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Character Issues

Character issues are concerns that lead Immigration New Zealand to believe that you do not hold a good character and may potentially pose a security risk to the country. This may prevent you from getting a New Zealand visa.
If the INZ has reasons to believe that you do not possess a good character and may potentially be a threat to the country’s security, they will not approve your New Zealand visa application.
However, you may be able to get a character waiver to take care of certain character issues to meet INZ’s good character requirements.
More serious character issues need a special direction before the INZ may approve your visa application.

The process and the effort needed for getting a character waiver is quite different from that of getting a special direction. If you have character issues and are looking for help in deciding your future course of action to proceed with your New Zealand Visa application, look no further. NZ Migration Help has been assisting its clients in getting their NZ visa approvals despite their character issues for many years. Our immigration experts have a high success rate at getting character waivers and special directions, even in the most complex situations. Book a consultation to discuss your character history.

Character Issues That Can Be Handled With a Character Waiver

INZ will not approve your visa application unless you can get them to provide you with a character waiver for your character issues. The list of what character problems are eligible for the grant of a character waiver is provided in the INZ operational manual, and the agency sticks to it.
Some of the character issues where you have a chance of getting INZ to grant you a character waiver are:
  • Sentencing that lead to imprisonment
  • A guilty verdict for being dishonest, committing a sexual offence, or being involved in violence or drugs
  • A past conviction in any country for laws related to immigration, passport, or citizenship
  • Not being forthcoming or offering false/misleading information on a visa application (yours or someone else’s)
The provisions on whether your character issue qualifies for a character waiver varies based on the nature of your visa application – temporary or resident.

Character Issues That Need a Special Direction

Certain categories of character issues are considered serious in nature, and you cannot get a character waiver from the INZ to handle such cases. Approaching the minister to get a special direction is your only way out in such situations.
Foreigners who are deemed to have serious character issues are not allowed to enter the country or get a New Zealand visa unless the minister grants them a special direction. Some circumstances where your character issue is considered serious are:
  • Any sentence that led to imprisonment exceeding 5 years
  • A past ban from entering New Zealand
  • One or more year of sentence resulting from a conviction that happened in the last 10 years
  • Removal, deportation or ban from any country
  • Being a potential risk to the country’s security or public order/interest
  • Probability of you engaging in acts that may lead to your imprisonment in New Zealand
In such cases, you will need to petition the New Zealand Minister of Immigration to grant you a Special Direction, which he/she may do based on their discretion. There is nothing in your rights that makes you privileged for one. Special directions essentially allow your visa application to proceed by waiving off specific requirements, or by imposing certain conditions on your NZ immigration or visa.

Special Directions are extremely difficult to get, but our Auckland based immigration experts team has one of the highest success rates in the industry for getting success with these petitions. We also specialise in getting character waivers for the most convoluted character issues. Book your consultation to discuss your case with our licensed immigration advisers.

Getting a Character Waiver or Special Direction

In case you are still confused about whether you have a character issue, feel free to contact us for a consultation to get our open and honest advice.

If you have determined that you need a character waiver or special direction, the first thing you should do is find a competent and experienced immigration expert to help you with the process. Remember, any mistakes or oversights in your character waiver or special direction petition will lead to rejection of your application and eventually your New Zealand Visa.

We excel at getting character waivers and special directions timely and cost-effectively. Take advantage of our many years of experience and expertise. Book a consultation and discuss your character history with one of our immigration experts.

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