Partnership visas
Building a life together in New Zealand
If your partner is a New Zealand citizen or resident, or is here on a work or student visa, you may be able to join them and live, work or study here on the strength of your relationship. Partnership visas are about evidence more than eligibility: the rules are clear, but proving your relationship is where applications succeed or fail. That's where we come in.
Which partnership visa fits you?
The visa depends on what your partner's status is in New Zealand and what you want to do here.
Your partner is a New Zealand citizen or resident. You can apply for a visa that lets you live and work here, and once you've been together long enough, apply for residence based on the relationship. Many couples start with a temporary partnership visa while the residence application is prepared.
Your partner holds a student visa. Whether you can join them, and whether you can work, depends on what and where they're studying.
Your partner holds a work visa. You may be able to apply for a visa based on their visa, though the rules here have changed in recent years and depend on your partner's job, pay and visa type. In some cases you'll need a work visa of your own instead. This is the one where it pays to check before assuming.
You're not sure you qualify as "partners". INZ recognises married, civil union and de facto couples, including same-sex couples. What matters is that the relationship is real, ongoing and that you live together. If you've been apart for work or immigration reasons, or haven't lived together for long, there are still ways forward, and it's better to plan for them than to hope INZ won't notice.
What INZ is really looking for?
Every partnership application comes down to one question: is this a genuine and stable relationship, and are the two of you living together? INZ answers it from the evidence you provide, so the strength of the application is the strength of the file.
That usually means showing your life together over time: where you've lived and for how long, shared finances and commitments, how family and friends know you as a couple, photos and messages across the relationship, and travel or time apart explained rather than left as a gap. Couples who have kept everything separate for good reasons, or who have lived in different countries, often have a strong relationship and a thin file. Our job is to close that gap before the application goes in, not after INZ asks.
Book a consultation
Let's talk it through
Not sure which of these applies to you? That's normal. The rules change often and the answer usually depends on details, which is exactly what an initial consultation is for.
You'll get an hour with me, one to one, on WhatsApp or Microsoft Teams. We go through your situation, your options and what would strengthen your position. Afterwards I send you a written summary of the key points and your next steps, so you have something to refer back to.
Email: audrey@abeona.co.nz
Get in Touch Today
A short questionnaire first. It takes about ten minutes and means we spend the hour on your situation, not the basics.
One hour, one to one.
Video or voice call, on WhatsApp or Microsoft Teams, at a time that suits you
A written summary afterwards. Your options, the points that matter and the next steps, in plain English.
NZD $150 (+GST where applicable). Paid at booking, which confirms your time.