What Opportunities Does a Partner of a Student Work Visa Get You in NZ?

The Partner of a Student Work Visa is a useful visa option that will help you unite with your family while working in NZ. Stay connected for a detailed overview.

The NZ government and the immigration authorities have shown some earnest efforts to better the states of its citizens and expats while maintaining their medical safety by issuing a host of useful immigration policies. These policy implementations are happening through:

  • Existing visa reforms like Work and Visitor visa automatic extensions
  • Border restrictions except a few visa categories like the Critical Purpose Visitor Visa and the COVID-19 Short Term Visitor Visa
  • Halting certain visa processings like Resident Visa, Pathway Student Visa,etc

The Partner of a Student Work Visa is also a very popular visa category in NZ. Let’s see why.

Partner of a Student Work Visa NZ

The Partner of a Student Work Visa in NZ is based on the criteria of partnership. A partnership is recognized by the NZ government, and INZ as a "genuine and stable relationship" between two people of the same or different sex involved in one of the three stated forms of union (a legal marriage, a civil union, or a de facto marriage).

If your partner is in NZ on a student visa, you can avail of a temporary visa to work in NZ while staying with your partner. Your partner can support your visa application, and you can work with ease throughout your stay in NZ.

What Opportunities does the Visa Have in Store for you?

Opportunity to work

You can work in any employment sector and do not need a New Zealand job offer as long you meet the conditions given below:

  • The work should be legal.
  • The work cannot be related to providing commercial sexual services.
  • You cannot invest or operate a business that offers commercial sexual services.
  • You must have an occupational registration that allows you to do the relevant job in NZ.

Stay on in NZ till your partner is there

You can stay in NZ for the duration for which your partner is permitted to stay on their student visa. You must immediately leave NZ after the expiry of your visa.

Opportunity to study

You can study for three months on the partner of a student work visa at any NZ educational institute.

Primary Conditions to avail of the partner of a Student Work Visa

Apart from meeting the general criteria such as character and health requirements which apply across all visa categories, there are certain other criteria that you must complete and evidence that you will be required to produce to avail this visa.

Identity

Proof of your identity would include a photograph(s) and your passport. A special waiver can be obtained for producing a Certificate of Entry in the absence of a passport.

Good Health

The candidate needs to undergo a medical examination and provide a proof of good health. The medical examination includes a chest X-ray performed by a Panel Physician who is a medical practitioner with a special license to perform medical tests and X-rays on patients for NZ Visa Apps. Whether it is mandatory to have an X-ray done will depend on your span of stay, country of origin, and various other factors.

Character

These are official certificates and confirmations of good character issued by your country's police, which you need to produce if you are aged 17 years or above to ensure that you pose no visible threat to the security of NZ and its people.

Genuine Intentions

Your visa request may be declined if the Immigration authorities suspect that you may have applied for a visa on inappropriate or false grounds or that once you are there, you may not abide by your visa conditions and may intend to disrupt the order of the country. They will come to this visible conclusion after studying all the documents provided by you.

Your relationship with your partner

You must provide evidence that you and your partner share a stable and genuine relationship.

Your partner must sponsor your visa application

Your partner must fill up the "Form for Partners Supporting partnership-based Temporary Entry Applications" as proof of supporting your visa application.

Character certificate of partner

Since this visa is granted based on the criteria of partnership, your partner's character becomes of great importance. You will be asked to furnish a police certificate confirming the excellent nature of your partner. Your partner will meet the character criteria if he has never been convicted of any sexual offense and domestic violence. Pertinent documents as evidence of the exact need to be produced at the time of visa application.

Partner of a Student Visa and educational qualifications

Your partner must be in NZ on a student visa and study towards either:

  • A level 7 or 8 qualification on our INZ's Long Term Skill Shortage List
  • A level 9 or 10 qualification

Finance

You must meet INZ's financial qualifications to be eligible for the visa. You must prove that you are financially equipped to support your stay in NZ and must have at least NZD 4200 to that end. Acceptable pieces of evidence include:

  • bank statements
  • credit card statements
  • bank drafts
  • travelers' cheques

Costs for Visa Application

  • An Application cost of NZD 429.12 will be charged if you are applying on paper offline or a cost of NZD 495.00 if you are applying online. This is the amount charged by INZ to process your visa application. This is a non-refundable fee that is not reimbursed if your visa application is turned down
  • A Passport Fee of NZD 14 is charged for the Visa Application Centre (VAC) to receive and handle your passport, which you need to send after the online application
  • A VAC Service Fee of NZD 21.11 is deducted for the Visa Application Centre to receive your application and forward it to INZ

Book a Consultation with our immensely qualified immigration professionals to know more about the nitty-gritties of visa processing on flying overseas to NZ!

Process of Application

  • You need to gather the visa application form and all relevant documents that might serve as helpful evidence to support your case
  • This is a partnership-based visa, and your partner must therefore support your visa. "Form for Partners Supporting partnership-based Temporary Entry Application" must be filled up by our partner and submitted along with the application
  • Submit the completed "partnership-based Temporary Visa Application" form along with other relevant evidence
  • The VAC (Visa Application Centre) will confirm your application via email to you or your representative. Once your application has been successfully submitted maintaining all the required protocols, you will be able to access status updates showing the movement of your application from the VAC to Immigration New Zealand
  • INZ will contact you accordingly to notify you about any progress in the visa application

After you Arrive in NZ

You must collect an arrival card on your way to NZ and apply for entry permission after landing here. It is essential to know that having a visa does not automatically guarantee entry to NZ. You can be refused to enter NZ owing to several factors even after your arrival there. If the airport authorities cannot confirm your identity or suspect you of providing false evidence, you will not be allowed to enter NZ. Similarly, you can be denied entry if you do not fulfill the character requirements mentioned in the visa criteria guidelines.

After you arrive in NZ, you are free to travel in and out of the country as many times as you want before your visa expires.

You will be asked to show evidence of your financial status once you arrive in NZ to prove you can support your stay there. You can be forbidden to enter NZ if you are unable to furnish the required documents.

Closing Thoughts

It is true that things indeed appear kind of gloomy when it comes to traveling overseas to NZ. Thus, it is best to pull up your socks and get familiar with the latest modifications and immigration policy implementations. In that way, you can plan your tour or work-purpose journey well in advance without having to go through the unnecessary hassle. Book a consultation with our esteemed immigration professionals for a streamlined procedure concerning all your visa requirements.

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