he Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement allows Australian and New Zealand citizens to live and work in each other's country without restrictions. On arrival in Australia, most New Zealand citizens who do not hold another visa and present a valid New Zealand passport are granted a Special Category Visa (subclass 444) (SCV). Grant of an SCV is also subject to the applicant meeting health and character requirements. The SCV is a temporary visa that allows the holder to remain and work in Australia indefinitely as long as the holder remains a New Zealand citizen.
More information about the SCV is available.
See: Special Category Visa (subclass 444)
Special Category Visa eligibility
To be eligible for an SCV the applicant must:
be a New Zealand citizen
hold a valid New Zealand passport and
not be a behaviour concern non-citizen (BCNC) or a health concern non-citizen (HCNC).
New Zealand citizens who are assessed as a BCNC may not be entitled to an SCV and may be refused entry into Australia. Circumstances where a person may be assessed as a BCNC include, but are not limited to, when the person has been:
convicted of one or more crimes that have resulted in sentences of imprisonment that add up to at least one year or
removed or deported from Australia or another country.
For more information about New Zealand citizens with criminal convictions, refer to the Australian High Commission New Zealand website.
See: Frequently Asked Questions
New Zealand citizens are ineligible for grant of an SCV if they are assessed as HCNC.