Centre of Gravity Test for NZ Parent Visa: Rules, Examples, and Traps

The Centre of Gravity test is the mathematical assessment that determines whether your parent's primary family connection is in New Zealand. For families from India, China, the Philippines, and South Africa — where siblings are often spread across multiple countries — this single test can make or break a Parent Resident Visa application.

The Basic Rule

Your parent's adult children living lawfully and permanently in New Zealand must be equal to or greater than the number in any other single country. This includes the home country.

The comparison is always against the highest count in any single other country — not the total abroad.

Worked Examples

2 children: 1 in NZ, 1 in India — Eligible. NZ equals the home country.

5 children: 2 in NZ, 1 in India, 2 in UK — Eligible. NZ (2) equals UK (2) and exceeds India (1).

4 children: 1 in NZ, 1 in India, 2 in Australia — Not eligible. NZ (1) is less than Australia (2).

6 children: 2 in NZ, 2 in India, 2 in UAE — Eligible. NZ (2) equals both India and UAE.

3 children: 1 in NZ, 1 in India, 1 in Canada — Eligible. NZ (1) equals both India and Canada.

The Temporary Visa Trap

A sibling working in Dubai, Singapore, or the UK on a temporary work visa is not necessarily counted as "lawfully and permanently" in that country. Under INZ operational instructions, they are typically deemed to be residing in the country where they were predominantly living before the temporary relocation — usually the home country.

This matters enormously for Indian and Filipino families. If your sibling has a 3-year contract in the Gulf, INZ may count them as "India" rather than "UAE." Three siblings counted in India instead of spread across the Gulf states shifts the Centre of Gravity decisively against New Zealand.

Evidence Strategy

For each sibling whose residence status could be ambiguous, gather:

• Permanent residence evidence: citizenship certificate, permanent residency card, indefinite leave to remain
• If on a temporary visa: evidence of where they predominantly lived before (lease agreements, voter registration, utility bills from the home country)
• Declaration: a signed statement from the sibling confirming their primary place of residence

The stronger your evidence for each sibling's location, the less room INZ has to reclassify them in a way that hurts your count.

Dependent Children Disqualification

The Parent Category prohibits dependent children. If your parent still has a child who is 17 or under, or 18–24 and single with no children and financially dependent, the application is automatically ineligible. This sibling must become independent — through employment, marriage, or aging out — before the parent can apply.

The NZ Parent Resident Visa Guide includes a Centre of Gravity calculator with detailed examples for families of 2–6 children across multiple countries, plus evidence strategies for every ambiguous scenario.

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