New Zealand PR Under Review: ACT's Plan to Make Residents Prove They Live in the Country

News · 2026-09-01 · 3 min read

Most migrants watch the same items each year: visa fees, points thresholds and occupation lists. A new proposal from the ACT Party leaves all of those alone. It goes after a more basic question instead: what should "permanent" residence in New Zealand actually require? If you hold New Zealand PR, or you are working towards it, here is a structured overview of the plan and what it could change.

The issue ACT wants to fix

Dr Parmjeet Parmar, ACT's immigration spokesperson, points to what she describes as a structural oddity. Under current rules, permanent residents of New Zealand do not have to live there. After permanent residence is granted, the holder keeps indefinite and unconditional rights to enter and leave, no matter how long they have been physically away.

The party says this would change significantly if ACT becomes part of government.

Proposed design of the residence system

The standalone Permanent Resident Visa category would be removed entirely. The standard Resident Visa would be reshaped to take its place, as follows:

Longer travel facility. The present two-year initial travel condition would be replaced with a five-year travel facility.
Presence threshold. In any rolling five-year period, holders would need a minimum of 730 days (two cumulative years) physically in New Zealand.
Flexible timing. The days would not have to be consecutive, so people could still come and go. What would end is the open-ended right to leave and return without ever living in the country again.

Put simply, residence would have to be maintained on an ongoing basis rather than secured once and then left untouched.

Groups that would be exempt

ACT accepts that many migrants spend time abroad for genuine reasons, so the plan includes several exceptions. The presence rule would not apply to people who are:

married to, or the partner of, a New Zealand citizen;
working overseas for a New Zealand-based employer;
accompanying a family member who is working abroad in that way;
serving overseas in the military;
dealing with compelling humanitarian circumstances.

These exemptions show the target is not normal travel or overseas work. The aim is to close a gap where residence is kept only on paper, without any real continuing link to New Zealand.

Parmar's argument: residence versus citizenship

Parmar describes the goal as bringing "balance" back to the system, so that residence reflects a real and lasting connection to the country rather than a backup status that can be held from anywhere. She also presents the change as drawing a clearer line between residence and citizenship, which can look very similar in practice once someone has unconditional PR.

Action points for current and future residents

This is a proposal, not law, so there is no need to panic. There is, however, good reason to plan. If something like this is passed, your decisions on where to live, how long you stay outside New Zealand and when to apply for citizenship could matter more than they do now. If you are considering New Zealand jobs for Pakistani workers, or you already hold residence but spend long periods overseas, keep this proposal on your list of things to monitor as the election gets closer. If you do move, remember to complete Pakistan's emigration formalities and check current requirements with the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment before you travel.

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