Apply yourself, or let us do it for you
Your New Zealand visa, with as much help as you need.
Use our free guides and Pathway Finder to apply yourself, get fixed-price help with one step, or hand your whole application to a licensed immigration adviser.
Applying yourself and stuck on one step? Get fixed-price help.
Guides checked against Immigration New Zealand sources. Every page shows when it was last checked.
What brings you to New Zealand?
Pick one to start the Pathway Finder. It takes about 2 minutes and needs no sign-up.
General information, not immigration advice.
Has your visa expired?
You may have only 42 days to appeal on humanitarian grounds. Read about your options, including a Section 61 request, and act quickly.
What to do now SafetyAfraid to go back to your home country?
How to claim refugee or protected person status in New Zealand, what happens while you wait, and where to get free or legal-aid help.
Refugee and protection guideVisa guides in plain English
Each guide covers who it's for, the key requirements, costs, processing times and the mistakes people often make, with links to the official rules.
Work visas
Accredited Employer Work Visa, Post-Study Work Visa and other ways to work here.
Read the guideResidence
Skilled Migrant Category (new 2026 pathways) and the Green List.
Read the guideInvestor and business
Active Investor Plus (from NZD $5M) and the Business Investor Work Visa (from NZD $1M).
Read the guidePartner and family
Partner of a New Zealander visas and the 5-year Parent Boost Visitor Visa.
Read the guideStudy
Student visas, work rights while studying, and staying on to work after you graduate.
Read the guideVisit
Visitor visas, the NZeTA, funds you need, and remote work for an overseas employer.
Read the guideSeasonal work: RSE, Global Workforce Seasonal and Peak Seasonal visas
For Pacific workers in orchards and vineyards, experienced seasonal workers, and the growers, packhouses and farms who employ them.
How SettleWise works
You stay in control of your application. We give you the map, and a licensed adviser for the hard bits.
Find your options
Answer a few questions and see which visas may fit, with links to the official rules.
Prepare step by step
Follow a guide for your visa: requirements, evidence, costs and common mistakes.
Get help when you want it
A licensed adviser fixes one step, or takes on your whole application, for a price agreed upfront.
Choose how much help you need
Start on your own and get help later, or hand everything to us from day one. You can switch at any point.
Do it yourself
- Plain-English guides to every main visa
- Pathway Finder to see your options
- Rule-change alerts by email
Free
Find my optionsHelp with one step
- A form question or rule explained
- Evidence check or PPI letter help
- A full check before you lodge
- You still lodge it yourself
From [PRICE]
I'm stuck, get helpWe handle it for you
- A licensed adviser takes on your whole case
- We prepare, check and lodge your application
- We deal with Immigration New Zealand for you
- Updates until you get a decision
Fixed fee, from [PRICE]
Hand over my caseHand it over. We handle the whole application.
Here's what happens once you choose full service.
- Free first chatTell us your situation. We say honestly if we can help.
- Fixed fee, in writingA written agreement with the services and price.
- We prepare and lodgeWe gather and check everything. You approve, we submit.
- We see it throughWe deal with INZ and keep you updated until the decision.
Hiring from overseas? We sort your accreditation.
From small businesses to large employers, we handle employer accreditation, job checks and worker visas, so you can bring in experienced and highly skilled people. Seasonal and RSE staff too.
A community that's been where you are
Ask questions, share your timeline and see real processing times from people on the same visa. Moderated, with answers checked by a licensed adviser.
Guides in your language, coming soon
Latest rule changes, explained
Plain-English posts on new visa rules, checked against the official source.
Skilled Migrant Category changes from 24 August 2026: what's different
The Skilled Migrant Category now has three pathways to residence, and your wage threshold is locked in when you start. Here's what changed and who benefits.
Seasonal and RSERSE scheme review 2026: what growers and seasonal workers should know
The 2026 review of the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme proposes removing the 20,750 cap, simpler Agreements to Recruit and a new RSE work visa. Here's the timeline.
StudyPost-Study Work Visa opens to graduate diploma holders from 16 November 2026
From 16 November 2026, graduates of a level 7 graduate diploma who also hold a bachelor's degree can get a Post-Study Work Visa with open work rights. Here's who qualifies.
Popular questions
Can I apply for a New Zealand visa myself without an adviser?
Yes. You can apply directly to Immigration New Zealand. Our guides and Pathway Finder help you do it, and a licensed adviser can help with one step or the whole application if you'd prefer.
How long do we need to live together for a partner resident visa?
At least 12 months in a genuine and stable relationship, living together after you both turned 18.
Which employer accreditation do I need to hire from overseas?
Standard for up to 5 overseas workers, high-volume for 6 or more, and triangular if you place workers with other businesses.
My visa has expired. What should I do?
Act quickly. You may have only 42 days from when your visa expired to appeal on humanitarian grounds, and a Section 61 request is another option.
Know when the rules change
One short email when something changes for your visa. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.