VI 
When you have a partner who is a New Zealand citizen or resident, you can apply for a work visa or residence visa to live in New Zealand with your partner. Below is a brief guide to help you understand the regulations and processes to prepare your application effectively.
Eligibility Criteria
When applying for this type of visa in New Zealand, it is not important whether you are married or not. The key factor is that you and your partner must be living together in a genuine and stable relationship. This is crucial in the visa application process, as Immigration New Zealand only grants visas based on genuine relationships where the couples are truly living together.
One important factor to consider is that your partner must meet certain criteria to support your residence visa application. Among these criteria, the main requirements are:
- Your partner has not previously supported more than one person who has successfully applied for a residence visa.
- Your partner has not supported a successful residence visa application in the past five years.
- Your partner has not caused domestic violence that led to the granting of a residence visa to the victim under the domestic violence category.
Application Process
If you have lived together for less than a year, you cannot apply for a residence visa. Instead, you should apply for a work visa based on this relationship, allowing you to stay legally in New Zealand with your partner. It is generally recommended to live together for at least 4 to 6 months before applying. This period helps you gather sufficient evidence to prove that you are living together in a genuine and stable relationship. However, the specific time to apply may vary depending on the strength of the evidence you provide.
The initial work visa is usually granted for a duration of 12 months. If you apply for a subsequent work visa, INZ typically grants a duration of 24 months.
Transition to Residence Visa
After living together for at least 12 months, you can apply for a residence visa. The processing time for a residence visa can be lengthy, averaging around 8 months. It is likely that INZ may interview both you and your partner. Importantly, you will not receive an interim visa while your residence visa application is being processed if your current visa expires. Therefore, you should submit a subsequent work visa application before your current visa expires to ensure you can remain in New Zealand legally.
Get Professional Assistance
For more detailed assistance, contact Be Visa, where we will provide professional and dedicated support throughout your immigration journey.
Contact Information
Website: bevisa.co.nz
Email: contact@bevisa.co.nz
Phone: +64 204 599 996
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