Partner of a Worker Work Visa
If your partner holds an eligible New Zealand work visa, you may be able to apply for a Partner of a Worker Work Visa, allowing you to live and work in New Zealand while your partner is working here.
This visa can be an important option for couples who want to remain together in New Zealand and, depending on the circumstances, may give the partner considerable flexibility to work.
Who can apply?
To qualify, you must be in a genuine and stable relationship with a person who holds an eligible New Zealand work visa.
You can be married, in a civil union or in a de facto relationship. Immigration New Zealand focuses on whether the relationship is genuine and stable and whether you are living together as a couple, rather than simply whether you are legally married.
Your partner’s work visa must also be one that allows them to support a partner for a work visa. Not every work visa holder can support a Partner of a Worker Work Visa, and additional restrictions can apply depending on the type of visa held, the worker’s occupation and other applicable immigration settings.
Proving your relationship
You will need to provide evidence demonstrating that you and your partner are living together in a genuine and stable relationship.
Evidence may include tenancy agreements, property documents, utility accounts, correspondence addressed to both partners at the same address, joint bank accounts, shared financial commitments, photographs, travel records and communications between you.
Immigration New Zealand may also consider how long you have been together, how household responsibilities are shared, your financial arrangements and whether other people recognise you as a couple.
The evidence should provide a clear picture of the development of the relationship and your life together.
How long must you have lived together?
Unlike a partnership-based residence application, there is not necessarily a requirement to have lived together for 12 months before applying for a Partner of a Worker Work Visa.
However, you must normally be living together when the application is assessed, and you need sufficient evidence to satisfy Immigration New Zealand that the relationship is genuine and stable.
Short periods of living together can require particularly strong supporting evidence. Any periods when the couple has lived apart should be clearly explained.
Can you work for any employer?
This depends on the immigration settings applying to the supporting worker and the partner.
Some partners may qualify for an open work visa, allowing them to work for almost any employer in New Zealand without obtaining a separate job offer before applying.
In other situations, employment conditions or restrictions may apply. Eligibility can depend on factors such as the supporting partner’s visa, occupation and employment circumstances.
It is therefore important to check the conditions that will apply to the particular application rather than assuming that every Partner of a Worker Work Visa is completely open.
How long does the visa last?
The duration of a Partner of a Worker Work Visa will generally be linked to the immigration status and visa duration of the supporting partner.
If the supporting partner’s work visa is due to expire soon, this may affect the length of the partner’s visa.
If the supporting worker later receives a new visa, the partner may need to make a further application to extend their own stay in New Zealand.
Health and character requirements
Applicants must meet the applicable health and character requirements.
Depending on the proposed length of stay and the applicant’s individual circumstances, Immigration New Zealand may require medical information, a chest X-ray or police certificates.
Any previous visa problems, criminal convictions or significant health issues should be considered carefully before the application is submitted.
What if you are overseas?
A Partner of a Worker Work Visa can potentially be applied for from outside New Zealand. The applicant will still need to establish that the relationship meets Immigration New Zealand’s partnership requirements.
Where a couple is temporarily living apart because one partner has travelled to New Zealand first for work, evidence explaining the separation and showing the continuing relationship can be important.
What if you cannot qualify for a work visa?
A Partner of a Worker Visitor Visa may be an alternative where the relationship requirements are met but the applicant does not qualify for a partnership-based work visa.
A visitor visa can allow the couple to live together in New Zealand, although it does not normally provide the same employment rights as a work visa.
Preparing the application
Partnership applications can involve considerably more evidence than applicants expect. Immigration New Zealand needs to be satisfied that the relationship is genuine and stable and that the couple is genuinely living together.
A strong application should provide organised evidence of cohabitation, the history of the relationship, shared finances and responsibilities, and the couple’s ongoing commitment to each other.
The supporting worker’s immigration status should also be checked carefully before applying because their particular work visa and employment circumstances can determine whether their partner is eligible for a work visa and what work conditions will apply.
For eligible couples, the Partner of a Worker Work Visa can provide a practical way for both partners to live and work in New Zealand while the supporting partner continues their employment here.