Character Waiver

To get a residence class visa, work, student or visitor visa, you must be of good character. If you have a criminal history or could be a risk to New Zealand, INZ can decline your application.

Need a Character Waiver for Your New Zealand Visa? We Can Help

If Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has raised character concerns about your visa application, it may feel like the end of the road - but it doesn’t have to be. A Character Waiver can allow your visa to be granted, even if you don’t technically meet INZ’s good character requirement.

At Immigration Trust, we specialise in responding to Potentially Prejudicial Information (PPI) letters and securing character waivers for clients facing past convictions, overstays, or misrepresentation issues.

What Triggers Character Concerns with INZ?

INZ may question your character if you have:

Criminal convictions (NZ or overseas)
Provided false or misleading information
Overstayed your visa and committed an offence while unlawful
Convictions for drink-driving or other traffic offences
Past association with extremist groups or hate-promoting organisations

These concerns apply across residence, work, student, and visitor visa categories. More examples are:

Convicted at any time of any offence against the immigration, citizenship, or passport laws of any country;
Convicted at any time of any offence involving prohibited drugs;
Convicted at any time of any offence involving dishonesty;
Convicted at any time of any offence of a sexual nature;
Convicted at any time of any offence for which they were sentenced to a term of imprisonment (whether the sentence was of immediate effect, was deferred, or was suspended in whole or in part);
Convicted (whether in New Zealand or abroad) of an offence committed at any time when the applicant was in New Zealand unlawfully, meaning they overstayed while holding a temporary entry class visa or temporary permit under the Immigration Act of 1987, or was exempt under that Act from the requirement to hold a permit. Being an offence for which the court has power to impose imprisonment for a term of three months or more;
Convicted at any time of any offence involving violence;
Convicted at any time during the last five years of any traffic offence involving dangerous driving, or driving while under the influence of excess amounts of alcohol or drugs;
In the course of applying for a New Zealand visa (or a permit under the Immigration Act 1987) and you have made any statement or provided any information that was false, misleading, forged, or withheld material information; or
In a public speech or public comments, or public broadcast, or publicly distributing or publishing a document at any time;
Arguing that one race or colour is inherently inferior or superior to another race or colour;
Using language intended to encourage hostility or ill will against any person or group of persons on the basis of colour, race, or ethnic or national origins of that person or group;
A member of (or adheres or has adhered to) any organisation or group of people which (at the time of the person's membership or adherence) had objectives or principles based on:
- Hostility against people or groups on the basis of colour, race, or ethnic or national origins;
- An assumption that persons of a particular race or colour are inherently inferior or superior to others;