Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa
If your partner is a New Zealand citizen or resident, the Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa may allow you to live and work in New Zealand while you build your life together.
Unlike many employment-based work visas, you do not need a job offer before applying. Once granted, the visa generally provides open work rights, allowing you to work for almost any employer and in almost any legal occupation in New Zealand, subject to any occupational registration requirements.
Who can apply?
To qualify, you must have a partner who is a New Zealand citizen or resident and who is eligible to support your application.
You and your partner must both be at least 18 years old when the application is made. Most importantly, you must be living together in a genuine and stable relationship when you apply.
Being married or engaged is not, by itself, enough. Immigration New Zealand will look at the reality of the relationship and the evidence showing that you have established a shared life together.
You must also meet the applicable health, character and genuine-intention requirements.
Proving your relationship
Partnership evidence is a central part of the application.
Immigration New Zealand may consider evidence showing how long you have been together, how long you have lived together, your financial arrangements, shared responsibilities, time spent together and whether your relationship is recognised by family and friends.
Useful evidence can include joint tenancy agreements, utility bills or correspondence sent to the same address, joint bank accounts, money transfers, shared purchases, photographs, travel records, messages and other documents demonstrating an ongoing relationship.
The quality and continuity of the evidence can be particularly important. Applicants should aim to provide a clear picture of the relationship over time rather than relying heavily on photographs or declarations alone.
How long is the visa granted for?
The length of the visa generally depends on how long the couple has been living together.
If you have lived together for less than 12 months, the visa will normally be granted for a shorter period, with the possibility of applying for a further visa if the relationship continues to meet Immigration New Zealand’s requirements.
If you have lived together for at least 12 months, you may be eligible for a visa lasting up to three years.
What can you do on the visa?
A Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa provides considerable flexibility.
You can generally work in New Zealand without being tied to a particular employer. This makes the visa significantly more flexible than employer-specific work visas.
You may also study for up to three months in any 12-month period.
Do you need a job offer?
No. A New Zealand job offer is not required to apply for a Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa.
This can be an important advantage for partners moving to New Zealand because they can look for employment after obtaining their visa rather than having to secure a qualifying job beforehand.
Can children be included?
Dependent children cannot normally be included in the same Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa application.
Children may, however, be eligible to apply separately for an appropriate visitor or student visa depending on their circumstances and the immigration status of their parents.
Can it lead to residence?
Yes. For many couples, a partnership-based work visa is an important step towards residence in New Zealand.
The Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa has separate requirements. In particular, the couple generally need to have been living together in a genuine and stable relationship for at least 12 months when applying for residence.
A work visa can therefore be useful for couples who have not yet accumulated the period of living together required for a partnership-based residence application.
Preparing a strong application
Partnership applications are evidence-driven. Immigration New Zealand must be satisfied that the couple are genuinely living together and that their relationship is genuine and stable.
A well-prepared application should provide a clear relationship history, evidence of cohabitation covering the relevant periods, financial and household evidence, and supporting material showing that the relationship operates as a genuine partnership.
Where the couple have spent significant periods apart, have only recently begun living together, have limited documentary evidence, or have unusual living arrangements, those circumstances should be clearly explained.
The Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa can provide a practical pathway for couples who want to establish or continue their life together in New Zealand, while giving the overseas partner considerable freedom to work and potentially progress towards New Zealand residence.