Immigration health screening changes
The Minister of Immigration announced on 2 April 2012 that changes are being made to immigration health screening in late July 2012. The details of the changes are still being developed and more information will be made available closer to the implementation of these changes.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) will be implementing the following changes.
- All visa applicants may re-use previously submitted medical certificates, provided the certificates are less than 36 months old, unless there are health risk factors identified.
- International fee-paying students will be required to hold acceptable insurance as a condition of their visa. INZ is currently consulting with the education sector on how best to operationalise this requirement.
- Immigration health screening for international fee paying students will be reduced to screening for tuberculosis (TB) only, unless there other health risk factors.
- Visa applicants who have spent six consecutive months in a high risk TB country since their previous visa application will be re-screened for TB.
- Immigration health screening for the partners and dependent children of New Zealand citizens and residents; and for successful asylum claimants will be limited to screening for those conditions which disqualify them from consideration for a medical waiver.
- Health tests and requirements will be updated to ensure that the latest developments in high-cost health conditions are taken into account.
