declaration confirming legal custody must be submitted. [S4.25.15]
• The principal applicant and partner must supply evidence of a genuine and stable partnership. If evidence is unduly difficult to obtain, a signed declaration confirming the nature and duration of the partnership may be accepted. [S4.25.15]

Eligibility criteria

Principal applicant requirements

• Mandated refugee status: Must be a mandated refugee (someone falling within the UNHCR International Protection Mandate and recognised as a refugee under the Refugee Convention). If evidence is insufficient, the immigration officer may refer the case to INZ's Refugee Status Unit for advice. [S4.25.5 Notes][S4.25.10]
• Residence in a qualifying country: Must be residing in a UNHCR priority area within one of the regions: Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, or the Middle East. [S4.25.5]
• Nominated or matched: Must be nominated by an approved community organisation or identified by UNHCR and matched by INZ to an approved community organisation. [S4.25.10]
• English language: The principal applicant must demonstrate, through an INZ approved assessment, English language ability sufficient to read, understand, and respond to basic questions in English. [S4.25.20]
• Work experience or qualification: The principal applicant must have either:
  • at least three years' work experience in the same occupation, or the same or related sector; or
  • a qualification requiring a minimum of two years' tertiary study. [S4.25.20] Acceptable evidence includes employer confirmation, qualification copies or academic transcripts, or a signed declaration if evidence is unavailable. [S4.25.25]
• Health: Must have an acceptable standard of health. [S4.25.20]
• Character: Must meet character requirements; police clearance certificates are required for all applicants aged 17+ from each country lived in for 12+ months in the past 10 years, except where the applicant has a well-founded fear of approaching the authorities, the country does not provide certificates, or an immigration officer deems it unsafe. If certificates are unavailable, a signed declaration stating any convictions, charges, or findings of guilt is required. [S4.25.15]
• Not eligible under other family categories: No applicant must be eligible for residence under any family category, including the Refugee Family Support Category. [S4.25.20]
• Interview: All applicants must be interviewed by an immigration officer. [S4.25.20]
• No significant barriers to settlement: There must be no significant barriers to the ability of any applicant to settle in New Zealand. [S4.25.20]

Family members

Partners and dependent children of the principal applicant can be included, provided they meet identity, health, character, and other requirements. The partner does not need to be a mandated refugee. [S4.25.5]

Approved community organisation requirements (summary)

Community organisations must be approved by INZ before they can sponsor. Requirements include:

• Being a legal entity (incorporated society, registered company, charitable trust, or religious organisation with legal standing). [S4.25.7]
• Having financial resources to provide two years of settlement services. [S4.25.7]
• Experience working successfully with refugees or vulnerable people. [S4.25.7]
• Capability to secure suitable accommodation and support employment. [S4.25.7]
• Entering a Deed of Agreement for Services with INZ. [S4.25.7]
• Approval may be declined if it would create unacceptable risks to immigration integrity. [S4.25.7]

An application can be approved in principle before the Deed is signed; the outstanding requirement must be met within 90 days. [S4.25.8] Approval can be revoked if the organisation's conduct creates an unacceptable risk, following a notification and comment process approved by the INZ RMS National Manager. [S4.25.9]

Interpretation & edge cases

• Caps and extension: The 150-person cap for the pilot ending 30 June 2024 has been met. No new EOIs can currently succeed. However, the extension until 30 June 2025 allows up to 51 further approvals from among those who applied before 30 June 2024 and whose applications were not withdrawn or declined. Those applicants may reapply without a new invitation. [S4.25.5][S4.25.15][S4.25.20]
• Defining mandated refugee: The principal applicant's evidence of mandated refugee status may include a UNHCR Refugee Status Determination, host-country recognition, or evidence of being a UNHCR Person of Concern. If only the latter is available, the immigration officer may refer the matter to the Refugee Status Unit for an internal assessment. [S4.25.10]
• Priority area definition: A UNHCR priority area is determined by the annually published UNHCR Projected Global Resettlement Needs report. [S4.25.5 Notes]
• Evidence flexibility: Recognising the difficulty of obtaining documents in refugee contexts, the instructions provide alternatives: declarations in place of birth certificates and ID cards, UNHCR Best Interest Assessments for children's custody, and declarations for partnership and police clearance requirements. [S4.25.15]
• No guarantee from invitation: An invitation to apply does not create a legitimate expectation of visa approval. The immigration officer retains the discretion to decline if criteria are not met. [S4.25.10]
• Status after grant: All persons granted a permanent resident visa under CORS are treated as principal applicants for the purpose of future family sponsorship, regardless of whether they were principal or secondary applicants originally. [S4.25.30]
• Approval in principle and revocation: Community organisations that receive approval in principle must complete the Deed of Agreement within 90 days or the application must be declined. Revocation of approved status requires a process including written notice of concerns, opportunity for the organisation to comment, and final decision by an INZ RMS National Manager. [S4.25.8][S4.25.9]
• Family members residing elsewhere: Partners and dependent children do not need to be mandated refugees and may reside outside the UNHCR priority area, as long as the principal applicant meets the location requirements. [S4.25.5]
• Exemption from fees and lodgement requirements: The application is free, and standard lodgement requirements (photos, medical, x-ray) are waived by special direction, though officers may request them later. Other lodgement requirements can be waived by special direction on a case-by-case basis. [S4.25.15 Notes]

Citations

• S4.25 — Community Organisation Refugee Sponsorship Category Pilot
• S4.25.1 — Objective
• S4.25.5 — Overview
• S4.25.7 — Requirements for a Community Organisation to become an approved organisation
• S4.25.8 — Approval in principle process
• S4.25.9 — Revoking approval
• S4.25.10 — Expression of interest and invitation to apply for a CORS permanent resident visa
• S4.25.15 — Lodging an application for a CORS permanent resident visa
• S4.25.20 — Determining a CORS permanent resident visa application
• S4.25.25 — Evidence of work experience or qualification
• S4.25.30 — Status of people granted a permanent resident visa under CORS