Move to New Zealand on a Samoan Quota Resident Visa

Some NZ resident visa categories suspended during the pandemic have been reopened. The annual visa ballot has been reopened with the aim of relieving NZ worker shortages.

Following the reopening of New Zealand borders, the Samoan Quota will open for registrations from 3 October and close on 2 November. 

Samoan Quota Residence Visa is back

Samoan citizens aged between 18 and 45 can apply for a Samoan Quota Resident Visa to come and live, work and study in Aotearoa, New Zealand indefinitely. 

If you need help applying or want help with job offers, call 04 461 6018. We provide help with visas and legal support to both migrants and employers in New Zealand.

The visa scheme operates through an electronic ballot

The Samoan Quota is part of a longstanding residency visa category that enables people from New Zealand’s Pacific partner countries to become residents of New Zealand. Applicants can also include their partners and any dependent children aged 24 and under in their residence application. Registrations for the annual ballot can be made online.

The Samoan Quota Resident Visa is available to 1100 Samoan citizens aged 18-45 each year. Due to the Covid -19 pandemic and the closure of New Zealand’s borders during that period, the Samoan Quota resident visa scheme was suspended. However, unused ballot places from this time – 2020 and 2021 – will be reallocated over the four years from 2022 to 2025 allowing more Samoan citizens to become residents in New Zealand.

• The Samoan Quota Resident Visa is available to 1,650 Samoan citizens annually from 2022 to 2025
• Samoan Quota Resident Visa will again be available to 1,100 Samoan citizens each year from 2026

To be eligible for the Samoan Quota, you must:

• Be a Samoan citizen
• Meet health, language and character requirements
• Have a Samoan passport that is valid for at least three months beyond the date you intend to travel to New Zealand
• Be aged between 18 and 45 

How does the residence visa ballot work?

Principal applicants must register themselves, their partners, and all dependent children aged under 24 or under for an electronic lottery. If the principal registrant’s name is randomly selected, they may be invited to apply for NZ residence. If invited to apply, applicants have 8 months to send INZ their residence application.

To gain residence, that person must pass an English language test and be of good health and character. Their partners and dependent children must also meet health and character requirements. Principal applicants must have a full-time job that meets a specified income threshold. Immigration New Zealand generally selects around 15 to 30 per cent more applicants than slots to allow for the fact that not every applicant will meet the language, health and job requirements.

There is no fee for registering for the Samoan Quota ballot.

How to get a Samoan Quota Resident Visa

The Samoan Quota is administrated out of Samoa. In a recent survey conducted by The Australian National University, 54 per cent of Samoans said they were willing to permanently move to another country:  Samoans are clearly very pro-migration, particularly the younger people.

On that basis, it is probably safe to assume the Samoan Residence Visa will be popular and heavily oversubscribed. 

For more information about Samoan Quota Resident Visas, or for help registering for the ballot, get in touch with the immigration specialists at Idesi legal.

Help with visas and job offers wherever you are

If you can’t make it to our IDESI LEGAL office at Unit 4, 18 Moorefield Road, Johnsonville, Wellington to see us personally, we can connect with you online and work with you using video calls. Call us on 04 461 6018 to set up a meeting. IDESI LEGAL uses Microsoft Teams, so we can help you with your visa inquiries wherever you are. We’ll send you a link, you click on it, and we’ll do the rest.