Immigration
Immigration Act with residence permits and restricted land rights
Entry and residence under the Immigration Act administered by the Ministry of Police and Immigration, with work permits required for employment and no route to land ownership regardless of status.
Key rules
- Deadline — Work and residence permits are typically annual and renewable
- Deadline — Naturalisation is discretionary and requires a period of lawful residence
Governing law
- Immigration Act (Cap. 62) (s. 6)
- Nationality ActCap. 59
- Foreign Investment Act 2020
- Land Act (Cap. 132), cl. 7
In practice
Immigration practice is comparatively simple, but the interaction with land law is the point that surprises newcomers: even a naturalised Tongan cannot buy land, because no land in Tonga is saleable at all, and the allotment entitlements attach to Tongan male subjects by birth under the Land Act. A foreign resident therefore holds a lease, and only a lease. Naturalisation is discretionary and comparatively rare. The large Tongan diaspora in New Zealand, Australia and the United States makes dual nationality and the status of children born abroad recurring questions.