Like the rest of the world, New Zealand has also faced the wrath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The unprecedented nature of this virus and its magnitude has left the entire world stunned. But New Zealand has shone brightly amongst this dismal present with some of its spectacular measures that ensure the betterment of its citizens’ conditions without compromising their medical safety.
New Zealand has tried to alter the looming threat with some of the progressive immigration policies and their stringent enforcement. Several temporary work visa extensions, visitor visa extensions, new visitor visa category introductions, etc., have proved beneficial to the countrymen.
Partnership based visas NZ
The partnership visa category allows a person to apply for a visitor or resident class NZ visa based on their relationship with an NZ visa holder. The two said individuals must share a partnership primarily defined by INZ as a “genuine and stable relationship”.
One can make a visa application by citing various relations, including dependent children or parents of NZ visa holders. A partnership is one such form of relationship which can help one obtain a New Zealand visa.
In each case, the onus lies on the primary applicant and their partner to prove that their relationship is stable. Based on the evidence furnished by the party, the Immigration authorities decide whether they can grant a visa.
What is Defined as Partnership by INZ?
If you have a partner living in New Zealand, you can apply for an NZ visa based on your partnership. Immigration New Zealand defines partnership as “a genuine and stable relationship between two people of the same or opposite sex engaged in a union of one of the following types:
- A legal marriage
- A civil union
- A de facto marriage
Your relationship of partnership needs to meet specific criteria set by INZ. Only if you meet the requirements will you be granted a visa based on your partnership. Let us read on to find out the eligibility criteria and conditions to avail of an NZ Partnership visa, enabling you to live together with your partner in New Zealand.
Who can Apply for a Partnership Visa? Minimum Requirements
You can apply for a partnership visa if you meet the following minimum requirements:
- Your partner is a New Zealand visa holder (Work, Student, or any other visitor visa holder) or a permanent resident/citizen of NZ.
- Both you and your partner must be aged at least 18 years.
- If you and your partner are 16 or 17 years old, you must have the consent of your parents or guardians to apply for the partnership-based visa.
- You and your partner must have met each other before applying for a visa based on your partnership.
- You and your supporting partners cannot be “close relatives” as defined in the Marriage Act 1995 or the Civil Union Act of 2004.
What are the Accommodation Criteria of Partnership?
If you wish to avail of a visa based on your partnership, you will have to show that you and your supporting partner have lived in a shared accommodation out of a free will. Living together previously is an essential requirement for qualifying partnership eligibility. Living together does not mean:
If your partner is on a work visa in NZ, they can support a work visa or a visitor visa for your partner except if they have a work visa in the following sectors:
- Simply spending time in each other’s houses while continuing to have separate accommodations.
- Sharing accommodation during the span of a holiday.
- Living together on a flatmate arrangement.
What are Some of the Evidence to Prove Genuine and Stable Partnership?
As evidence of your solid and sustainable partnership, you will be required to provide documents that attest to your relationship. Official documents will have more weightage as evidence than unofficial letters. For example, official paperwork of a joint tenancy agreement or a mutual bank account document in the name of you and your partner is bound to act as more compelling evidence than an unofficial letter from a relative stating how long the two of you have been living together.
Based on the evidence you provide, INZ will decide whether your case stands a chance of meeting the partnership requirements. The decision to grant a visa is taken on a per case basis after a comparative assessment of the evidence and visa application.
There is no specified number of documents that you must submit as evidence. But the more evidence you submit, the stronger your case becomes. Evidence to show that you are in a genuine and stable relationship can include those given below. Similarly, they can include but may not be limited to the list of evidence given below:
- Marriage certificates or other certificates that attest to your civil union
- Birth certificates of your children
- Proof that your relationship is known to others and recognizable by them
- A joint rental agreement or home loan
- Joint bank accounts
- Evidence you own assets together
- Joint credit cards or hire purchase agreements
- Joint utilities accounts, like power or phone bills
- Photos/videos of you and your partner together
- Proof of conversations via emails, social media, letters, or cards
- evidence you make decisions and plans together
- Evidence you parent together
- Evidence you spend leisure time together
What are Some of the Criteria for Assessing Partnership?
Some of the general parameters against which an application under the partnership category is assessed are as follows:
- The length of your relationship as a couple
- The period for which you have lived together
- Your living arrangements
- Whether you support each other financially
- Whether you share a genuine commitment to spending the life together
- How you share financial responsibilities
- How to divide and share household chores
- Your shared responsibilities towards your child/children if you have any
Conclusion
If your partner is living in NZ, then there is no reason why you can’t be with them. Apply for a visa based on a partnership to come together with your partner in New Zealand. You can apply for a work or student visa based on the partnership that will allow you to work or study during your stay in NZ, which will equal your partner’s stay period in NZ. For more information regarding processing and costs, book a consultation right away! Our immigration experts are well-endowed with all the relevant knowledge of visa application and processing and could help you out in this matter.