Australian Visas for New Zealanders (SCV)

Moving to Australia and don't know if you need a visa? As a New Zealander, you have a unique opportunity if you're considering a move to Australia. New Zealand and Australia have a Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement that allows their citizens to visit, study, live and work in either NZ or Australia for as long or little as they want. Australia announced on 22 April 2023 a new direct pathway to citizenship for eligible New Zealand citizens who have lived in Australia for at least 4 years immediately before the day you apply. The changes will come into effect from 1 July 2023 this year and be retrospective. Read more on my direct pathway to citizenship for New Zealanders in Australia post. As an NZ citizen, you will be automatically granted a non-protected Special Category Visa (SCV) when you process through Australian border control, subject to meeting the health and character requirements (read more below). There is no mention of this at border control. It all happens electronically. The SCV is automatically cancelled upon departing Australia. If you are not an NZ citizen, the process is quite different, as you will need to apply for a visa before you can travel to Australia. For more information on Australian visas, please visit the Australian Government - Department of Immigration and Citizenship website. In this post, you will find information on the following: What is an Australia visa? What Australian visas do New Zealanders need? Do you meet the requirements for an SCV? How to obtain a copy of your SCV Special category visa exclusions Protected vs non-protected SCV Newly arrived resident's waiting period Your family Permanent residence and citizenship Is it necessary to apply for a permanent residence visa? Professional immigration services Criminal conviction? Australian government websites What is an Australian visa? Visas are official documents issued by a country that permit foreign nationals to live or stay there. Since 1973, the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement has allowed Australian and New Zealand citizens to freely visit, live, and work in each other’s countries without needing a visa or special entry authority. Migration between the two countries often reflects economic conditions. When New Zealand’s economy is under pressure, it’s common to see more New Zealanders moving to Australia in search of better opportunities. What Australian visas do New Zealanders need? As an NZ citizen, you do not need to apply for an Australian visa before you leave NZ. Upon entering Australia, you present your New Zealand passport for immigration clearance. Once done, you are considered to have applied for a visa and, subject to health or character considerations, will automatically receive a non-protected Special Category Visa (SCV). The SCV is recorded electronically. To be granted an SCV when you enter Australia, you must: complete an Incoming Passenger Card, and show an officer a valid New Zealand passport (or use SmartGate). If you meet the eligibility requirements (below), you will be granted an SCV. If you leave Australia, your SCV will cease. The next time you enter, if you meet the eligibility requirements, you will be granted a new SCV. The SCV is a temporary visa (non-protected). SCV holders do not have the same rights and benefits as Australian citizens or permanent residents. Close but not the same. Note that New Zealand permanent residents are not entitled to the Special Category Visa. You will need to apply for a visa to live and work in Australia. Read on to find out how. Do you meet the requirements for an SCV? There are some restrictions on the SCV for New Zealanders moving to Australia, but only two: Do you have any criminal convictions? If you have been imprisoned for more than a year, you must apply for a visa to move to Australia. Find out more here. Tuberculosis? If you have untreated tuberculosis, you may not be allowed to enter Australia. Email ttsauckland@ttepl.com for further advice. How to obtain a copy of your SCV Because the Special Category Visa (SCV) is granted electronically, you don’t receive a physical visa or documentation. If you need proof of your right to live and work in Australia, such as for an employer, you can obtain your SCV details through the Department of Home Affairs. What you’ll need To request your SCV details online, you will need one of the following reference types: Transaction Reference Number (TRN) Visa Evidence Number Visa Grant Number VEVO Password However, as a New Zealand citizen, you won’t have a TRN, Evidence Number, or Grant Number (because you don’t formally apply for the SCV). Instead, you’ll need to call Visa General Enquiries on 131 881 and request a VEVO password. Steps to access your SCV details Go to the VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online) service. Select ‘Passport’ as your document type. Under ‘Reference type’, choose ‘Password’ and enter the VEVO password you received. Enter your date of birth, passport number, and select ‘New Zealand’ as your country of document. Agree to the terms and conditions, then click Submit. You will now be able to view your SCV details and can choose to email them directly to yourself or another party. For full instructions, visit the Department of Home Affairs website. Special Category Visa Exclusions While the Special Category Visa (SCV) allows New Zealand citizens to live and work in Australia, it does come with a number of exclusions that may affect you and your family. The biggest limitation is around access to government support. New Zealanders living in Australia on an SCV are not entitled to all government benefits and are not eligible for student loans. In addition, there are waiting periods before you can access certain government payments; this is known as the Newly Arrived Resident’s Waiting Period (more information below). For a full breakdown of these limitations, see my detailed post on SCV exclusions. Protected vs non-protected Special Category Visa (SCV) If you arrived in Australia after 26 February 2001 as a New Zealand citizen, you would be considered a non-protected SCV-holder. This means that you are not considered an Australian resident for social security purposes. NZ citizens on a protected SCV can apply for citizenship, subject to meeting the usual eligibility criteria. Non-protected SCV holders do not have the same rights and benefits as Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents. Australian authorities can also cancel an SCV if a person fails certain character and health requirements, such as committing a crime or having untreated TB. Entitlements for non-protected SCV holders You can visit, study, live and work in Australia for as long as you want. A non-protected SCV should entitle you to the following. Please note that some government help might still have a waiting period (info below): Medicare - Medicare is Australia's universal health insurance scheme. It guarantees all Australians (and some overseas visitors) access to a wide range of health and hospital services at low or no cost. Family assistance payments - payments and services to help with the cost of raising a child. Rent assistance - a regular extra payment if you pay rent and get certain payments from us. Age pension - the main income support payment for people who have reached the Age Pension age. Disability support pension - financial help if you have a permanent physical, intellectual or psychiatric condition that stops you from working. Carer payment - is a payment if you give constant care to someone with a severe disability, illness, or an adult who is frail. Student loans - a voluntary loan you can get up to twice a year if you’re an eligible higher education student (after you've lived in Australia for 10 years). The Parliament of Australia website has a quick guide to entitlements. Please note that most of the above government benefits/support have wait times before you can claim them (see below). What you are not entitled to on a non-protected SCV Temporary visa holders are not entitled to: vote in an election or referendum join the Australian Defence Force undertake ongoing work with the Australian Government. Entitlements for protected SCV holders Eligible New Zealand citizens (or protected SCV holders) are eligible for more government help. These include: Additional social security payments National Disability Insurance Scheme Youth Allowance Austudy (student loans) You can contact the relevant department to find out if you are eligible. Newly arrived residents' waiting periods Since the new direct pathway to Australian citizenship has been set up, the benefits and payments New Zealand citizens can get from the Australian government have not changed! The newly arrived resident’s waiting period (NARWP) is the time spent in Australia as an Australian resident. This means that if you travel overseas, the time you’re away from Australia won’t count towards the waiting period. New residents may have to wait up to 4 years before they can get most Australian government payments, concessions, and health care cards. A maximum 2-year waiting period applies if you’re the holder of either: an Orphan Relative visa (subclass 117 or 837) a Remaining Relative visa (subclass 115 and 835). Read more about the waiting periods for newly arrived residents on the Australian government website Services Australia. The waiting periods below are for New Zealand citizens living in Australia on an SCV. What payments can you get when you hold a SCV? If you’re an NZ citizen living in Australia, you are eligible for some Centrelink payments or concession cards. If you live in Australia and you are a non-protected SCV holder, you can apply for the following: Family Tax Benefit Newborn Upfront Payment and Newborn Supplement Single Income Family Supplement Child Care Subsidy Double Orphan Pension Health Care Card. If you have served or have an exemption from the newly arrived resident’s waiting period (full list), you may also be able to claim: Low-Income Health Care Card (2 or 4 years) Foster Child Health Care Card Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (2 or 4 years) Parental Leave Pay (2 years) Dad and Partner Pay (2 years) Assistance for Isolated Children (a waiting period may apply). If you’ve lived in Australia continuously for at least 10 years, you may be able to get a one-off period of payment. This is a single period of up to 6 months for one of the following payments: JobSeeker Payment Youth Allowance. You may also be able to get the Tertiary Access Payment. The continuous 10-year period of living in Australia needs to be immediately before claiming. Your family If you are a New Zealand citizen and your family members are: New Zealand citizens should be eligible for a Special Category visa (subclass 444), not New Zealand citizens, they may qualify for a New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship (temporary) visa (subclass 461). If you have had a New Zealand citizen baby born in Australia, please see if you had a baby for further information. Permanent residence and citizenship To sponsor a family member for Australian permanent residence, you must be: an Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen If you are an Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen and your children were born in Australia, they may already be Australian citizens. You can apply for their proof of citizenship. Is it necessary for an NZ citizen to apply for Australian permanent residence? For most New Zealanders, the answer is no. As an NZ citizen, you are automatically granted a Special Category Visa (SCV) when you arrive in Australia. This visa allows you to live, work, study, and stay in Australia lawfully for as long as you remain a New Zealand citizen—without needing to apply for permanent residency (PR). Since the introduction of the direct pathway to citizenship for New Zealanders in Australia, there’s even less reason to apply for PR. Eligible NZ citizens are now considered to have the same standing as permanent residents from the moment they arrive, making PR applications unnecessary in most cases. Professional Immigration Services Specialist immigration companies can save you time, money, and stress when applying for a visa. That said, you don’t have to hire someone to submit your application—you can research and apply for a visa yourself directly through the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs website. That being said, if you’re not an NZ citizen, have a history of imprisonment for over a year, or face unique circumstances that may complicate your application, seeking professional advice from an immigration specialist is often worthwhile and can give you peace of mind. You can search for a registered immigration specialist on the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) website. If you’re based in New Zealand, try searching for advisers in Auckland who specialise in Australian visas. Immigration Companies I don't have an immigration specialist partner. However, I recommend you check out IMMagine. They offer a free preliminary evaluation to establish which Visa category may suit you and whether it’s worth your while to order a comprehensive full assessment. Not many immigration companies do this. The next step is a full assessment, during which IMMagine will develop your detailed strategy, timeline, and pricing structure in person or on Skype. Naturally, a small cost applies to this complete and comprehensive assessment. Ask an immigration question to a specialist For a small fee (AUD$15.00), you can post your question online, and one of the IMMagine team will contact you with your answer within 24 hours (usually same-day response). This service is designed for people who need quick access to accurate information but don't want to search online to find the answers. Most importantly, your questions are answered by licensed advisers living in New Zealand or Australia. Criminal conviction? If you’re planning to move to Australia and have a criminal conviction, you may be worried about whether it will affect your ability to enter the country. If this is you or someone you love, read my post on moving to Australia with a criminal conviction. For New Zealanders with a criminal history, it’s important to get written confirmation from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) before travelling. If you have served a prison sentence of 12 months or more, you will need to apply for an Australian visa rather than relying on a Special Category Visa (SCV). Australian government websites There are a lot of ways to get Australian visa and citizenship information and help on the internet. A few of the links are below: Australian Government, Department of Immigration and Citizenship Australian Visa Application Forms Australian Payment and Service Finder: this will help you find, estimate and compare payments and services you may be eligible for. Australian High Commission, New Zealand You might be interested in… The posts below might interest you: Find a House to Buy or Rent in Australia Jobs in Australia Schools in Australia Still got unanswered questions? If you’ve read the above content and the answer to your question isn’t there, please write a comment below and I’ll research the answer for you. Is there something else you want to know about? If you need advice on moving to Australia from New Zealand, I’ve created a helpful little questionnaire to point you in the right direction. It takes less than 30 seconds, so give it a go!