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On 1 June 2026, family of temporary visa holder applications moved to our enhanced Immigration Online system. If you are applying for one of these visas, there are some important things you need to know.
Our ambition is to provide a trusted and effective immigration service. Last year, we commenced the Our Future Services programme to accelerate us towards that goal.
Over the course of the programme, we will move all visa applications onto our enhanced Immigration Online platform. We first introduced this platform in 2021 and have already moved several types of visa applications onto it including international student visas, visitor visas, Accredited Employer Work Visas and Permanent Resident Visas.
Customers and staff are at the heart of the Our Future Services programme design. We are aiming to deliver a simpler, faster and more user-friendly visa application process. This will allow us to reduce waiting times, provide clear communication on application status, and increase self-service capabilities so everyone feels more informed and better supported.
Family of temporary visa holder application changes
From 1 June 2026, you will be automatically directed to enhanced Immigration Online if you are starting a new application for 1 of the following visa types.
Student visas
- Dependent Child Student Visa
Work visas
- Partner of a Worker Work Visa
- Partner of Military Work Visa
- Partner of a Student Work Visa
- Partner of an NZ Scholarship Student Work Visa
Visitor visas
- Partner of a Worker Visitor Visa
- Child of a Worker Visitor Visa
- Partner of a Student Visitor Visa
- Child of a Student Visitor Visa
- Partner of Military Visitor Visa
- Child of Military Visitor Visa
All applications that were submitted through the old system on or before 31 May will be processed. You do not need to resubmit your application if you have already applied. You will have access to your application to upload documents and respond to our requests until the application is decided and we communicate our decision to you.
If you have a draft application in the old system you can choose to complete and submit it or you can start a new application in enhanced Immigration Online.
The application form in our old system is still used for other visas. The old form will be closed once those visas have moved to enhanced Immigration Online. We will contact people with draft applications to ensure they have enough time to complete their application before we close the form.
Enhanced Immigration Online is now our preferred application system
From 1 June, enhanced Immigration Online is our preferred system for receiving visa applications from family of temporary visa holders.
Our existing Immigration Online system will remain available so you can complete and submit draft applications already in progress, communicate with us about submitted applications, and submit applications for other visa types that use the same form.
Applications submitted through the enhanced Immigration Online system will be prioritised for assessment during the transition, reflecting our focus on actively managing applications through the new system.
Using the new system will help support a smoother experience for you during this time.
We are currently training our staff and transitioning processing to enhanced Immigration Online using a carefully managed staggered approach. This allows us to progressively align trained staff with the growing number of applications submitted through the new system from 1 June.
We expect more applications and staff moving into enhanced Immigration Online will correspond with the reduction in the use of the old system.
We appreciate your support and strongly encourage you to submit new applications through the enhanced Immigration Online system. This will help us ensure you have the best possible processing experience and minimise the risk of delays that may occur when applications are submitted through the old system.
Since late March, in preparation for this transition period, we have had additional staff supporting the processing of family of tempary applications. This will continue through May and into June for applications within our old system.
This effort has helped us to reduce the number of applications on hand as we move into the transition to enhanced Immigration Online.
Family of temporary visa holder applications received in the old system will continue to be processed, with priority in this system given to applications once the primary applicant’s visa is granted.
New application form and system
Our approach to designing the enhanced Immigration Online visa application process focuses on an improved customer experience — ensuring that the process is easy to understand, and people know what is expected of them. Benefits of using the new application process and enhanced Immigration Online system include:
- clearer questions with help and guidance built into the application form, making it easier to understand what you need to do
- fewer delays and faster processing, as the dynamic form asks questions relevant to your situation and helps you provide complete and accurate information the first time
- reduced risk of input errors, with passport details captured automatically using the Identity Document Reader
- a simpler, more user‑friendly application process with improved visibility of your application, helping you feel more informed and supported throughout the process.
More information
To access submitted or draft applications in our old system, you can visit our ‘Access Immigration Online’ page.
If you would like to know more about the Our Future Services programme, you can visit the ‘Our Future Services’ page, or the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s ‘Our Future Services’ page.
Our Future Services — Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
