Organise a factual letter asking Immigration New Zealand to consider your circumstances during its medical-waiver assessment. The draft does not create a separate waiver application or confirm that your visa category is eligible.
Build the facts behind the waiver request
Application details
Medical assessment and current evidence
Circumstances INZ may weigh
Documents supplied with the letter
Your support letter
Generate the draft, then check each medical statement against the specialist evidence and each immigration statement against the application record.
A medical-waiver support letter should connect the health assessment to the facts Immigration New Zealand is permitted to weigh. It should not read as a separate waiver form, a promise to pay every future cost, or a general plea for sympathy. The useful version identifies the visa setting, answers the medical concern with current evidence, and explains the applicant's circumstances without overstating what the documents prove.
A waiver is considered inside the visa application
Immigration New Zealand states that an applicant cannot make a separate application for a medical waiver. INZ decides whether to grant one while processing the residence or temporary visa application. A support letter is therefore evidence and argument within the existing case, not an independent application with its own approval path.
This distinction changes the wording. The letter should ask the officer to consider the applicant's circumstances under the applicable health instructions. It should not say that the applicant is “submitting a medical waiver application” unless INZ has used that exact wording in correspondence.
Check whether the visa setting permits waiver consideration
Residence class applications
An applicant who does not meet the acceptable standard of health may be considered for a waiver when the rest of the residence requirements are met, subject to the exclusions in the operational instructions. Partners and dependent children of New Zealand citizens or residents who otherwise meet the relevant residence criteria receive different treatment under those instructions.
Temporary entry applications
Waiver consideration is limited to listed situations. These include certain seconded business personnel, refugee or protection cases, qualifying partners or dependent children of New Zealand citizens or residents, and some dependent applicants under 21 whose health issue falls within the specified temporary-entry provision.
Do not assume that every visitor, worker or student visa applicant can obtain a medical waiver. The current instructions also state that Parent Boost Visitor Visa applicants are not considered for one. A temporary waiver does not establish that the person meets residence health requirements or that a residence waiver would later be granted.
Conditions that can prevent a residence waiver
Current residence instructions exclude certain cases from medical-waiver consideration. These include an applicant who requires dialysis, or is expected by an INZ medical assessor to require it within five years of assessment; severe haemophilia; an incapacity requiring full-time care, including community care; and specified tuberculosis situations. Separate restrictions may apply where a partner or dependent child was eligible to be included in an earlier residence application but was not declared, not included, or was withdrawn.
A support letter cannot cure an exclusion written into the immigration instructions. Check the exact medical assessment and the current version of the operational manual before preparing a discretionary argument.
Write to the matters the officer is directed to consider
The operational instructions direct the officer to consider whether the applicant's circumstances justify allowing entry or stay. The assessment may include the expected costs or demands on New Zealand health or education services, immediate family lawfully and permanently resident in New Zealand, the applicant's potential contribution, and the intended length of stay. For an eligible dependent child of a work, student or military visa holder, the parent's potential contribution may also be considered.
A strong letter gives each relevant matter its own factual paragraph. It does not force every factor into the case. For example, an applicant with no immediate family in New Zealand should omit that point rather than create a vague claim. A temporary applicant should give the requested duration and explain why the medical evidence covers that period.
What the medical evidence should establish
Current clinical position
- Confirmed diagnosis and present symptoms
- Date and purpose of the latest specialist review
- Current treatment, medication and monitoring
- Stability, expected progression and prognosis
- Hospital admissions or complications relevant to the assessment
Likely service demand
- Type and frequency of expected care
- Likely duration of treatment or support
- Whether specialist, hospital, community or education services are expected
- Any updated cost estimate and who prepared it
- Whether the person can live independently or needs continuing care
The specialist report should explain the reasoning behind the opinion. A brief letter stating only that the patient is “well” may not answer an INZ medical assessor's concern about future treatment, public-health risk, education support or long-term care.
Match each officer concern to a document
Use funding and insurance evidence carefully
Private insurance, employer cover, savings or a family undertaking can explain how some costs may be met. They should be described precisely and supported by policy terms, exclusions, benefit limits, duration and proof that the arrangement applies to the applicant.
Do not present private payment as if it automatically removes the concern identified by INZ. The medical-waiver assessment can involve service capacity and demand, not only who intends to pay. A funding plan is supporting context; it does not replace a clinical prognosis or establish eligibility on its own.
Responding to an INZ health assessment
Under the operational instructions, an application should not be declined on the basis that the applicant does not meet the acceptable standard of health without the applicant first being asked to comment on the relevant report from the INZ medical assessor or Ministry of Education. The response should address the exact material supplied by INZ rather than a guessed refusal reason.
When a new medical opinion disputes the original assessment, the instructions provide for that opinion to be referred back to the appropriate assessor before a decision is made. The response should therefore identify what has changed, what finding is disputed, and where the supporting report explains the difference.
Arrange the documents so the reasoning can be checked
- Support letter: identify the application, health concern, requested consideration and document list.
- INZ correspondence: include the health-related request, potentially prejudicial information letter or other notice being answered, where applicable.
- Current specialist report: place the most relevant clinical opinion before older background records.
- Treatment and prognosis records: include evidence supporting stability, expected care and likely duration.
- Service or support evidence: add cost, frequency or education-support material relevant to the concern.
- Family and contribution documents: include only evidence tied to a factor relied on in the letter.
- Funding or insurance records: show the exact cover or available arrangement without overstating it.
Use the same document titles in the support letter and the uploaded files. Dates, treatment descriptions and cost figures should match across the letter, specialist reports and application forms.
Statements that weaken the request
- Calling the letter a separate medical-waiver application when INZ has not described it that way
- Arguing only that the applicant is a good person without answering the health assessment
- Claiming there will be no future cost when the medical records show continuing treatment
- Relying on an old report that does not address the current prognosis
- Listing family ties or employment without documents that verify them
- Presenting insurance as unlimited when the policy contains exclusions or benefit caps
- Accusing the medical assessor or immigration officer instead of addressing the evidence
- Using a residence-waiver argument for a temporary category that is not eligible for consideration
Final consistency check
Verify the current INZ instructions
Official information checked on 31 July 2026. Review the current pages before submitting because visa instructions can change.
Questions about the support letter
Can I apply for a New Zealand medical waiver on its own?
No. INZ states that it decides whether to give a medical waiver while processing the relevant visa application. The support letter forms part of that case.
Does every temporary visa category allow a medical waiver?
No. Temporary-entry consideration is limited to the situations listed in the operational instructions. Confirm the exact category before drafting the letter.
Can private health insurance secure a waiver?
No. Insurance may support a factual funding explanation, but INZ also considers expected demands on health or education services and the other circumstances allowed by the instructions.
Should the letter include every medical record?
Include records that explain the current diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and expected service use. Older records can be added when they clarify the history, but they should not obscure the current specialist opinion.
What if the new specialist opinion disagrees with the INZ assessment?
State the point of disagreement clearly and attach the reasoned report. Current instructions provide for a further opinion that disputes the original assessment to be referred back to the appropriate assessor before the decision.
