New Zealand immigration

Immigration NZ calls for Pacific citizens to register for ballot

The ballot, open to citizens of Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati and Tuvalu takes place between 1 and 30 April.

Each year up to 1100 Samoan citizens, 250 Tongan and Fijian citizens and 75 Kiribati and Tuvaluan citizens are selected by ballot to be considered for residence in New Zealand.

Eligible citizens of these five countries need to be aged between 18 and 45.

After selection, the registrants will then have eight months to lodge their resident visa applications.

They must also be able to indicate they have an acceptable job offer from a New Zealand employer.

NZ Immigration publishes Samoa quota ballot results

Those whose numbers have been picked are now eligible to go through the process of applying for residency.

But one of the ongoing challenges for many is securing a suitable job offer from a New Zealand employer and having enough support when they get to New Zealand.

There were 16,500 registrations by Samoan nations this year for just 1100 places.

That's an extra 2500 people on last year's figure.

Eligible citizens had to be aged between 18 and 45 to register for the ballot which many Samoans see as a chance to fast track their move to NZ.