Where can I find all the immigration laws and rules?
The laws and other rules that will be relevant for any immigration issue you might have are found in a number of places:
Finding specific Immigration NZ policies in their Operational Manual:
The immigration laws allow the government to put their specific immigration policies into the form of “Instructions”. Immigration New Zealand publishes these instructions in its Operational Manual.
What different types of visa are there?
The two main classes of visa are Temporary Entry Class Visas, which allow you to work, study or visit here for a limited time, and Residence Class Visas, which let you live here permanently.
Here’s how the immigration laws formally break down the different types of visa:
Temporary Entry Class Visas
Residence Class Visas
Another type of visa – a Transit Visa – lets you be in New Zealand legally at the airport for up to 24 hours while you’re on your way to somewhere else.
Who makes immigration decisions?
The government agency that makes decisions about visas and entry to New Zealand is Immigration New Zealand, which is a part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. The Immigration NZ staff who make the decisions are called Immigration Officers, although some types of decisions have to be made by Immigration NZ managers. A few decisions are made by the Minister of Immigration personally.
Decisions about claims for refugee status are made by a separate part of Immigration NZ, called the Refugee Status Branch. The staff who make these decisions are called Refugee and Protection Officers. They can’t make decisions about visas and other immigration issues, in the same way that Immigration Officers can’t make decisions about refugee status and other refugee issues.