Permanent residency/citizenship

[Maggiemay]

Hi
Have been reading some threads on residency/citizenship and not sure if anyone can help. We came over to NZ in June 2014 on a Tier1 visa sponsored by our daughter for five years. We have lived in NZ now for two and a half years. My question is can we apply for permanent residency or because it is a new scheme do we have to wait until the end of five years.
My second question is at the end of five years can we apply for citizenship.
I have read articles on the govt website and I can find nothing that really answers my questions.
All help appreciated.

[JandM]

I sympathize about trying to find your way through the regulations on this point. It isn't set out clearly anywhere. And it doesn't make things easier that there have been several changes to the conditions for sponsoring parents in a short space of time. Below, I've said what I THINK is correct, but I seriously suggest that you need to talk to both INZ and the correct government department for citizenship about your individual situation.

You will not be eligible to apply for PR until after at least five years have passed.. This is because one of the basic conditions for applying https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-...anent-resident is that you "have met any conditions of your Resident Visa," which, in the case of the sponsored visa for parents at the time you got yours, ran for five years. That has definitely been the case for other parents sponsored in, who have talked on the forum about getting their PR. (I see sponsorship now runs for ten years.)

When you apply, you will have to prove that you have met the requirements for PR https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-...anent-resident in the two years immediately preceding your application.

Requirements for citizenship include five years as a Resident, nothing further about conditions. (Resident and/or PR is normally all right for citizenship.) http://www.howtolaw.co/become-a-new-...citizen-392140

[Maggiemay]

Thanks JandM for your quick reply. I will try the Immigration Department to see if they can help. I did email them a couple of months back and they just emailed me the documents that you have sent which really don't answer my questions.
Thanks again. Will let you know if I get any further.
Maggiemay

[Maggiemay]

Hi
I have now spoken to the Immigration Department and you were correct. We cannot apply for permanent residency until the 5 years sponsorship has finished because this is a condition of the visa we were granted.
At the end of 5 years we do not have to apply for permanent residency we can apply for Citizenship. We can apply for citizenship if we meet the requirements set out by the Internal Affairs department. I have looked at the Internal Affairs site and it says at the end of any conditions imposed (in my case 5 years sponsorship) and we have met the requirements set out (have residency, lived here so many days, own property etc) then we can apply for Citizenship.
Hope this might be of help to anyone else.
Thanks again JandM for your help