New Zealand: Police certificates now required upfront for temporary visa applications
Effective immediately, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) requires applicants for student visas and certain other temporary visas to provide any required police clearance certificates at the time of application. Applications submitted without a required police certificate may be declined or, in some cases, approved for a shorter validity period.
Applicants must ensure that all required supporting documents, including police certificates, are available before submitting their visa application. Proof that a police certificate has been requested, such as a receipt or application confirmation, will generally not be accepted as a substitute.
INZ has also confirmed that it will not normally contact applicants to request missing police certificates. As processing times for obtaining police certificates vary by country, applicants are encouraged to begin the process well in advance to avoid delays to travel, study, or immigration plans.
For applicants from Fiji, Hong Kong, and Israel, police certificates continue to be sent directly to INZ by the issuing authority. These applicants may upload evidence that a certificate has been requested while INZ awaits receipt of the document.
Impact on applicants
The change places greater emphasis on ensuring that visa applications are complete at the time of submission. Applicants who require a police certificate should allow sufficient time to obtain it before lodging their application, as failure to provide the document when required could result in a visa refusal or a shorter visa duration.
This summary was prepared using information provided from the Immigration New Zealand
Disclaimer: The above information is provided for general information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. If you have any further inquiries regarding the applicability of this information, please click to contact our Immigration Specialists.
