Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has removed hepatitis B and hepatitis C from its list of "high-cost health conditions" — the list used to decide whether a resident visa applicant meets the country's acceptable standard of health. The change applies to resident visa applications submitted on or after August 3, 2026, and was formally announced by INZ on August 5.
What actually changes
Previously, an applicant found to have hepatitis B or hepatitis C during their immigration medical exam was automatically assessed as not meeting New Zealand's health requirement, on the assumption that treating the condition would impose significant cost or demand on the public health system. INZ says that assumption no longer holds: the expected treatment cost for both conditions is now well below the significant-cost threshold of NZD $81,000, which is the dollar figure INZ uses to decide whether a condition counts as high-cost.
With the conditions off the list, an applicant with hepatitis B or C will no longer be automatically turned down on health grounds. Instead, INZ medical assessors will look at the individual's specific medical circumstances before deciding whether the case meets the health requirement — the same case-by-case approach already used for most other conditions. Applicants still need to meet New Zealand's overall health requirements; this change removes an automatic disqualifier, not the health check itself.
- Hepatitis B and hepatitis C are no longer on INZ's high-cost health conditions list for resident visa applications filed on or after August 3, 2026.
- INZ worked with the Ministry of Health on the change, and the government drug-buying agency Pharmac also supports removing the two conditions from the list.
- Wording for several other conditions on the list was also updated: major psychiatric illness or addiction is now listed only where significant support is required, severe autoimmune disease wording now recognizes a wider range of lower-cost treatments, and renal and hepatic disorder wording has been clarified.
- Effective for applications from
- August 3, 2026
- Announced
- August 5, 2026
- High-cost threshold
- NZD $81,000
- Conditions removed
- Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C
If you or a family member included in a New Zealand resident visa application has hepatitis B or C, this removes what was previously an automatic health-based refusal — your case will now be assessed on its individual medical facts instead. It does not guarantee approval, and you'll still need to meet every other part of New Zealand's health requirement. This is a summary of an INZ policy announcement, not medical or legal advice — confirm how it applies to your specific case with an accredited adviser or INZ directly.
