Partner of a Student Work Visa

If your partner is studying an eligible qualification in New Zealand, you may be able to apply for a Partner of a Student Work Visa, allowing you to live and work in New Zealand while your partner completes their studies.

This visa can provide an important opportunity for couples to remain together while one partner studies, while also allowing the other partner to work and support themselves in New Zealand.

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 can be married, in a civil union or in a de facto relationship. Immigration New Zealand focuses on whether you are living together in a genuine and stable partnership rather than simply whether you are legally married.

Your partner must also be studying a qualification that meets Immigration New Zealand’s requirements for supporting a partner for a work visa.

What courses qualify?

Not every New Zealand student visa holder can support their partner for a work visa.

Eligibility depends on the qualification being studied. This can include certain higher-level qualifications and specified qualifications linked to occupations for which New Zealand has identified skills needs.

Because qualification and immigration settings can change, the exact programme, qualification level and provider should be checked before relying on eligibility for a partner work visa.

Proving your relationship

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

Evidence can include tenancy agreements, household bills, correspondence addressed to both partners at the same address, joint bank accounts, shared expenses, photographs, travel records and communications.

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

The evidence should provide a clear and consistent picture of the history and development of your relationship.

How long must you have lived together?

There is not generally a fixed 12-month cohabitation requirement for a Partner of a Student Work Visa. However, you must satisfy Immigration New Zealand that you are living together in a genuine and stable relationship.

Where a couple has only recently begun living together, stronger evidence about the overall relationship may be important.

If you have spent periods living apart because of study, work, travel or immigration circumstances, those periods should be explained and supported by evidence showing that the relationship continued.

Can you work in New Zealand?

If granted a Partner of a Student Work Visa, you can work in New Zealand subject to the conditions recorded on your visa.

A major advantage of this visa is that eligible partners may receive open work rights, meaning they are not necessarily tied to a particular employer or job.

You should always check the conditions stated on the visa before starting employment.

How long does the visa last?

The duration of the Partner of a Student Work Visa will generally be linked to the student partner’s visa and period of study.

If the student’s visa expires, the partner will normally need to obtain another appropriate visa to remain in New Zealand.

If the student progresses to another qualification or later obtains a Post Study Work Visa or another type of work visa, the partner’s future visa options may also change.

Health and character requirements

Applicants must meet the applicable health and character requirements.

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

Previous immigration difficulties, criminal convictions or significant health matters should be addressed appropriately when preparing the application.

Can you apply from overseas?

A Partner of a Student Work Visa can potentially be applied for while you are outside New Zealand.

This may occur where the student has travelled to New Zealand first to begin their studies and their partner intends to join them later.

Where the couple is temporarily living apart, the application should explain why and provide evidence showing that the relationship remains genuine and stable.

What if the student’s course does not qualify?

If your partner’s qualification does not allow them to support you for a Partner of a Student Work Visa, you may still have other options.

A Partner of a Student Visitor Visa may allow you to join your partner in New Zealand without work rights. Alternatively, you may qualify for a work, student or other temporary visa in your own right.

Preparing a strong application

A successful application requires more than simply showing that your partner holds a student visa.

You must establish that the student’s particular qualification allows them to support a partner for a work visa and provide sufficient evidence that your relationship meets Immigration New Zealand’s partnership requirements.

The qualification should therefore be checked carefully before the application is lodged, particularly where eligibility depends on the programme being included on an immigration qualification or occupation list.

For eligible couples, the Partner of a Student Work Visa can allow one partner to pursue their studies while the other lives and works alongside them in New Zealand.