NZ: Hepatitis B & C removed from Resident Visa High-Cost Health Conditions List
From 3 August 2026, Immigration New Zealand removed Hepatitis B and C from the list of high-cost health conditions used when assessing whether resident visa applicants have an acceptable standard of health.
From 3 August 2026, Immigration New Zealand removed Hepatitis B and C from the list of high-cost health conditions used when assessing if resident visa applicants have an acceptable standard of health.
The change reflects the reduced cost of treating these conditions. It means applicants with Hepatitis B or C will not automatically be assessed as not meeting the acceptable standard of health requirement.
Instead, INZ’s medical assessors will consider the specific medical circumstances of each individual with Hepatitis B or C.
The wording for several conditions on the high-cost health conditions list have also been updated:
- major psychiatric illness and/or addiction will only be included where significant support is required
- severe autoimmune disease wording has been updated to recognise a wider range of lower-cost treatment options
- renal and hepatic disorders wording has been clarified to better reflect the conditions intended to be included on the list.
The changes give clarity to applicants and medical assessors and ensure the conditions are genuinely imposing significant costs and/or demands on New Zealand's health or education services.