New Zealand's Immigration officials are encouraging people in Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Fiji to register if they want to win residence in this country.

Photo: 123rf

Each year up to 1100 Samoan citizens, 250 Tongan and Fijian citizens and 75 Kiribati and Tuvaluan citizens are selected by ballot to be considered for residence in New Zealand.

The ballot under the Samoan Quota and Pacific Access Category takes place throughout April.

Those who are successful then have eight months to lodge their resident visa applications, the critical part of which is an acceptable job offer from a New Zealand employer.

In recent years hundreds of people who won places in the ballots had to forfeit them after failing to secure work to come to.