Visa Health Requirements for Applicants
Immigration New Zealand use chest x-rays and medical examinations to assess whether a visa applicant meets the Acceptable Standard of Health (ASH) criteria. This is to avoid undue time and cost pressures on our health system and to ensure visa applicants are able to do the work or study they are given visas to do. Its also to ensure they are not a risk to public health.
Who must have an acceptable standard of health?
All applicants in an application must have acceptable health or the whole application will be refused. There are strict rules about removing family members from applications if they don’t meet health requirements. We can advise you on these.
What is the process?
The process varies depending on the type of visa you are applying for, but the eventual step involves a visit to an INZ-approved panel physician world-wide. However if a case is flagged, the Health Assessment Team (HAT) will intervene to decide whether it should be referred to a medical assessor for further assessment. The medical assessor will then advise INZ if the checks indicate any issues that could potentially impose a cost or burden on the health system.
What I pay for my own treatment?
No your ability to pay for treatment is not relevant to whether you have an acceptable standard of health.
Medical waiver
If you have a medical condition and are assessed as not having an Acceptable Standard of Health, Immigration New Zealand may still be able to approve your application. It may be necessary to make submissions to Immigration New Zealand to request a medical waiver. Only some cases are eligible for medical waiver.
Immigration New Zealand, in deciding whether to grant you a medical waiver or not will consider factors include, but not limited to:
- the objectives of Health instructions and the category you applied under
- the degree to which you would impose significant costs and/or demands on New Zealand’s health or special education services (in the case of children with disabilities) ;
- whether you have immediate family permanently resident in New Zealand
- whether your potential contribution to New Zealand will be significant;
- your length of intended stay and whether it is permanent or temporary).
If you have been assessed as not having an Acceptable Standard of Health and are eligible for a medical waiver, we can assist you seek a medical waiver. We have successfully assisted a variety of clients with medical conditions obtain medical waivers.
Immigration New Zealand will generally put these concerns to you for comment.
This is done through their health team and medical assessor.
How Pacific Legal can Help
If you do not meet the health requirements, we can assist you with a request for:
- A medical waiver; if allowed or
- Special direction.
Each case will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
We need to request your file to see what Immigration NZ have said behind the scenes. This takes about 20 working days. We can ask for timeframes to be extended.
Don’t leave it too late to ask for help!
Medical checks: do you need to provide medical certificates?
If your stay in New Zealand is 6 months or less, you normally do not need to have a chest x-ray and a medical examination unless you are applying for a Recognised Seasonal Employer limited visa, or Immigration New zealand ask you to.
If you will stay in New Zealand between 6 and 12 months, you normally do not need to have a medical examination however you must have a chest X-ray if you:
- are a citizen of a country that does not have a low incidence of tuberculosis (TB), or
- have spent more than 3 months in the last 5 years in a country that does not have a low incidence of TB.
If you will stay for more than 12 months, you must have a chest x-ray and a medical examination.
If you are applying to stay in New Zealand permanently, and do not already have a resident visa, you must have a chest X-ray and a medical examination no matter where you are from.
Contact us!
Health issues can be complex. We have many years of experience dealing with these issues at all levels. Contact our office to see contact our office to see if we can assist.
NB:
Our ability to help will also depend on the amount of time that we have to respond. If you have an urgent deadline, we suggest that you request an extension yourself before we confirm our instructions.
Immigration instructions and rules regularly change and applied differently in every case. The above general information was up to date as of February 2025: contact our office for the most up-to-date information.
Talk to Pacific Legal Today
Contact us today to speak to one of our Immigration Lawyers
If you have any questions or wish assistance with the Immigration Health Requirements, get in touch with us. Our friendly team have decades of experience and are available to assist.
