Partner of a Student Visitor Visa

If your partner is studying in New Zealand, you may be able to join them with a Partner of a Student Visitor Visa.

This visa allows eligible partners of New Zealand student visa holders to live with them in New Zealand while they study. It can be particularly useful where you want to accompany your partner but do not qualify for, or do not require, a partnership-based work visa.

Who can apply?

To qualify, you must be in a genuine and stable relationship with a person who holds an eligible New Zealand student visa.

You may be married, in a civil union or in a de facto relationship. Marriage by itself does not guarantee that a visa will be granted. Immigration New Zealand will consider whether you are genuinely living together as a couple and whether the relationship is genuine and stable.

Your student partner must also meet the applicable requirements to support your visitor visa application.

Does the student’s course need to be eligible?

A Partner of a Student Visitor Visa is different from a Partner of a Student Work Visa.

The rules governing a partner work visa are more restrictive because the student’s qualification must meet particular eligibility requirements. A visitor visa may therefore be an option where the student’s course does not qualify their partner for a partnership-based work visa.

The student’s particular visa and circumstances should nevertheless be checked before an application is made.

Proving your relationship

You will need to provide evidence showing that you and your partner are living together in a genuine and stable relationship.

Evidence can include tenancy agreements, household bills, correspondence showing the same residential address, joint bank accounts, shared expenses, photographs, travel records and communications between you.

Immigration New Zealand may also consider the length of your relationship, how long you have lived together, your financial arrangements, shared responsibilities and whether your relationship is recognised by family and friends.

The evidence should tell a consistent story about how your relationship began and developed.

How long must you have lived together?

There is generally no fixed 12-month living-together requirement for a Partner of a Student Visitor Visa. However, you must provide sufficient evidence to establish that you are living together in a genuine and stable relationship.

Where the period of cohabitation has been relatively short, Immigration New Zealand may examine the relationship and supporting evidence more closely.

Temporary periods apart do not necessarily prevent an application from succeeding. If you have been separated because of study, work, travel or immigration circumstances, the reasons should be explained and evidence of your continuing relationship provided.

How long can you stay?

The length of the Partner of a Student Visitor Visa will generally be linked to the student partner’s visa and circumstances.

This can allow you to remain with your partner while they complete their studies in New Zealand.

If your partner later obtains another student visa or changes to a different type of visa, you may need to make a new application to extend your own stay.

Can you work?

A Partner of a Student Visitor Visa does not normally allow you to work in New Zealand.

If you want to work, you should check whether your partner’s qualification makes you eligible for a Partner of a Student Work Visa. You may also be able to qualify for another type of work visa in your own right.

You should not undertake employment unless your visa conditions specifically allow it.

Can you study?

A visitor visa normally allows limited study in New Zealand, subject to the conditions of the visa and applicable immigration rules.

If you intend to undertake longer-term study, you may need to apply for a student visa of your own.

Applying from overseas

You can potentially apply for a Partner of a Student Visitor Visa from outside New Zealand.

It is common for the student to travel to New Zealand first to begin their course, with their partner joining them later.

If you are temporarily living in different countries when the application is made, you should explain the circumstances and provide evidence showing that your relationship has continued during the separation.

Health and character requirements

Applicants must meet the applicable health and character requirements.

Depending on your circumstances and intended length of stay, Immigration New Zealand may require medical information, a chest X-ray or police certificates.

Any previous immigration problems, criminal convictions or significant health matters should be addressed appropriately in the application.

What happens when the student finishes studying?

Your visa is generally connected to your partner’s immigration status, so it is important to consider what will happen when their studies and student visa come to an end.

If your partner becomes eligible for a Post Study Work Visa or another New Zealand work visa, you may have further partnership-based visa options depending on the immigration rules applying at that time.

Alternatively, you may qualify for another visa in your own right.

Preparing a strong application

A Partner of a Student Visitor Visa application should clearly demonstrate the genuine and stable nature of the relationship and the couple’s living arrangements.

Providing organised evidence of cohabitation, shared finances, communication and the history of the relationship can make it easier for Immigration New Zealand to assess the application.

For eligible couples, the Partner of a Student Visitor Visa provides a practical way to remain together in New Zealand while one partner undertakes their studies.