nz citizens need a transit visa for hong kong.
nz citizens need a transit visa for hong kong.
do nz citizens need a visa for hong kong?
transit visa
due to its one country, two systems stance, the government of hong kong can make a visa-waiver agreement for chinese residents of hong kong with other countries. as a result of both bilateral visa abolition agreements (e.g. between hong kong and russia) and unilateral decisions to grant visa exemptions (e.g.myanmar), hong kong special administrative region passport holders enjoy visa exemptions and simplified visa procedures to a large number of destinations worldwide. whilst the visa exemptions mostly only apply when chinese citizens of hong kong are visiting on short trips for pleasure or on business, a number of countries extend the visa exemption to short stays involving paid activities (e.g. belgium and luxembourg).
visa requirements for chinese citizens of hong kong
on 26 february 2001, the howard government amended the social security act 1991 (ssa 1991). new zealand citizens may reside, work and study in australia indefinitely without needing to first apply for a visa. they are granted a special category visa (scv) sub-class 444 on arrival subject to meeting health and character requirements, however this is a temporary visa which was introduced on 1 september 1994. the amendment to the ssa 1991 excludes most nz citizens who arrived after 26 february 2001 from being eligible to apply for citizenship and claim social security payments. nz citizens who were in australia on 26 february 2001 or for 12 months in the two years prior, or who hold a centrelink certificate issued under the social security act 1991 stating that they were residing in australia on a particular date are considered to be "protected" scv holders. these people are entitled to much the same as australian permanent visa holders. they may also apply for citizenship provided they meet the residence requirement. "non-protected" scv holders (those nz citizens who don't meet the february 2001 criteria) who wish to become australian citizens must first obtain a permanent visa. about 60% of the nz citizens in australia do not qualify for any of the permanent visas. those nz citizens who are non-protected scv holders but who entered australia at any time before september 1994 may be eligible for a resident return visa (rrv). nz citizens who entered australia before september 1994 were granted permanent residence on arrival and the rrv reinstates that permanent resident status. many nz citizens who have obtained a permanent visa sponsor their nz citizen partner and nz-born children. the fees nz citizens pay for a permanent visa are the same as the fees people from other countries pay, even though the nz citizen applicants may have lived and paid taxes in australia since 2001, while those from other countries may have never contributed anything to australia at the time of applying for a permanent visa. the amendments to the ssa 1991 have created an underclass of residents in australia, from inaccessibility to assistance in the event of sudden job loss or severe illness, to being ineligible to access the recently introduced national disability insurance scheme which is funded via an increased medicare levy. non-protected scv holders are australian residents for tax purposes but cannot work for the federal government or join the defence force because they are ineligible to apply for citizenship, are currently ineligible for student loans, are not eligible for public housing or student travel concessions in some states, cannot work for state government in some states, are not covered by many insurance policies because they don't meet the insurer's definition of a permanent resident, are excluded from applying for some jobs because they don't meet the criteria of being a permanent resident and cannot access shelters in the event they are escaping a domestic violence situation.
howard government