Bringing Dependent Children on a New Zealand Work Visa
Children of New Zealand work visa holders use one of two visas: a Dependent Child Student Visa for school, or a Child of a Worker Visitor Visa for a visit with up to three months of study. Both expire with the parent's visa. Both require the parent to meet an annual income threshold set at 80% of the median wage.
Quick Facts
| Two visas | Dependent Child Student Visa (school) · Child of a Worker Visitor Visa (visit + 3 months study) |
| Income test | The parent must meet an annual threshold — 80% of the immigration median wage over a 40-hour week |
| Age limit (student visa) | 19 or younger |
| Length | The same as the parent's visa — it expires with it |
| School fees | Dependent Child Student Visa holders may be treated as domestic students — no tuition fees for school |
| Funds | NZ$17,000 for a full year of study, or NZ$1,417 a month |
| Dependent Child Student Visa fee | From NZ$750 = NZ$485 + NZ$265 levy. IVL-exempt |
| Child of a Worker Visitor Visa fee | From NZ$341 = NZ$300 + NZ$41 levy. IVL-exempt |
| Processing | 80% of Dependent Child Student Visa applications within 10 weeks |
| Tertiary study | Requires a Fee Paying Student Visa instead, at international fees |
| Health rules | Strengthened for dependent children of temporary visa holders on 17 March 2025 |
Fees unchanged since 1 October 2024 and vary by fee band. Confirm before paying.
Which visa a child needs
The choice is decided by what the child will do in New Zealand, not by their age alone.
| Dependent Child Student Visa | Child of a Worker Visitor Visa | |
|---|---|---|
| For | Studying at primary or secondary school | Visiting, with study limited to 3 months |
| Age | 19 or younger | Dependent child of a work visa holder |
| Study allowed | Full school enrolment | Up to 3 months |
| Treated as a domestic student? | Yes — no tuition fees for school | No |
| Length of stay | Same as the parent's visa | Same as the parent's work visa |
| Fee | From NZ$750 | From NZ$341 |
| IVL | Exempt | Exempt |
| Processing (80%) | 10 weeks | 10 weeks |
A child who will attend school for a full year needs the student visa. A child coming for a short period, or arriving mid-year before enrolment is settled, may fit the visitor visa — but the three-month study cap is a hard limit, not a guideline.
INZ notes that "not all work visa holders can support applications" for a Child of a Worker Visitor Visa. Which work visas can support one is set out on INZ's own page for that visa, and it is worth checking before assuming.
The income threshold — and why we are not printing a number
To support a dependent child, the parent must meet an annual income threshold. The rule is stable and easy to state:
The dependent child income threshold is 80% of the immigration median wage, calculated over a 40-hour week, and it is updated annually when the median wage is updated.
The dollar figure is the part to be careful with.
- The commonly quoted NZ$55,844 was calculated against the previous median wage of NZ$33.56 an hour. It is superseded and should not be relied on. Any site still publishing it as current is publishing an out-of-date figure.
- The immigration median wage rose to NZ$35.00 an hour on 9 March 2026, which re-indexed the threshold.
- The re-indexed annual figure was not verified to this site's standard, so we are not publishing one. A family that arranges its finances, or declines to apply, on the basis of a wrong number pays for our mistake.
Confirm the current threshold directly with INZ on the bringing-family-to-New-Zealand pages before you rely on it. That sentence is less satisfying than a number, and it is the correct one.
Two things we can state:
- Grandparented cases — where a child was approved or applied for on or before 9 March 2025, or the parent supported a family visa before 26 June 2024 — use NZ$43,322.76 a year.
- If both parents hold an Accredited Employer Work Visa, their incomes can be combined to meet the dependent child threshold. This concession is published by INZ and is rarely mentioned elsewhere.
The partner income test is a different test, measured hourly rather than annually. See bringing family on a work visa for both side by side, and income thresholds to support a partner visa for the partner side in detail.
The school fees advantage
This is the single largest financial consequence of getting the visa right.
A Dependent Child Student Visa holder may be treated as a domestic student, which means no tuition fees for school. International school fees in New Zealand run to many thousands of dollars a year per child. A family with two school-aged children is looking at a difference measured in tens of thousands over a work visa's life.
The distinction only holds for school. Tertiary study requires a Fee Paying Student Visa, and fee-paying means international rates. A child who finishes school in New Zealand and wants to go on to university is moving into a different visa and a different fee structure — see the New Zealand student visa explained.
Domestic-student treatment also does not remove the ordinary costs of schooling — uniforms, materials, activity contributions. It removes the international tuition fee.
Funds you have to show
For a Dependent Child Student Visa, the funds requirement is NZ$17,000 for a full year of study, or NZ$1,417 a month for shorter periods. That is the same figure INZ applies to compulsory schooling (Years 1 to 13) generally.
This sits alongside the parent's income threshold, not instead of it. The income test asks whether the parent earns enough; the funds test asks whether money is available for the child's stay. See proof of funds for a NZ visa.
The expiry trap
The child's visa expires with the parent's visa. Both the Dependent Child Student Visa and the Child of a Worker Visitor Visa are granted for the same length as the parent's visa.
Three consequences follow, and families discover them at bad moments:
- A child's visa does not survive the parent's. If the parent's work visa ends — expiry, a job loss, a change of category — the child's status depends on what happens to the parent's.
- A renewal is not automatic. When the parent applies for a new work visa, the child needs a new application too, with its own fee and its own processing time.
- School years and visa years do not align. A visa expiring mid-year is a problem for enrolment, not just for immigration.
Because 80% of Dependent Child Student Visa applications take up to 10 weeks, a family renewing everything at once is looking at a ten-week window on the child's side alone.
If the parent loses their job, this is one of the first things to check — see losing your job on a work visa.
Health requirements
Health requirements for dependent children of temporary visa holders were strengthened on 17 March 2025. The substance of that change was not published in a form this site could verify, so we are not describing its contents. What it means practically is that health requirements for children are not what an older guide would have described, and the current requirements should be confirmed with INZ.
The general framework still applies: applicants must meet an acceptable standard of health, and INZ may decline where a medical assessor considers likely health service costs exceed NZ$81,000 over five years or over the predicted course of the condition. A medical waiver process exists in some circumstances. See acceptable standard of health explained and medical waivers for NZ visa applications.
Families with a child who has a diagnosed condition should get advice from a licensed immigration adviser or a New Zealand lawyer before applying, rather than after a decline. This site cannot assess whether any individual child will meet the standard, and no site legally can.
Step 1: Confirm the parent's income against the current threshold
Check the current annual figure on INZ's bringing-family pages. If both parents hold an Accredited Employer Work Visa, check whether combining incomes is available in your situation.
Step 2: Choose the right visa for what the child will actually do
School enrolment means the Dependent Child Student Visa. A visit with limited study means the Child of a Worker Visitor Visa, capped at three months of study. Tertiary study means a Fee Paying Student Visa, and neither of the two visas on this page will cover it.
Step 3: Apply with time for a ten-week decision
80% of Dependent Child Student Visa applications are decided within 10 weeks. Applications also cluster: INZ names October to March as its main student visa processing peak, and May to August as a second one. Applying inside a peak with a term start date fixed is how families end up making urgent phone calls.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the dependent child income threshold in New Zealand?
It is NZ$58,240 a year — 80% of the immigration median wage over a 40-hour week, or 0.8 x NZ$35.00 x 2,080 hours. The widely circulated NZ$55,844 was set against the older NZ$33.56 median wage and is superseded. Because the threshold re-indexes whenever the median wage moves, and the month that happens has drifted, confirm the current amount with INZ before you rely on it.
Do children of work visa holders pay school fees in New Zealand?
Dependent Child Student Visa holders may be treated as domestic students, which means no tuition fees for school. Tertiary study is different and requires a Fee Paying Student Visa at international rates.
How old can a dependent child be?
The Dependent Child Student Visa is for applicants aged 19 or younger. Different age tests apply elsewhere in the system — for residence applications, dependent children can be included up to 24 in some categories — which is why the figures quoted online conflict.
How long does a Dependent Child Student Visa last?
The same length as the parent's visa. It expires when the parent's visa expires, and a new application is needed when the parent gets a new visa.
How much does it cost to bring a child to New Zealand?
A Dependent Child Student Visa is from NZ$750 — NZ$485 application fee plus a NZ$265 immigration levy, with no International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy. A Child of a Worker Visitor Visa is from NZ$341 — NZ$300 plus a NZ$41 levy, also IVL-exempt.
Can both parents' incomes count toward the threshold?
If both partners hold an Accredited Employer Work Visa, their incomes can be combined to meet the dependent child income threshold.
Can my child study at university on a dependent child visa?
No. Tertiary study requires a Fee Paying Student Visa, which is charged at international student rates. The Dependent Child Student Visa covers primary and secondary school.
What happens to my child's visa if I lose my job?
The child's visa is tied to yours and expires with it. Any change to the parent's status is a change to the child's, which makes it something to raise with a licensed immigration adviser immediately rather than later.
