ACT delivers for families stuck in parent visa lottery

“ACT has won a fairer deal for families stuck in the Parent Resident Visa lottery. From today, their time waiting will finally count,” says ACT’s Immigration spokesperson Dr Parmjeet Parmar.

“Families could wait years while newer applicants got picked first, then be charged to enter the same lottery again. That is a rotten way to treat people who have worked hard and made New Zealand their home.

“I took the case for a queue directly to Immigration Minister Erica Stanford in February. Today, that push pays off.

“Around 90 per cent of expressions of interest will now be selected in date order, and families will stop being charged to re-enter after two years. We’re making the system fairer without increasing the visa cap.

“We welcome today’s change because it recognises the years families have already spent waiting. But equal treatment means the same rule should apply to everyone: first come, first served. A queue is the only fair way to do that.

“There is no convincing reason to reserve 10 per cent of selections for a lottery. It creates no extra visa places; it simply allows a newer applicant to be selected ahead of someone who has waited longer. Every eligible family deserves to have its waiting time recognised. ACT will keep pushing for a full queue, within the existing visa cap.”