Tips for a Successful Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa Application
For people in a genuine and stable relationship with a New Zealand resident or citizen, partnership visas may be used to stay in New Zealand. You can apply for a Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa if you are able to demonstrate a certain duration of cohabitation with a New Zealand resident or citizen while onshore or offshore.
A New Zealand Partner Visa is the only option to move in together if you and your partner decide to make New Zealand your home.
To make your experience smooth with less stress, there are things you need to be well-prepared for throughout the process and relevant provisions you need to be familiar with before applying. Check out these common questions asked when getting a Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa.
What is a New Zealand Partner Visa?
- There are three types of partner visas: Partner Visitor Visa, Partner Work Visa and Partner Resident Visa. Suppose you are granted a partnership-based resident visa. In that case, you will have unrestricted rights to work, start your company and study at university at a heavily subsidised tuition fee, almost like a New Zealander.
Applying for a Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa
When lodging a Partner of a New Zealander Work or Residence Visa, there are several factors to consider. You will need to provide a significant amount of persuasive information to meet the criteria.
You must demonstrate that you have lived with your partner for at least a year to apply for a partnership visa at the time of lodgement. This entails living together, as opposed to simply visiting each other's residence on holiday or even a frequent basis.
Your partnership's eligibility for this visa will be determined by an immigration officer, most likely at the Hamilton branch. As part of a four-part test, they will review your documents and conduct interviews in some instances. You must demonstrate that:
- The evidence you provide is credible from both you and your partner;
- You two are cohabiting at the same address;
- The nature of the relationship is genuine; and
- The relationship is enduring, solid, and exclusive.
As well as fill in the application form as accurately as possible and provide supporting materials together with the application cost, make sure you describe how you meet the partnership instructions to Immigration New Zealand by way of a cover letter.
How long does it take to get a partner visa for New Zealand?
Also, you must bear in mind the processing time– while it may take up to 6 months for a partnership-based work visa, in the case of partnership-based resident visa applications, it may take up to 12 months, according to Immigration New Zealand’s website.
Everything in your application must be accurate and complete to prevent delays and needless worry.
What documents are required for a partner resident visa in NZ?
The fundamental criterion for a partnership-based visa is that the applicants must cohabitate in a genuine and stable relationship. The partnership can be recognised as a marriage, civil union, or de facto relationship of heterosexual or the same sex.
Partners must:
- have met each other prior to the application;
- be at least 18 (or 16 or 17 if you have your parents' or guardians' permission); and
- not be close relatives.
You must provide supporting documentation to submit a successful Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa application. They consist of:
- Identity: a current passport and passport-style picture are required.
- Health: You need to be in good health. You may be required to undertake mandatory medical checks and x ray depending on your circumstance.
- Character: Depending on your circumstance, you may be required to prove that you have never been convicted of a crime in each nation of which you are a citizen and have resided for more than one year since turning 17. You must meet the character requirement.
- Partnership documents: You must prove a genuine and stable relationship with your partner with subjective and objective evidence.
- Supporting Partner: Your New Zealander or permanent resident partner must be able to support you.
Is your partner eligible to support your resident visa?
If your partner has supported a migrant partner previously, s/he may not be able to support your resident visa. Make sure your partner meets all the following criteria;
Your New Zealand partner
- must not have acted as a partner in a previously approved application for a residence class visa within the five years leading up to the current application (your partner must not have supported more than one partner prior to supporting your resident visa application)
- is not the perpetrator of an incident of family violence which has resulted in the grant of a resident visa to a person under the category for victims of family violence;
- must not be subject to deportation, or have had their deportation liability suspended.
- must meet the character requirement for partners who are supporting applications made under the Partnership Category.
You may wonder what the partner character requirement referred to at pt 4 is. You can find the answer below.
Does your supporting partner have any disqualifying convictions?
Point 4 above concerns the character requirement of a NZ partner. Immigration New Zealand conducts criminal conviction checks on your partner to assess if s/he is eligible to support your resident visa application. If s/he has been convicted of family violence or sex offence in New Zealand or overseas, Immigration New Zealand will refuse to issue your resident visa unless they grant a character waiver.
If your partner is a New Zealand citizen, you might qualify for a permanent resident visa.
Do you want a permanent resident visa straight away without spending two years in New Zealand after getting a partner resident visa? It is possible if you meet the following three criteria;
- Your partner is a New Zealand citizen (as opposed to a New Zealand permanent resident)
- Your partner has been living overseas for at least 5 years
- You have been in a genuine and stable relationship for at least 5 years
The difficulty you will face in this scenario is that you have to provide your relationship evidence for a minimum for 5 years. Naturally, the amount of required evidence will be extraordinarily substantial compared to the standard partner resident visa application. As other criteria will apply in order to meet this provision, it is wise to prepare extremely well if you fall under this category.
What is the risk of providing false information or concealing harmful information?
If your case officer determines that the information you provided was false, misleading or forged or withheld material information, you will not be granted a resident visa unless a character waiver is approved. Immigration New Zealand has a designated unit specialising in enforcing compliance and catches anybody who is in breach of this provision. They can activate branch warnings to alert any future case officers to scrutinise the person in the subsequent visa applications. Your visa may also be in jeopardy of being cancelled and subject to deportation.
What happens if a Partnership Resident Visa is declined in NZ?
Even when you believe you've followed the instructions, there are several reasons why your application for a Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa may still be rejected. The following are the most frequent causes of rejection:
- Immigration New Zealand is not persuaded that your partner qualifies as a citizen or resident of New Zealand.
- Your relationship's genuine and stable evidence is insufficient for your case officer to be satisfied.
- Your relationship has not lasted the required amount of time, according to the immigration officer.
- You or your partner are already legally wed or in a civil union with someone else.
- You don't meet the requirements for character and health. Your current temporary entry visa may also be affected in this case. For instance, you might not be able to enter New Zealand on your partnership-based work visa.
Please have a look at our blog page "What happens when your partnership visa is declined in New Zealand?"
Are you ready for a formal interview?
In some cases, you may receive a phone call from your case officer wishing to conduct an interview to assess the nature of the partnership. The duration will be 30 minutes to 1 hour. If an immigration adviser or lawyer represents you, Immigration New Zealand must allow them to attend the interview as their legal representative.
Bottomline
New Zealand Visa Partner can offer knowledgeable guidance and remove any uncertainty from your immigration application based on our vast experience and expertise. To avoid the annoyance and unnecessary additional costs, we can assist you from the beginning to maximise your chance of getting a visa by best representing you just as other successful clients. We have experience getting a character waiver approved, mitigating Immigration New Zealand’s concerns and securing a permanent resident visa from a visitor visa under the partnership category.
Contact Us
To address all of your worries, we will work with you. Contact us to receive professional immigration law advice or to have us represent you. Visitors must have an appointment.