How This Visa Fits Your Bigger Picture
The Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa is often Stage 1 of a two-stage pathway to residence. Understanding where you sit helps us build the right strategy from day one.
Work Visa → Residence
For couples where the relationship is genuine but under two years old. This work visa is Stage 1 — you live together in New Zealand for 12 months, then apply for permanent residence. You can work freely throughout.
Visa duration (Stage 1)
Work rights — any employer
- → Full open work rights — any job, any employer
- → Self-employment permitted
- → Study up to 3 months per year
- → Multiple-entry travel
- → Apply for residence after 12 months together
- → No job offer required to apply
Work Visa Only
Some couples apply for the work visa with no immediate intention to pursue residence — to test life in New Zealand, support a partner during study or a career transition, or simply spend an extended period together with the freedom to work.
Visa duration
Subject to eligibility
- → Full open work rights throughout
- → Renewable if relationship continues
- → Flexibility to pursue residence later
- → No obligation to apply for residence
- → Study up to 3 months per year
Who Can Apply?
Both the applicant and the New Zealand sponsor must meet all eligibility requirements at the time of application. INZ scrutinises partnership-based applications carefully.
New Zealand Sponsor
Your partner must be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident who is ordinarily resident in New Zealand — genuinely living here, not holding status from abroad. They must be aged 18 or over.
Genuine & Stable Partnership
You must be married, in a civil union, or in a genuine de facto relationship. Both partners must be 18 or over (or 16–17 with parental consent) and must not be close relatives of each other.
Sponsor Obligations
The New Zealand partner must not have sponsored another partner for a work or residence visa within the past five years. They must commit to being responsible for your maintenance and wellbeing in New Zealand.
Good Health
You must meet INZ’s health requirements. A chest X-ray is typically required for stays over six months. A full medical examination may also be needed depending on your nationality and health history.
Good Character
Both you and your sponsor must satisfy INZ’s good character requirements. Police certificates from all countries where either party has lived for 12 or more months in the past 10 years are required.
No Minimum Duration
Unlike the direct residence pathway, there is no minimum relationship duration for this work visa. However, the relationship must be genuine and stable — INZ will scrutinise new or short-term relationships more closely.
Building a Strong Application
Partnership visa applications are among the most scrutinised INZ processes. A well-organised, comprehensive evidence pack is the single biggest factor in a successful outcome.
📄 Identity & Relationship Documents
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Valid passports
Current passports for both you and your New Zealand partner, plus previous passports if they show shared travel history.
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Marriage or civil union certificate
Official certificate if formally married or in a civil union. De facto couples must provide comprehensive alternative relationship evidence.
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Sponsor’s proof of NZ status
New Zealand passport, citizenship certificate, or evidence of permanent residence confirming your partner’s eligibility to sponsor.
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Photographs & shared history
Dated photos over time showing the relationship at different stages — events, travel, family occasions, everyday life together.
🏠 Evidence of Cohabitation & Shared Life
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Joint tenancy or accommodation evidence
Lease or mortgage documents showing both names at the same address, or other evidence you have been living together.
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Shared finances
Joint bank accounts, shared utility bills, insurance policies, or other evidence of a combined financial life.
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Communication records
For couples who have spent time apart, evidence of regular contact — messages, calls, emails — demonstrating ongoing commitment.
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Statutory declarations from family & friends
Signed statements from people who know you as a couple, confirming the nature and stability of your relationship over time.
🏥 Health & Character Documents
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Chest X-ray & medical (INZ 1007)
Completed by an INZ-approved Panel Physician. Required for most work visa applications of 12 months duration.
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Police certificates
From every country where you or your sponsor have lived for 12 or more months in the past 10 years.
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Sponsor declaration
Signed undertaking confirming your partner is ordinarily resident in New Zealand and accepts responsibility for your maintenance.
How the Process Works
From first conversation to visa in hand — here is how we guide you through every step.
Free Consultation
We assess your relationship, your partner’s NZ status, and your longer-term goals — then recommend whether to apply for this work visa, go straight for residence, or take another route entirely.
Evidence Strategy
We identify the strongest evidence for your specific relationship — covering all four relationship pillars — and advise on any gaps before the application is submitted.
Health & Character Checks
We arrange bookings with approved Panel Physicians and advise on obtaining police certificates from all required countries well ahead of lodgement.
Application Lodgement
We prepare and lodge your complete application through INZ’s online portal — every form correctly completed, every document correctly formatted and labelled.
INZ Processing & Liaison
We monitor progress and respond promptly to any INZ requests for further information, keeping the process moving and you informed at every stage.
Visa Granted & Residence Planning
Once your work visa is approved, we confirm conditions and begin planning your Stage 2 residence application — so you are ready to apply the moment you qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s Build Your Path to New Zealand
Partnership visa applications require careful preparation. The right evidence, structured the right way, makes the difference between approval and delay. Our licensed advisers have guided hundreds of couples through this process — we know what INZ is looking for.
