New Zealand runs residence ballots, yearly draws from registrations, to recognise its special relationship with some Pacific countries; Fiji's, shared with Kiribati, Tonga and Tuvalu, is the Pacific Access Category. Fijian citizens in its age range born in Fiji or with a parent born there can register; a drawn registration brings an invitation to apply for a resident visa that lets you live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely. The job it asks for sets it apart: instructions from Immigration New Zealand (INZ) accept a full-time, ongoing offer in a skilled or unskilled occupation, even one made to your partner, and the employer need not first check whether a New Zealander could do the job.

Registration comes first, online, with INZ's guide in English, Fijian and Fijian Hindi and the fee paid by Visa or Mastercard. If you are drawn, the job offer needs papers: INZ's instructions list a written offer, a detailed job description, an employment agreement and a letter saying whether the job legally requires professional registration. For the police certificate, INZ has its own Fiji Police Clearance Application: fingerprints are taken at your nearest police station, and the police send the report to INZ in Suva, not to you, so online applicants upload proof they applied. For this visa, INZ's own officers assess your English, for example by asking about yourself and your family.

The mistake to avoid, if you live outside Fiji, is planning to apply from where you are. You can register for the ballot from overseas, but INZ's instructions require you, as the main applicant, to be in Fiji, or in New Zealand on a valid visa, when you apply, and the visa page asks for proof of where you live, such as letters sent to your home address or employer references. If drawn while living abroad, plan your return to Fiji, with that proof, well within the deadline in your invitation.