Special Category visa (subclass 444)

Special Category visa (subclass 444)

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Direct pathway to Australian Citizenship for New Zealanders

Features

This visa lets New Zealand citizens visit, study, stay and work in Australia.

The Special Category visa (subclass 444) is a temporary visa that lets you stay and work in Australia as long as you remain a New Zealand citizen.

The Special Category visa is a temporary visa and you do not have the same rights and benefits as Australian citizens or permanent residents. If you are seeking to become an Australian permanent resident, there are a range of visa options available to you that you can apply for in and outside Australia. Alternatively, you might choose to explore the option of applying for Australian Citizenship.

Eligibility

You must:

be a New Zealand citizen
have a valid New Zealand passport
meet health and character requirements.

You might be able to get this visa on your arrival to Australia if you:

are a New Zealand citizen and you do not hold another visa
present a New Zealand passport that is in force
are not a behaviour concern non-citizen or health concern non-citizen.
present a completed incoming passenger card
meet specific health and character requirements.

Length of stay

From grant (usually on arrival in Australia) until you depart Australia.

How long your visa lasts

The Special Category visa is valid from time of grant (usually upon arrival to Australia) to time of departure from Australia, so long as you remain a New Zealand citizen while you are the holder of the visa. The validity of a Special Category visa ceases when you leave Australia. You need to apply for a new Special Category visa each time you arrive in Australia.

If you are seeking to apply for and be granted a Special Category visa on arrival to Australia you must, on every arrival to Australia, meet the eligibility criteria to be granted this visa.

Cost

processing times

NZ citizen to AU PR assessment

Permanent Resident and Citizenship for New Zealanders living in Australia

What you need to do to become an Australian citizen depends on when you arrived:

If you came to Australia before 26 February 2001 book a time to check if you are an eligible New Zealand citizen.
After 26 February 2001 & before 19 February 2016: You must first become a permanent resident. After one year of being a permanent resident you may be eligible for citizenship subject to meeting the residence requirement.

Some NZ citizens in Australia may be eligible for the JobKeeper payments. Eligible visa holders are:

Special Category (Subclass 444) Visa holders as at 1 March 2020. You must also be a resident for Australian tax purposes on 1 March 2020.
Full details here.