PARTNERSHIP
Partnership Work Visa NZ and the wider Partner of a New Zealander pathway (Visitor, Work, Resident): who qualifies, costs, and the evidence INZ requires.
A partnership visa, officially a Partner of a New Zealander visa, lets the partner of a New Zealand citizen or resident live in New Zealand. The most common starting point is the Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa, which lets you work for almost any employer here. It comes in three variants (Visitor, Work, and Resident), and matching the right one to your relationship stage is the first decision to get right.
The three variants differ by how long you have lived together and what you want to do here:
If you are unsure which variant fits, that is a good first question for a free consultation or the eligibility check.
This is the most common mix-up. A Partner of a New Zealander visa is only for partners of New Zealand citizens or residents. If your partner is not a New Zealander but holds a work visa such as the Accredited Employer Work Visa, you would instead look at a Partner of a Worker visa, which has different rules tied to your partner’s visa and occupation. Getting this distinction right at the start avoids lodging the wrong application.
Every partnership variant turns on one thing: evidence that your relationship is genuine and stable and that you are living together. INZ looks at how long you have been together, your commitment to a shared life, your living arrangements, how you share finances and household tasks, children and their care, and whether others recognise your relationship. Living together means sharing the same home; flatmate arrangements, holidays together, or keeping separate homes do not count.
Evidence quality is what decides most cases. Official records (joint tenancy, joint accounts, a marriage or civil union certificate) carry more weight than informal evidence (photos, letters of support). If you have had periods apart, document the reasons rather than leaving gaps, because contradictions between your timeline and your evidence are one of the most damaging issues in a partnership case.
Two specific situations have their own guides: applying without a marriage certificate and culturally arranged marriages. For a fuller walkthrough of the temporary variants, see our partnership visa guide.
Partnership-based visas come in three variants. The Visitor Visa allows short-term stays without work rights. The Work Visa allows work in NZ for 1 year (cohabitation under 12 months) or up to 3 years (cohabitation 12+ months). The Resident Visa is granted with 12+ months of cohabitation evidence (the long-term destination of the pathway). Choosing the right variant depends on your relationship stage and immigration goal.
The core test for all variants. INZ assesses the relationship across eight dimensions: how long together, commitment, children and care, public recognition, living arrangements, shared tasks, financial support, and shared property. Evidence from official sources (joint tenancy, joint accounts, marriage certificates) weighs more than unofficial sources (letters from friends, social media).
Your supporting partner must be a New Zealand citizen, a New Zealand resident, or an Australian citizen or permanent resident living in NZ on residence. Sponsorship caps: maximum 1 previous partner in the last 5 years; maximum 2 partners total in lifetime. Supporting partner must be 18 or older (16-17 with parental consent) and must not be liable for deportation.
For the Resident Visa: 12 months living together required at application time, evidenced by joint tenancy, joint utilities, and shared mail across the period. For Work and Visitor: no minimum, but the Work Visa is granted for 1 year if you have lived together less than 12 months and up to 3 years once you reach 12 months. Living together does NOT include flat-mate arrangements, holidays together, or maintaining separate homes while spending time at each other's places.
Partnership decisions turn on evidence quality. Required: living-together evidence (joint tenancy or rental, joint utilities, joint mail dated across the cohabitation period). Strong: marriage or civil union certificate, birth certificates for shared children, joint bank accounts in active use, joint ownership of assets. Helpful: communication history, photos together, letters of support. If you've had periods of separation, document the reasons, duration, and how the relationship was maintained.
For Residence: chest X-ray + medical (results less than 3 months old at receipt) for the applicant; police certificates for both applicant and supporting partner. For Work or Visitor: chest X-ray if staying more than 6 months from a non-low-TB country; medical if staying 12+ months. Both applicant and supporting partner must meet character requirements; convictions for sexual offences and other specified categories cannot meet character requirements.
INZ application fee: Resident Visa: from NZD $5,360. Work Visa: from NZD $1,630. Visitor Visa: from NZD $341. These are INZ 'from' figures that include the immigration levy and vary by where you apply; confirm current fees on immigration.govt.nz.
ProVisas advisory fee: Fixed-fee per case where the pathway is standard; time-based for complex matters (including cases with limited evidence, contradictory timelines, or supporting-partner sponsorship history). Specific fees disclosed at consultation and confirmed in your engagement letter.
INZ government fees are passed through at cost. We don't mark up government charges.
Resident Visa: 80% processed within 7 months. Work Visa: 80% within 5 weeks. Visitor Visa: 80% within 8 weeks. Path to Permanent Resident Visa: 2 years on the Partner Resident Visa. Special case: where your supporting partner is a New Zealand citizen, you have lived together for 5+ years, and your partner has also lived outside New Zealand for 5+ years (less than 3 months a year in NZ), INZ may grant a Permanent Resident Visa directly (discretionary). Processing times change; confirm current times on immigration.govt.nz.
It depends on your relationship stage and immigration goal. If you've lived together less than 12 months, you usually start with a Visitor or Work visa to build cohabitation evidence. Once you've evidenced 12 months of genuine and stable living together, the Resident Visa becomes available. Choosing the right variant for your situation is a strategic decision; talk to a licensed adviser before lodging.
Living as a couple in a shared home. Flat-mate arrangements, holidays together, and maintaining separate homes while spending time at each other's places do NOT count. INZ expects evidence covering the cohabitation period: joint tenancy, joint utilities, joint mail dated through the period.
No. A marriage or civil union certificate establishes the legal status of the relationship but doesn't by itself satisfy the genuine and stable test. INZ wants supporting evidence: joint finances, cohabitation history, communication records, public acknowledgement, shared future commitment. Marriages of convenience are exactly what the genuine-and-stable assessment is designed to screen.
Document them. INZ asks for the reasons for separation, the duration, how you maintained communication, and how the relationship was sustained. They assess whether the reasons are 'genuine and compelling.' Don't hide periods of separation in your timeline; contradictions between applicant statements, supporting partner statements, and documentary evidence are one of the most damaging issues in a partnership case.
Subject to the sponsorship caps. Maximum 1 previous partner in the last 5 years. Maximum 2 partners total in lifetime. If your supporting partner has supported a previous resident visa application, or been included themselves in a previous residence application, this affects whether they can support you now. Talk to a licensed adviser about your specific situation.
Usually no; partnership-based residence typically requires evidence of having lived together for 12 months at the time you apply. A narrow special case exists: when you apply for the Resident Visa, INZ may instead grant a Permanent Resident Visa if your supporting partner is a NZ citizen, you have lived together for 5 years or more, and your partner has also lived outside New Zealand for 5 years or more (less than 3 months a year in NZ). It is discretionary and narrow; talk to a licensed adviser if you think it applies.
INZ publishes processing times that change over time. As a current guide, INZ aims to process 80% of Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa applications within 7 months, Work Visa applications within 5 weeks, and Visitor Visa applications within 8 weeks. Check immigration.govt.nz for the latest times. A complete, well-evidenced application is the biggest factor in avoiding delay.
It depends on the variant. The Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa lets you work for almost any employer in New Zealand. The Resident Visa lets you live, work, and study. The Visitor Visa does not allow work; it is for shorter stays while you build your relationship evidence.
INZ fees start from around NZD $5,360 for the Resident Visa, NZD $1,630 for the Work Visa, and NZD $341 for the Visitor Visa. These are 'from' figures that include the immigration levy, vary by where you apply, and change over time, so confirm the current fee on immigration.govt.nz. ProVisas advisory fees are separate and disclosed in your engagement letter.
A Partner of a New Zealander visa is for partners of New Zealand citizens or residents. If your partner is not a New Zealander but holds a work visa such as the AEWV, you would instead look at a partner of a worker visa, which has different requirements tied to your partner's visa and occupation. Confirming which pathway applies is the first step.
Effectively yes. The Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa lets you work for almost any employer in New Zealand, so it is not tied to a single employer or job like the AEWV. It is granted for 1 year if you have lived together for less than 12 months, and for up to 3 years once you have lived together for 12 months or more.
Your supporting partner must be a New Zealand citizen or resident (or an Australian citizen or permanent resident living in NZ on residence), and you must evidence a genuine and stable relationship that includes living together in a shared home. INZ assesses the relationship across dimensions such as how long you have been together, commitment, living arrangements, shared finances and tasks, children and their care, and public recognition. Living-together evidence (joint tenancy, joint utilities, joint mail) sits at the core of every case, alongside genuine-and-stable evidence such as a marriage or civil union certificate or shared finances and assets.
AEWV
The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) is New Zealand's primary skilled work visa, tied to an accredited employer. Substantial 2025 reforms apply.
View Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV)VISITOR
Visitor Visa NZ for short stays: tourism, partner, dependent child, and parent family visits. Up to 6 or 9 months. Bona fide visitor and intentions tests apply.
View Visitor Visa NZ: Partner, Dependent Child & FamilySMC6
Skilled Migrant Category (SMC6) is New Zealand's points-based residence pathway, scored across registration, qualifications, income, and work experience.
View Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa (SMC6)PARENT-RESIDENT
Parent Resident Visa for parents of NZ citizens and residents. Selected via quarterly ballot, 2,500 places a year; sponsors must meet income thresholds.
View Parent Resident VisaPARTNER-OF-WORKER
Partner of a Worker Work Visa NZ: for partners of NZ work visa holders. The supporting visa must be on the eligible list; most AEWVs qualify, wage tests apply.
View Partner of a Worker Work Visa NZguides
Genuine and stable partnership evidence is the load-bearing element of a partnership-based temporary visa. Required evidence and AEWV partner caveats.
Read articleguides
NZ immigration recognises de facto partnerships alongside marriages. 12+ months of genuine, stable cohabitation is the standard threshold, with evidence.
Read articlepolicy updates
INZ updated its guidelines on the Culturally Arranged Marriage Visitor Visa. People in arranged marriages overseas can now apply to join their partner.
Read articleguides
Two related INZ processes: transferring an existing visa to a new passport, and applying for a Parent Resident Visa via a two-stage EOI and full.
Read articleLast reviewed 2026-06-26. Source of truth: Immigration New Zealand →
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