New Zealand’s 2026 election: Migrant settlement and family reunification

Congratulations on becoming a New Zealand citizen. Voting in a general election gives you an opportunity to have a say in policies that affect your life, your family, your work and your community.

For the 2026 New Zealand general election, I'll explain the differences between political parties in two areas:

1. Settlement support: Help for migrants to establish themselves in New Zealand, including English-language learning, employment, recognition of overseas qualifications, access to public services and support against exploitation.
2. Family reunification: The rules that determine whether you can bring family members to New Zealand, including your partner, children, parents and other relatives.

I'll distinguish between policies parties have formally announced, existing government policy, and proposals that still need clarification. This matters because a party's general approach to immigration does not necessarily tell you what it would do about family visas or settlement services.

One important point for your situation: becoming a New Zealand citizen changes your position under immigration law. You no longer need a visa to live and work in New Zealand, and you may have different options for sponsoring family members from those available to someone who is still a resident or temporary visa holder. However, citizenship does not automatically give every family member the right to move to New Zealand.

1. The main differences between parties

The election is scheduled for Saturday, 7 November 2026. The parties' positions below are based on their published policies and government announcements available as of 11 October 2026. Some parties have published detailed policies in these areas, while others have not yet set out all their proposals. Source: Electoral Commission. elections.nz

National Party

General approach: Manage immigration to meet economic needs, attract skilled workers and enforce immigration rules. National is also the lead party in the current governing coalition.

• Settlement and employment: The government has introduced new residence pathways for certain skilled workers and expanded enforcement against migrant exploitation. Budget 2026 included $18 million over four years for additional frontline enforcement teams. national.org.nz, national.org.nz
• English requirements: The government extended minimum English-language requirements to additional categories of Accredited Employer Work Visa applicants in June 2026. This is relevant to people arriving on those work visas, rather than a new English requirement for citizens such as you. national.org.nz
• Bringing parents: The government introduced the Parent Boost visitor visa, allowing eligible parents of New Zealand citizens and residents to visit for longer periods, subject to requirements including health insurance and financial support. It is a visitor visa, not a route to permanent residence. national.org.nz

What to investigate: Whether National would expand permanent family reunification, change parent visa income requirements or provide additional settlement support. Its existing measures offer some longer-term family visiting options, but those are not the same as allowing parents to settle permanently.

Official sources: National Party | Parent Boost visa information

Labour Party

General approach: Plan immigration around New Zealand's capacity while protecting migrant workers and supporting people who want to build a life here.

In a policy announcement dated 11 September 2026, Labour proposed:

• Settlement: A programme of New Zealand orientation and civic education, delivered through community education providers.
• Employment protection: Allowing migrants to move between accredited employers after three months, alongside stronger protections against exploitation.
• Immigration planning: Setting immigration goals through a government policy statement that considers workforce, housing and infrastructure needs.
• Family-related rules: Reviewing parent visa requirements, health requirements and English-language rules.
• Residence: Extending the period migrants must live in New Zealand before becoming eligible for permanent residence from two years to four. labour.org.nz

That last proposal deserves particular attention. Labour's announcement combines additional orientation support with a longer wait for permanent residence. These are separate policy changes, with different effects on migrants.

What to investigate: Whether Labour will make it easier for citizens to reunite permanently with parents and other relatives, and precisely which parent visa, health and English requirements it would change. The announcement promises a review but does not, by itself, establish what the final rules would be.

Official source: Labour's immigration policy announcement

Green Party

General approach: Emphasise welcoming, safe and fair immigration pathways, respect for migrants, and protection for migrant workers and refugees.

The Green Party's 2026 manifesto explicitly includes an immigration and refugee section under the heading Welcoming, safe and fair pathways to make Aotearoa home. It says migrant workers deserve fair treatment and opportunities to settle. greens.org.nz

For your two areas of interest, this makes the manifesto worth examining for proposals concerning:

• Settlement: Whether support for migrant communities, access to services and protection from exploitation would be expanded.
• Family reunification: Whether the party proposes specific changes to partner, child or parent visas, including the requirements and costs of bringing relatives to New Zealand.
• Refugees: How the party would approach family reunification and settlement for people entering through humanitarian pathways.

Important distinction: A party's commitment to fair and welcoming immigration does not automatically mean it has proposed removing specific visa restrictions. Check the manifesto's detailed policy wording before assuming a particular family visa would become easier to obtain.

Official source: Green Party 2026 manifesto

ACT New Zealand

General approach: Focus on economic contribution, certainty in immigration rules and conditions intended to protect taxpayers.

ACT has taken a specific position on parent visas. In August 2026, it welcomed a change under which approximately 90% of Parent Resident Visa expressions of interest would be selected according to the date they were submitted, with the remaining 10% selected through a random ballot. ACT said it had advocated for a queue-based system. act.org.nz

This is a concrete example of how a party can affect family reunification without changing the number of visas available.

• Parent reunification: ACT has advocated for a more predictable selection process for parents seeking residence.
• Longer visits: ACT has supported the Parent Boost visa, which allows eligible parents to visit for longer, subject to financial, health and insurance requirements.
• Settlement and employment: Consider its proposals on employer accreditation, migrant exploitation and skilled immigration alongside its approach to public spending and eligibility rules.

What to investigate: Whether ACT would remove the remaining ballot component, change the annual number of Parent Resident Visas or alter the financial and insurance requirements that families must meet.

Official sources: ACT's parent visa announcement | ACT New Zealand

New Zealand First

General approach: Substantially reduce what it describes as non-essential immigration, strengthen the emphasis on citizenship and national identity, and impose stricter immigration settings.

In its immigration policy announcement of 11 September 2026, New Zealand First proposed several changes, including:

• Residence: Extending the qualifying period for permanent residence from two to five years.
• Citizenship: Extending the qualifying period for citizenship from five to at least ten years.
• Immigration levels: Holding a referendum on a proposed annual cap of 20,000 resident visas.
• Public support: Introducing a ten-year stand-down period before visa holders could qualify for specified welfare benefits.
• Enforcement: Broadening the circumstances in which people could be liable for deportation. nzfirst.nz

These are proposed policies, not all current legal requirements. The proposed citizenship changes would not remove your existing citizenship; they concern future applicants.

What to investigate: How the party would treat family reunification for citizens, particularly parent residence applications, and whether it would introduce specific restrictions on family sponsorship. Its general intention to reduce immigration does not, on its own, establish the details of every family visa it would change.

Official source: New Zealand First's immigration reform policies

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Te Pāti Māori

Te Pāti Māori is another party you may wish to examine, particularly if you are interested in community-led services, equity and the treatment of people from different cultural backgrounds.

For a fair comparison, look for specific commitments on migrant workers, refugee settlement, access to public services and family reunification. I have not established a sufficiently detailed, specific 2026 policy position on parent and other family visas to attribute particular proposed changes to the party here.

Official source: Te Pāti Māori

2. Side-by-side comparison

Here is a summary of the differences established by the published material reviewed.

Party	Settlement and employment	Bringing family members to New Zealand	Important question to ask
National	Skilled-worker pathways and additional enforcement against migrant exploitation	Parent Boost visitor visa; existing parent residence pathways	Would it change permanent family reunification rules or financial requirements?
Labour	Proposes migrant orientation and civic education, alongside stronger employment protections	Proposes reviewing parent visa, health and English-language rules	What specific changes would it make to parent visas and settlement services?
Greens	Emphasises fair settlement, dignity and migrant-worker protections	Detailed visa changes need to be checked against the full policy	Would it change eligibility, costs or waiting times for family visas?
ACT	Emphasises economic contribution, certainty and enforcement	Advocates a more predictable Parent Resident Visa selection system and supports longer parent visits	Would it remove the remaining ballot and change eligibility requirements?
New Zealand First	Proposes stricter immigration settings and longer qualifying periods for residence and citizenship	Specific family-visa changes need to be checked against its detailed proposals	Would it introduce restrictions on family sponsorship or parent residence?
Te Pāti Māori	Examine its proposals on equity, community support and worker protections	Specific family-visa proposals require further verification	What practical changes would it make to family reunification rules?

Sources: National, Labour, Greens, ACT, New Zealand First, and Te Pāti Māori.

A note on this comparison: These are not overall ratings of the parties. The table distinguishes specific published proposals from broader policy approaches. A missing proposal does not necessarily mean a party opposes it.

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3. Understanding your options for bringing family to New Zealand

This is where the distinction between different kinds of family relationships becomes important.

The rules are different depending on whether you want to bring your partner, children, parents or another relative.

A. Bringing your partner

New Zealand has partnership-based visa pathways for eligible partners of New Zealand citizens and residents.

Depending on the circumstances, a partner may be eligible for a temporary visa or a residence visa. Immigration New Zealand considers matters such as whether the relationship is genuine and stable and whether the couple has been living together.

For your election research, consider these questions:

• Would a party make partner visas easier or harder to obtain?
• Would it change the evidence required to demonstrate a genuine relationship?
• Would it change processing times or application fees?
• Would it provide better support for partners who face language barriers or difficulty finding employment?

You should examine the actual partnership visa policies rather than assuming that a party's general immigration position answers these questions.

Official information: Immigration New Zealand

B. Bringing your children

The rules depend on the child's age, dependency, your relationship with the child and the circumstances of the application.

Some children of New Zealand citizens may have a claim to citizenship themselves, depending on where they were born and the relevant citizenship rules. Other children may need an appropriate visa.

Questions worth investigating include:

• Would a party change visa pathways for dependent children?
• Would it change the rules for children joining a parent who is already living in New Zealand?
• Would it provide additional support to migrant families with children?
• How would its proposed policies affect children who are separated from parents for long periods?

Family unity, children's welfare and the practical cost of maintaining a family across countries are useful subjects to raise with candidates.

C. Bringing your parents

If your parents live overseas, this is an especially important area to investigate because New Zealand has different pathways for visits and permanent residence.

Two existing options illustrate the difference.

Parent Boost Visitor Visa

This visa allows eligible parents of New Zealand citizens and residents to visit for extended periods. It has requirements concerning health, insurance and financial support.

It is designed for longer visits, not permanent settlement.

Parent Resident Visa

This visa allows an eligible parent of a New Zealand citizen or resident to live in New Zealand indefinitely, subject to the visa's requirements.

The sponsoring adult child must meet eligibility requirements, including a minimum period of residence in New Zealand and income requirements. Applicants must also meet the relevant health, character and other criteria.

Official information:

• Parent Boost Visitor Visa
• Parent Resident Visa

An important change in October 2026

The selection process for the Parent Resident Visa changed on 5 October 2026.

Under the new system, Immigration New Zealand will select approximately:

• 90% of expressions of interest according to the date they were submitted.
• 10% through a random ballot.

The first selection under the new system is scheduled for 10 November 2026. The government has stated that the annual number of visas and the visa eligibility criteria are not changing as part of this adjustment. Immigration New Zealand

This change is particularly relevant when comparing party policies. ACT has publicly advocated for a queue-based system, while the current government has implemented a system combining queue-based selection with a ballot.

It is also important to distinguish between three separate questions:

1. Eligibility: Does your parent qualify to apply?
2. Selection: How likely is the application to be selected for consideration, and how long might the wait be?
3. Approval: If invited to apply, can your parent satisfy all the requirements?

A party might propose changing one of these without changing the others.

D. Bringing siblings or other relatives

Do not assume that a family relationship automatically creates a pathway to residence.

New Zealand's family visa rules are relationship-specific. Having New Zealand citizenship does not mean you can sponsor every relative to live here permanently.

If you want to bring a sibling, an adult child or another relative, you will need to identify the specific visa category that applies to them.

In assessing the parties, ask whether they intend to expand the range of eligible family relationships or change the requirements for existing pathways.

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4. What does settlement support mean for someone who already lives and works here?

Because you have already migrated, work in New Zealand and have become a citizen, your interests may differ from those of a person who is considering arriving on a temporary work visa.

Some immigration policies affect people before they arrive. Others affect people who are already living here, including their ability to work safely, support relatives overseas and participate in their communities.

Here are five areas worth examining.

English-language support

You mentioned that English is your second language. You may therefore want to look at policies that help people improve their English without making language ability an unnecessary barrier to employment or participation.

Questions include:

• Are affordable English-language courses available?
• Are courses accessible to people who work full-time?
• Are interpretation services available when people need to understand important public information?
• Does the party propose funding practical language support through community organisations?

New Zealand's existing Migrant Settlement and Integration Strategy identifies education, training and English-language learning as one of its five settlement outcomes. It also includes participation, health, housing, and employment and self-sufficiency. Official strategy.

A useful question for each party is whether it intends to expand, maintain or reduce the funding and accessibility of these services.

Protection from workplace exploitation

Some migrants are vulnerable to exploitation because their visa conditions may restrict where or for whom they can work.

You are now a citizen, so the immigration conditions attached to temporary work visas no longer apply to you. However, employment protections remain relevant to your own working life and to relatives or friends who may still be on temporary visas.

Compare party policies on:

• Enforcement against employers who exploit workers.
• Access to advice and assistance when employment rights are breached.
• The ability of temporary migrants to change employers.
• Support for people who are afraid to report exploitation.

National has announced additional funding for enforcement teams, while Labour has proposed changes intended to make it easier for some temporary migrants to change employers. These are different approaches to addressing workplace problems. (National; Labour)

Recognition of overseas qualifications

Migrants can have difficulty finding work that matches their skills and qualifications.

If this is relevant to you or your family, examine proposals concerning:

• Recognition of overseas qualifications.
• Access to retraining and bridging courses.
• Help obtaining professional registration.
• Support for migrants who have experience but lack New Zealand work experience.

A party's promise to attract skilled migrants does not necessarily mean it has a policy to help those already here use their existing qualifications.

Access to public services

Family circumstances can affect access to health services, education, housing and other support.

When considering party policies, check who would qualify for each service. Eligibility can differ according to citizenship, residence status, the type of visa held and the particular service involved.

It is also worth checking whether a proposal concerns access to an existing service or introduces a new service specifically for migrants.

Belonging and participation

Settlement is not just about finding a job. It can also involve understanding public institutions, knowing your rights, building friendships and participating in local communities.

Labour has specifically proposed New Zealand orientation and civic education for migrants. The Green Party's 2026 manifesto emphasises fair pathways to settle and respect for people who come to New Zealand.

You can compare these commitments with the practical services that would be funded, the people eligible to receive them and the outcomes the parties intend to achieve.

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5. How to assess what the parties promise

Election announcements can sound similar even when their practical effects differ. A useful approach is to look for specific, measurable commitments.

For each party, consider these six questions:

1. Eligibility: Who would qualify for support or a family visa?
2. Cost: Would the policy reduce or increase application fees, insurance costs or other expenses?
3. Waiting time: Would it change processing times, selection methods or the number of visas available?
4. Settlement support: Would it fund additional services, maintain current services or change eligibility?
5. Employment: Would it make it easier for migrants to use their qualifications, change jobs or report exploitation?
6. Implementation: Is the policy already in force, formally proposed, or still awaiting detail?

It is particularly important to distinguish between a party saying it supports family unity and a party specifying that it will change the eligibility rules for a particular visa.

Similarly, a party may support migrant settlement while proposing tighter immigration controls in other areas. Those positions should be examined separately rather than treated as contradictory automatically.

Remember how New Zealand's voting system works

New Zealand uses the mixed-member proportional (MMP) voting system. In a general election, you normally receive two votes:

• Party vote: Helps determine each party's share of seats in Parliament.
• Electorate vote: Chooses your local electorate representative.

You can vote for a party and an electorate candidate from different parties.

For your situation, you may want to examine both a party's national immigration policies and what the candidates standing in your electorate say about settlement support and family reunification.

You can find voting information at Elections New Zealand.

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6. A practical next step: focus on the family member you want to bring

The most useful comparison will depend on who you hope to bring to New Zealand. The rules and political proposals can differ significantly between parents, partners and children.

Which family member are you most interested in bringing to New Zealand?

• My parents — including permanent residence versus longer visits.
• My partner or spouse — including partnership visas and residence.
• My children — including dependent children and family reunification.
• My siblings or other relatives — including what options may exist.
• Several family members — if you want a broader comparison.

If you tell me which relationship matters most, I can focus the next comparison on the actual visa rules, the costs and waiting-time issues, and what each party has specifically proposed to change before the 2026 election.