Can I immigrate to New Zealand as an autistic adult, or as the parent of an autistic child?
New Zealand’s immigration laws are very strict concerning health and disability, which means that autistic people are likely to find it very difficult or impossible to immigrate to New Zealand.
For autistic adults:
You may be able to get a medical waiver if:
- You do not require full-time care;
- You don’t have haemophilia, tuberculosis, or any condition that requires dialysis treatment;
- The Immigration New Zealand medical assessor believes that you won’t require health services that cost more than NZ$81,000 while you’re in New Zealand;
- You have a partner who is a New Zealand citizen or has a resident class visa (this is not necessary, but does increase your chances of getting a medical waiver.
It’s important to note that the NZ$81,000 figure does not take into account whether you can pay for your own healthcare; whether you have health insurance; whether you have any family or friends who can care for you instead of the health system; or whether you will qualify for access to New Zealand’s private healthcare system.
For parents or caregivers of autistic children:
Your child may be able to get a medical waiver if:
- They don’t have haemophilia, tuberculosis, or any condition that requires dialysis;
- The Ministry of Education believes they won’t qualify for ORS funding.
- ORS is the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme, which funds learning support/special education in New Zealand. To meet the criteria for ORS funding, a child must have ongoing and/or severe difficulty with one or more of: learning, hearing, vision, physical skills, or language use and social communication, or moderate to high levels of difficulty with learning and moderate to high levels of difficulty with two of the other areas.
You can find more specific information about who qualifies for ORS funding here: https://www.education.govt.nz/school/student-support/special-education/ors/criteria-for-ors/
Other factors that will be taken into consideration if you apply for a medical waiver are:
- The degree to which you/your child will impose costs and demands on the health and/or education system
- Whether you have immediate family who are New Zealand citizens or permanent residents
- Your potential contribution to New Zealand
- How long you are planning to stay in New Zealand
- If you’re a refugee or asylum seeker, autism will not be considered when evaluating your application; refugees are automatically granted medical waivers, with a few exceptions (tuberculosis, severe haemophilia, or a condition that requires dialysis).
You can find more information, including a full list of requirements, here: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/opsmanual/#35439.htm
What diagnoses are accepted in New Zealand?
- If you are an autistic adult, there aren’t many autism services in New Zealand, but most will accept any international diagnosis, and many will accept self-diagnosis, or not require a diagnosis at all.
- If you do find that you need an official diagnosis to access a particular service, any diagnosis of autism, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or Asperger’s syndrome from a clinical/educational psychologist will typically be accepted. They may require the diagnosis to follow international best practice, including standardised assessment, interview, and observation.
- If you’re a parent of an autistic child, your child does not need an official diagnosis to access learning support/special education services through the Ministry of Education; Ministry of Education support services are based on specific needs and not on whether your child has a particular diagnosis. Some other services (like occupational therapists, speech therapists, respite care, etc.) will require an official diagnosis, but others won’t – if your child doesn’t have an official diagnosis that is recognised in New Zealand, you’ll need to check with the individual service provider you’re interested in using.
Any diagnosis of autism, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or Asperger’s syndrome from a psychiatrist, an educational/clinical psychologist, a paediatrician, or a team containing at least one of the above will typically be accepted. As with adult diagnosis, services may require the diagnosis to follow international best practice, including standardised assessment, interview, and observation.
If you need an official diagnosis for yourself or your child once you’re in New Zealand, you can find more information about the diagnostic process here: https://autismnz.org.nz/diagnosis-guide/
For more information about the process of immigrating to New Zealand, head here: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/explore-visa-options
For more information about the process for refugees and asylum seekers, head here: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/preparing-a-visa-application/living-in-new-zealand-permanently/information-for-refugees-and-asylum-seekers/asylum-seekers
Note: The information in this resource provides an overview of the typical requirements in New Zealand. Processes can vary from case to case so your situation may be treated differently.
This resource was up to date as of March 2023.