Residence permit

Immigration
General
Immigration by country List of immigrant populations Immigration country Immigration policy Illegal immigration Forced displacement Internal migration
History and law
Alien Asylum shopping Border security Citizenship Crime Deportation Detention Emigration Externalization Immigration law Immigrant investor programs Immigration tariff Indefinite leave to remain Migration diplomacy Net migration rate list Non-refoulement Permanent residency Population transfer Pushback Repatriation Extradition Residence permit Return migration Right of asylum Right of return Refugee Safe third country Smuggling Surveillance Voluntary return
Social processes
Acculturation (Acculturation gap) Birth tourism Anchor baby Satellite babies Economic effects Expatriate Human capital flight Human migration Immigrant assimilation Immigration consultant Integration Migration background Persecution Refugee crisis Social exclusion Student migration Unreported employment Visa fraud
Political Theories
Civic nationalism Religious nationalism Replacement migration Social cohesion Nativism Multiculturalism Plurinationalism Push and pull factors Ethnocentrism Foot voting
Causes
Chain migration Economic migrant Foreign worker Global labor arbitrage War Weaponized
Opposition and reform
Criticism of multiculturalism Immigration reform Opposition to immigration White genocide conspiracy theory

A residence permit (less commonly residency permit) is a document or card required in some regions, allowing a foreign national to reside in a country for a fixed or indefinite length of time. These may be permits for temporary residency, or permanent residency. The exact rules vary between regions. In some cases (e.g. the UK) a temporary residence permit is required to extend a stay past some threshold, and can be an intermediate step to applying for permanent residency.

Residency status may be granted for a number of reasons and the criteria for acceptance as a resident may change over time. In New Zealand the current range of conditions include being a skilled migrant, a retired parent of a New Zealand national, an investor and a number of others.