Partnership Based Visas
Your partner may be travelling to New Zealand or already living there – a partnership based visa will allow you to join him/her in the country.
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What are the qualification criteria for New Zealand Partner Visa?
Partnership Visa NZ qualification criteria used by Immigration New Zealand (INZ) depends on the visa category of the primary applicant. You may be eligible to choose between different pathways to get a Partnership Visa NZ offers. The social services you will have access to while you are in New Zealand will be decided by the choices you make.
Here are some of the main qualification criteria for a New Zealand Partner Visa:
- You must meet the good health and character requirements laid down by the INZ.
- The primary visa applicant and you must be in a stable and genuine relationship
- You must be living with your partner
- The primary visa applicant must be eligible to support your New Zealand Partner Visa.
If the primary visa applicant is a citizen or permanent resident of Australia, with New Zealand being their principal residence, he/she is also eligible to sponsor your New Zealand Partner Visa.
How is partnership defined for New Zealand Partner Visa?
INZ looks for a legal marriage, civil union or a de facto relationship between 2 people, irrespective of their sex, to recognise partnership for visa purposes – the association must be steady and legitimate; the partners must also be living together.
Apart from this, here are the additional things INZ will look for:
- Both the partners must be more than 18 years old – approval of your parents or local guardians is needed if any partner is 16 or 17 years old.
- The partners must have come together before the application for New Zealand partnership based Visa is made
- The relationship must not be violating the Marriage act 1995 or the Civil Union Act 2004
Both the partners need to be sharing the same accommodation – this does not include holiday lodgings, flatmate agreements, or maintaining separate living spaces while staying at each other’s places.
How do you meet the partnership criteria for Partnership Visa NZ?
INZ looks at the following things when they decide if you qualify as a partner to be eligible for a New Zealand Partnership based Visa:
- The time you have known each other
- Duration of you two being a couple
- Living arrangement
- Shared financial commitments
- Devotion to living together
- Shared kids and their care arrangements
- Mutually owned or shared properties
- Sharing of household work
- Societal recognition of your relationship
Establishing partnership status is the most difficult part of your New Zealand Partner Visa application – it also is one of the main reasons for INZ to reject partnership based visas. You must work with an immigration expert to avoid rejection or delays in getting your visa. Our immigration team, working from Auckland, can create your foolproof Partnership Visa NZ application. Book a 100% free session to speak with our immigration advisers.
What documents does INZ consider evidence of Partnership?
Official documents work the best when it comes to proving your partnership status to the INZ – here is a partial list of what is acceptable (other documents may work too):
- Civil union and marriage certificates
- Birth certificates of any shared children
- Physical and electronic communication records
- Proof of societal acceptance of the relationship
- Pictures taken together
- Evidence of you 2 making shared decisions
- Verification of quality time spent together
- Evidence showing shared parenting responsibilities
- Joint financial accounts, rental contracts, housing loans, assets and hire-purchase agreements
- Combined utility bills
- Same mailing address
What happens if you have been living separately?
If the partners have not lived together for some time, INZ will determine the potential impact of not living together on the relationship. You will be quizzed on various aspects of your separation – some of the things INZ will look at include:
- Reasons for not living together
- Length of separation
- Communication mechanisms used to connect during the separation period
Almost all relationships have to endure problems at some point in time. However, you will need to be prepared to answer some difficult questions when INZ processes your New Zealand Partner Visa application – this makes it critical that you work with an immigration expert. Immigration Advisers NZ employs licensed immigration consultants, so you get accurate advice to succeed in your New Zealand Partnership based visa application. Book an absolutely free consultation session to get your situation assessed.
What is the length of stay for New Zealand Partner Visa holders?
If your partner holds a temporary NZ visa, the length of your partnership based visa will be tied to the duration of the primary visa.
You may qualify for 12 or 24-month work visa or visitor visa if the primary visa holder is a New Zealand resident or citizen, depending on the length of your relationship. Getting a resident visa as part of the family partnership category is also a possibility in some instances.
Most visa categories, including Work to Residence Visa and Skilled Migrant Category, also allow your partner to make you part of their application for NZ resident visa.
How much time and money does it take to get a Partnership Visa NZ?
The category your application is submitted under determines the visa processing time. A resident class partnership based visa application takes anywhere between 8 and 10 months while INZ may process a temporary partnership based visa within 30 days to six months.
Note that factors such as Medical Issues, Character Issues and PPI (Potentially Prejudicial information) letters may increase processing time. Our team of immigration experts has been helping clients get timely New Zealand Partner Visa approvals for a long time.
We study your New Zealand partnership based case carefully to provide you with the most optimal solution at a competitive price. Book a free consultation slot to see how we can help you get your visa efficiently and cost-effectively.