Health Requirements for entry to New Zealand

Acceptable standard of health

Applicants for visas for New Zealand must have an acceptable standard of health. We consider you to have an acceptable standard of health if you are:

• unlikely to be a danger to public health
• unlikely to impose significant costs or demands on New Zealand’s health services or special education services
• able to perform the functions for which you have been granted entry.

Showing that you have an acceptable standard of health

To show that you have an acceptable standard of health you may have to complete a medical certificate and submit it with your application. There are four different medical certificates:

• General Medical Certificate (INZ 1007)
• Limited Medical Certificate (INZ 1201)
• Chest X-ray Certificate (INZ 1096)
• Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme Supplementary Medical Certificate (INZ 1143).

What you have to provide depends on which category you are applying under, how long you intend to stay in New Zealand, and whether you have provided a medical certificate with any previous application. You generally do not have to provide
a new medical certificate if you provided one to us with an earlier application (refer to How long are medical certificates valid for? in this Guide).

Residence class visa applications

A Limited Medical Certificate and Chest X-ray Certificate must be provided by applicants who:

• are applying under the Partnership Category as the partner of a New Zealand citizen or residence class visa holder and who meet the requirements of the Partnership Category, and any dependent child(ren) included in their application; or
• are applying under the Dependent Child Category as the dependent child of a New Zealand citizen or residence class visa holder and who meet the requirements of the Dependent Child Category, or
• have been recognised as having refugee or protection status in New Zealand and are applying for a permanent resident visa, and their partner and dependent child(ren), or
• are a UNHCR mandated refugee who has been selected as a candidate for New Zealand’s Refugee Quota Programme, or
• are applying under the Refugee Quota Family Reunification (RQFR) Category.

Children under 11 years of age and pregnant women are not required to have an X-ray, unless a special report is needed.

A General Medical Certificate and Chest X-ray Certificate must be provided if you:

• are applying for residence under any other category; or
• are the partner or dependent child of a New Zealand citizen or resident and you were eligible to be included in your partner or parent’s residence application and were not, or were withdrawn from their application before it was approved; or
• are applying as a partner or dependent child of a New Zealand citizen or resident and you do not meet the requirements of the residence category that you
  are applying for at the time you lodge your application.

Children under 11 years of age and pregnant women are not required to have an X-ray, unless a special report is needed.

For most residence category applications, you must provide your medical certificate(s) as part of your application.

However, if you apply under the Skilled Migrant Category, Investor 2 Category, Parent Category, Refugee Family Support Category, Samoan Quota, or Pacific Access Category, you have to submit an Expression of Interest or a registration before you provide a residence application. If you are invited to apply for residence, each family member included in the application must provide a medical and chest X-ray certificate as part of your application.

Additionally, you generally do not have to provide a new medical certificate if you provided one to us with an earlier application (refer to How long are medical certificates valid for? in this Guide).

If you intend to stay in New Zealand for more than 12 months you will need to submit a medical certificate and chest X-ray certificate as part of your application:

• A Limited Medical Certificate and Chest X-ray Certificate must be provided if you are applying for a temporary entry class visa as:
  • the partner of a New Zealand citizen or residence class visa holder; or
  • the dependent child of a New Zealand citizen or residence class visa holder; and
  • you meet the criteria for residence as either the partner or dependent child of a New Zealand citizen or residence class visa holder.
• A General Medical Certificate and Chest X-ray Certificate must be provided if you are applying for any other type of temporary entry class visa with an intended stay of more than 12 months.

Children under 11 years of age and pregnant women are not required to have an X-ray, unless a special report is needed.
If you intend to stay in New Zealand for more than six months but not longer than 12 months, you may need to provide a Chest X-ray Certificate. Whether you need to provide this certificate depends on whether you are from a place that is not on the list below, or you have visited a place that is not on the list.

Student visa applications

Fee paying foreign students (excluding New Zealand Aid Programme-supported students)

You do not ordinarily need to provide a medical certificate unless the Student Visa Application (INZ 1012) or Student Visa Guide (INZ 1013) indicate that your circumstances require you to provide a medical certificate.
You only need to provide a chest X-ray certificate if you intend to be in New Zealand for more than six months; and:

• you hold a passport from a place that is not on the list of low incidence tuberculosis (TB) countries (see the table included in this Guide); or
• you have spent a combined total of three months or more in the last five years in any one or more places not on the list of low incidence TB countries, or
• you have provided a chest X-ray certificate with a previous application but have since spent six consecutive months in any one or more places not on the list of low incidence TB countries; or
• the Student Visa Application (INZ 1012) or Student Visa Guide (INZ 1013) indicate that your circumstances require you to provide a chest X-ray certificate.

Domestic students (including exchange, PhD and New Zealand Aid Programme-supported students)
The standard health requirements for temporary entry class visa applicants regarding the provision of medical and chest X-ray certificates apply to you.
Entrepreneur Work Visa Category, Work to Residence Category, Temporary Retirement Category, Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa and Global Impact Visa.
If you are applying for one of these visa types, each family member included in your application must submit a General Medical Certificate and Chest X-ray Certificate as part of your application. If you go on to apply for residence you may need to submit further medical certificates (refer to How long are medical certificates valid for? in this Guide).

Recognised Seasonal Employer limited visa applicants

You should refer to the Application to Work for a Recognised Seasonal Employer (INZ 1142) form and the Guide to Working for a Recognised Seasonal Employer (INZ 1144) for further information about the applicable health requirements for this visa type.

COUNTRIES, AREAS, AND TERRITORIES WITH A LOW INCIDENCE OF TUBERCULOSIS (TB)

If you hold a passport from a place that is not on the list, you must provide a Chest X-ray Certificate. (We may waive this requirement if you can satisfy an immigration officer that you have never lived or spent time in that place.)

You must provide a Chest X-ray Certificate if you:

• have lived in or visited a place/places not on the list above for a combined total of three months or more in the five years prior to your application, or
• have previously applied for a visa and provided a Chest X-ray Certificate however you have since spent six consecutive months in any one or more countries not on the list above since your previous

Example you hold a British passport and you live in the United Kingdom, which is on the list above. However, in the last five years, you spent five weeks in Thailand and eight weeks in Fiji. Thailand and Fiji are not on the list, therefore you have spent a total of at least three months in a place which is not on the list. You must complete a Chest X-ray Certificate.

Example you hold a Chinese passport and you live in China. You have previously spent twelve months in New Zealand as the holder of a student visa. You provided a Chest X-ray Certificate with your previous application, which was dated less than 36 months ago. However, since your previous application you have spent six months in China. China is not on the list. You must complete a Chest X-ray Certificate.

How long are medical certificates valid for?

A General Medical Certificate, Limited Medical Certificate, or a Chest X-ray Certificate (and associated reports)  must be less than three months old at the time you lodge your application.

Generally, medical and chest X-ray certificates provided to us will be valid for three years. If you have lodged another application with us recently, and you provided a medical and/or chest X-ray certificate with your previous application, you may not have to submit another

certificate(s). The medical and chest X-ray certificate(s) that you previously provided must be less than three years old, and you must have previously been assessed as having an acceptable standard of health based on those certificates.

However, new medical and/or chest X-ray certificates less than three months old must be provided at the time you lodge your application if:

• Chest X-ray Certificate: you have spent six consecutive months since your Chest X-ray Certificate was issued in any one or more countries that do not appear on the list of low-incidence TB countries, or
• General Medical Certificate: you provided a Limited Medical Certificate with your previous application but you are no longer the partner or dependent child of a New Zealand citizen or residence class visa holder, or a recognised refugee or protected person, or
• an immigration officer requires you to provide

You must also provide a Chest X-ray Certificate and tests specified in the General Medical Certificate, if you did not provide this information with your previous medical certificate because of your age, or because you were pregnant, and these exemptions no longer apply.

Submitting your medical certificates to Immigration New Zealand

Immigration New Zealand panel physicians will complete your health examination and record the results in eMedical where it is available. eMedical is an online immigration health processing system which enables physicians to submit your completed medical certificates directly to Immigration

New Zealand. You can find out more about eMedical and the information that you need to know before attending your appointment at an eMedical clinic at www.immigration.govt. nz/healthinfo. If your medical certificates were submitted to

Immigration New Zealand through eMedical you will need to ask the physician or their clinic staff to provide you with your New Zealand eMedical reference number (NZER), so that you can include this number in your visa application. This number is in the top right corner of the eMedical Information Sheet that physicians and their clinic staff can print for you.

If your health examination was not completed in eMedical and is paper-based, then the physician is required to submit this to Immigration New Zealand directly. In this case you will need to provide the name of the clinic where your health examination was completed with your visa application and attach the receipt for the fee paid for your examination, as evidence that your examination took place.

If your medical certificate(s) was returned to you by the physician than you must submit it with your visa application.

What will we do with information about your health?

When INZ has received your medical and chest X-ray certificates, and your application, we will assess your health status. We use the information that you provide in your application form, and your medical certificates (where required) as the basis of our assessment. In some cases,

an immigration officer may refer medical certificates to an Immigration New Zealand medical assessor for advice.

We may request medical certificates or further medical information from you after you have lodged your application if we need to establish whether you have an acceptable standard of health.

People who do not have an acceptable standard of health

If you or any family member included in your application does not have an acceptable standard of health,

your application will be declined, unless we grant you a medical waiver.

When a medical waiver can be considered

For residence class visa applications, we only consider medical waivers if you meet all of the other requirements for approval of your application.

For temporary entry class visa applications, we only consider medical waivers if you meet all of the other requirements for approval of your application, and:

• you are the partner or dependent child of a New Zealand citizen or residence class visa holder, or
• you have applied for a temporary visa as a seconded businessperson, or
• you have been recognised as having refugee or protection status in New

When a medical waiver cannot be granted

We cannot grant a medical waiver to you or any family member included in your application if that person:

• requires dialysis treatment, or an Immigration New Zealand medical assessor has indicated that dialysis treatment will be required within five years from the date of the medical assessment, or
• has severe haemophilia, or
• has a physical, intellectual, cognitive and/or sensory incapacity that requires full-time care, including care in the community, or
• currently has tuberculosis (TB) (any form including pulmonary, non-pulmonary, multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant TB) and has not completed full treatment for TB as outlined in the New Zealand Guidelines for Tuberculosis Control, or
• has a history, diagnostic findings or treatment for multidrug-resistant or extensively drug-resistant TB, unless they have been cleared by a New Zealand respiratory or infectious diseases specialist upon review of their file or review of the applicant as outlined in the New Zealand Guidelines for Tuberculosis Control, or
• is applying for residence as the partner or dependent child of a New Zealand citizen or residence class visa holder, and was eligible for inclusion but was not included in their partner or parent’s earlier application for residence, or was withdrawn from that earlier application, or
• is applying for a temporary entry class visa as the partner or dependent child of a New Zealand citizen or residence class visa holder, and was eligible for inclusion but was not included in their partner or parent’s earlier application for residence, or was withdrawn from that earlier

Eligibility of temporary entrants to New Zealand for publicly funded maternity health services

The following table will give you an indication of whether you are eligible for publicly funded maternity health services, if you:

• hold a class of temporary entry visa described below, or
• are applying for a temporary entry visa of a class described

For comprehensive information on eligibility for publicly funded health and disability services you should refer to the Ministry of Health’s website at www.health.govt.nz/eligibility.

Eligibility for all publicly funded health and disability services is determined by the Ministry of Health and not Immigration New Zealand. If you have any queries about the criteria for publicly funded health and disability services or don’t appear to fit the criteria in the table

but believe you are eligible for publicly funded maternity health services, you should contact the Ministry of Health.

If you do not fit within the criteria below, you will need to provide evidence that you have the funds to pay for maternity health services or have sponsorship, unless you can provide confirmation from the Ministry of Health that you are eligible for publicly funded maternity health services.

*Note: a work visa starts on the first day you hold that visa in New Zealand. If you were granted your visa before arriving in New Zealand then the first day will be the date you entered New Zealand.

Note: If you do not fit within the criteria in the table above, you may still be eligible for publicly funded health and disability services if you are:

• the partner of an eligible person (some exclusions are already referred to above), or
• a claimant for refugee or protection status, or
• a victim of people trafficking, or
• aged between 18 and 19 years old and your parent(s) held a work visa as at 15 April 2011 which has not yet expired and your parent(s) met the eligibility criteria under the former Health and Disability Services Eligibility Direction 2003, or
• a UK national. You may be eligible under the UK Reciprocal Health Agreement for partial funding of maternity health services. This generally means that immediate and necessary maternity care, including labour, birth and conditions related to pregnancy requiring prompt treatment are covered. Routine antenatal and postnatal services are not covered. Partners of UK nationals are not eligible.

If you cannot provide evidence of at least NZ$9,000 to pay for maternity health services, you will need to obtain evidence from the district health board responsible for your health services, as to the portion of care you are eligible for. You will need to show this to INZ and provide evidence of funds available to pay the difference.
You should refer to the Ministry of Health’s website at www.health.govt.nz/eligibility for more information if one of these scenarios applies to you, or if your specific situation does not appear to be covered.

Eligibility of work visa holders for publicly funded health services

In some circumstances, once you have been granted a work visa, you will be eligible for publicly funded health services in New Zealand. To be eligible, you must hold a work visa allowing you to stay in New Zealand for two years or more (this can include any time you were in New Zealand lawfully and continuously, immediately before getting your current work visa). Please note that a work visa starts on the first day you hold that visa in New Zealand. If you were granted your visa before arriving
in New Zealand then the first day will be the date you entered New Zealand.

Eligibility of other temporary entrants for publicly funded health services
You may also be eligible for publicly funded health services in New Zealand by meeting other criteria. These criteria are set out in the New Zealand Health and Disability Services Eligibility Direction 2011, which can be accessed through the Ministry of Health’s website at www.health.govt.nz/eligibility. For further information, please visit the Ministry of Health’s website or contact them directly.

Character

To apply for any type of visa for New Zealand, you must be of good character, not pose a security risk and not threaten New Zealand’s international reputation.

People with serious character issues can’t be granted any visa or entry permission, except in very special circumstances. People with other character issues must have the good character requirement waived before they can be granted residence. If you have a serious character issue, you are normally ineligible to be granted a visa unless you are granted a character waiver or a special direction.

Serious character issues

You can’t be granted a visa if you:

• have ever been convicted of an offence for which you were sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 5 years or more
• have been convicted in the last 10 years of an offence for which you were sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 12 months or longer
• are prohibited from entering New Zealand
• have ever been removed, excluded or deported from any country.

You will also not be granted a visa if there is reason to believe you:

• are likely to commit an offence in New Zealand that is punishable by imprisonment
• are likely to be a risk to security
• are likely to be a threat to public order
• are likely to be a risk to the public interest.

Character & Temporary Entry (visitor visa, work visa, student visa)

You will not meet character requirements for a temporary visa if you:

• have ever been convicted of an offence against immigration, citizenship or passport laws in any country
• have ever made or provided false or misleading information, or withheld material information when applying for a New Zealand visa, or when supporting another person’s New Zealand visa application
• have ever been convicted of an offence for which you have been imprisoned
• have ever been convicted of an offence in New Zealand for which the court had the power to imprison you for three months or longer
• are under investigation, wanted for questioning, or have been charged with an offence which, if you are convicted, has a term of imprisonment of 12 months or longer.

Character & Residency

You will also not meet character requirements for residence if you:

• have ever made or provided false or misleading information, or withheld material information when applying for a New Zealand visa, or when supporting another person’s New Zealand visa application
• have ever been convicted of an offence against immigration, citizenship or passport laws in any country
• have ever been convicted of an offence involving:
  • violence
  • prohibited drugs
  • dishonesty
• have ever been convicted of an offence of a sexual nature
• have ever been convicted of an offence for which you were sentenced to a term of imprisonment
• have, while holding a temporary New Zealand visa, or while unlawfully in New Zealand, been convicted of an offence in any country for which the court had the power to imprison you for three months or longer.
• have been convicted in the last five years of an offence involving:
  • dangerous driving
  • drunk driving
  • driving after consuming drugs
• have ever publicly made a racist statement
• have ever been a member of a racist group.

Your application for residence will be deferred if:

• You are under investigation, wanted for questioning, or have been charged with an offence which, if you are convicted would be considered a serious character issue or would require you to be granted a character waiver, as described above
• There is an active arrest warrant for you in any country
• Your residence application is based on a relationship to a person whose own New Zealand residence status is under investigation.

Bona Fides (Temporary Entry Visas only)

When you apply for a temporary visa, INZ must be satisfied that you are genuine about your reasons for coming to New Zealand and about what you will do while you’re here. They must also be satisfied that you won’t stay in New Zealand without a visa and that you can leave at the end of your stay here.

When you apply for a visitor, student or work visa, even if you’re travelling visa waiver, you will be assessed on whether you are bona fide or not. This means looking into your reasons for coming to New Zealand and whether you intend to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay.

Assessing bona fides

When assessing if you’re bona fide INZ will look at:

• the information you provide on your visa application or, if you’re travelling visa waiver, your arrival card
• your visa application and the documents you provide to support it
• any information they have about your personal circumstances
• any information they have about your previous applications.

Your visa application

You must answer truthfully when you complete your visa application and/ or arrival card. If INZ believe you have provided any false or misleading information about your situation or reasons for coming to New Zealand you may be declined a visa or entry permission on character grounds.

You must provide documents that show that you meet all of the criteria for the visa you’re applying for.
If you wish, you can include extra information that supports your reasons for spending time in New Zealand.

Your personal circumstances

When assessing the information provided about your personal circumstances, INZ will look at things like:

• any family ties you may have in your home country or in New Zealand
• any personal, financial, work or other commitments you may have in your home country or New Zealand
• any circumstances that might mean you may not want to return to your home country.

Your previous applications

When INZ assess the information they have about your previous applications, they will look at things like whether:

• you’ve ever stayed in New Zealand longer than you were allowed
• you’ve ever breached your visa conditions
• you have a partner or child who is in New Zealand without a visa

When you’re not bona fide

You will not be considered you’re bona fide if INZ believe that:

• your reason for coming to New Zealand is different from the reason you gave in your visa application or arrival card
• you’re likely to breach the conditions of your visa
• it’s unlikely you’ll be able to leave or be deported from New Zealand to your country of citizenship. This can happen if the New Zealand Government restricts deportations to your home country, or you don’t have the right documents to return to your home country.