Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa

If you’re the partner of a New Zealand citizen or resident, you can apply to live in New Zealand permanently. If you’re granted residence, you can live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely.

Overview

Indefinitely

With this visa you can

  • Live, work, and study in New Zealand.
  • Include dependent children, aged 24 and under, in your visa application.

Things to Note

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If your partner’s New Zealand residence is based on their Australian citizenship, Australian permanent residence or resident return visa, you can only apply for this visa if your partner lives in New Zealand.

If your partner’s New Zealand residence is based on their Australian citizenship, Australian permanent residence or resident return visa, you can only apply for this visa if your partner lives in New Zealand.

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If your partner is a New Zealand citizen and the two of you have been living together outside of New Zealand for 5 years or more, you may be granted a permanent resident visa. Your partner will need to be either overseas when you apply, or have been back in New Zealand for less than 3 months.

If your partner is a New Zealand citizen and the two of you have been living together outside of New Zealand for 5 years or more, you may be granted a permanent resident visa. Your partner will need to be either overseas when you apply, or have been back in New Zealand for less than 3 months.

Your partner’s immigration status

Your partner must be a New Zealand citizen or resident

Your partner must provide one of the following:

  • a New Zealand passport
  • a New Zealand birth certificate
  • a certificate of New Zealand citizenship
  • a New Zealand residence class visa.

If your partner is a New Zealand resident because of their citizenship or residence status in Australia, they may provide their Australian passport, permanent residence or resident return visa.

Your partner’s place of residence

Partners who have New Zealand residence because they have an Australian passport, permanent residence or resident return visa, must live in New Zealand

If this applies, your partner must provide evidence that they live in New Zealand, this could include:

  • letters or bills addressed to them
  • employment records
  • records of benefit payments from Work and Income, or tax records from Inland Revenue
  • mortgage, tenancy or utility supply agreements
  • documents showing their household effects have been moved to New Zealand
  • any other documents you think prove they live in New Zealand.

Your partner’s character

Your partner must be of good character

Eligible NZ supporting partner

Your partner must be eligible to support your application

To be eligible to support your resident visa application your partner must not:

  • have supported a successful residence application for more than one previous partner
  • have supported a successful residence application for a previous partner in the last 5 years
  • have included a previous partner in a successful residence application in the last 5 years
  • have been included as a partner in a successful residence application in the last 5 years
  • be liable for deportation, or have their deportation liability suspended.

Your partner must complete a ‘Partnership support form for Residence/temporary entry’ as evidence of their support’.

You can read more about residence in the ‘Self-Assessment Guide for Residence in New Zealand’.

Your relationship with your partner

You and your partner must have been living together in a genuine and stable relationship for 12 months or more

You must provide evidence that you and your partner are living together in a genuine and stable relationship.

Your evidence should show:

  • how long you’ve been together
  • how long you’ve been living together
  • that you share finances and other responsibilities
  • that you spend time together, eg photos together, emails and social media conversations between you
  • that other people recognise your relationship
  • anything else you think shows you and your partner are living together in a genuine and stable relationship.

Genuine and stable relationship

A partnership is genuine if it has been entered into on a long term and exclusive basis.

A partnership is stable if it is likely to endure.

Immigration costs

NZD ($) 2,250

This is the fee for Immigration New Zealand to process your application.An immigration levy is payable and is included in the total amount above.

Timeframes (Processing)

within 10 months

90% of applications are currently completed within this time. Timeframes are in calendar days.

Mohamed Anas Sirajur Raheem

BA (Political Studies), LLB (VUW)

Mohamed is a New Zealand Immigration Consultant with VisaEnvoy and an enrolled Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand.

He is a former New Zealand Immigration Officer (Visa Services) and Border Officer at Auckland International Airport. He has several years of experience working in various Government Departments in New Zealand and has also worked as a Licensed Immigration Adviser at a prominent New Zealand Immigration firm.

His areas of expertise and interest are in the fields of General Skilled Migration, Temporary Work (Long and Short Stay), Business visas, Partner, Parent and Child Visa streams.

Mohamed was inspired to pursue a career in immigration by his own migration experiences. Over the years he has assisted individuals, families, large corporations, Professional sportspeople, and Entertainers (singers, speakers, and actors) to come to New Zealand.

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