New Zealand Partner Visa

New Zealand partnership visa enables partners of New Zealand citizens or resident class visa holders to live with their partners in New Zealand. Partnership can be between same-sex or opposite-sex persons who are either legally married or in a civil union relationship or a de-facto relationship. Check out basic eligibility requirements for partnership based resident visa and work visa:

PARTNER OF A NEW ZEALANDER RESIDENT VISA

To qualify for resident visa based on your relationship with a New Zealand citizen or resident class visa holder, you and your partner should meet the following basic requirements:

  1. you are in a genuine and stable relationship with New Zealand citizen or resident class visa holder;
  2. you are living together with your NZ citizen or resident class visa holder for at least 12 months;
  3. you and your New Zealand partner meet partnership requirements;
  4. you are sponsored by your New Zealand citizen or resident class visa holder;
  5. you and your sponsore should:
    • be aged at least 18 years or have parental consent if aged 16 years or 17 years;
    • not be close relatives;
    • have met each other in person (not on internet or facebook etc)
  6. your sponsor must not have:
    • supported any person for resident class visa in the last 5 years;
    • previously sponsored more than one application for resident class visa under partnership category;
    • been previously sponsored for resident class visa.
  7. you and your sponsor meet character requirements;
  8. you meet health requirements.

NEW ZEALAND CITIZENS LIVING OFFSHORE

Partners of New Zealand Citizens living together offshore for 5 years and meeting all of the afore-mentioned requirements, may be granted Permanent Resident visa instead of Resident Visa.

PARTNERNERSHIP BASED WORK VISA

This visa is for partners of New Zealand citizens or residents meeting all of the afore-mentioned requirements for partner resident visa except for the condition of living together for 12 months. Partners living together in a genuine and stable relationship for less than 12 months, may be granted Work visa to enable them to join their New Zealand resident or citizen partner and live together to complete 12 months living together requirements.To qualify for this visa:
  1. you should be living together when you apply;
  2. you should genuinely intend to meet your visa conditions;
  3. you and your partner should be in genuine and stable relationship;
  4. your NZ partner should support your partnership work visa application;
  5. your NZ partner must be eligible to support your partnership-based resident visa application;
  6. you should have enough money to support yourself during your stay in NZ or be sponsored;
  7. you must meet health requirements;
  8. you and your partner must meet character requirements;
  9. you and your partner must plan to live in New Zealand for the same period of time.
If approved, partners will be granted open work visa allowing work for any employer in any position for either 1 year or 2 years depending upon length of time partners have lived together. After living together for 12 months, parttners can apply for partnership-based resident visa

NEW ZEALAND VISAS