New Zealand Spouse Visa For Students
Are you planning to sponsor your parents in a Spouse Visa? If yes, then firstly congratulations! Secondly, you need to gather a lot of documents and consider multiple factors. The article below will help you gather the necessary documents and consider some critical factors in applying for valid New Zealand Spouse Visa
Unlike student visa, the partner visa is quite different and stricter in terms of eligibility criteria as compared to student visa. Therefore, it requires you to meet a number of requirements in order for you to be considered eligible for it. This will give you access to work and live with your loved one in New Zealand. In this article I will guide you in depth on what exactly is the New Zealand Spouse Visa so that you can make up your mind as to whether you are going to apply for it or not.
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New Zealand Spouse Visa For Students
In New Zealand, your partner will need to apply for their own visa to be in the country if they wish to work or study (examples of visas they might apply for include a student visa, a working holiday visa or a work visa). It is not possible to add them to your student visa as a dependent.
If a foreign student is planning to migrate to New Zealand, he or she can be granted with a New Zealand Spouse visa. The process of getting this visa may sound complex, but the immigration authorities provide an online assessment tool that can help a foreign student decide if they qualify for this immigration visa.
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They can, however, apply for a work visa on the basis of being your partner if the course that you are going to study in New Zealand falls into either of the following two categories:
- Your course is in an area of absolute skill shortage, as specified by the New Zealand Government’s Long Term Skill Shortage List.
- Your course is a postgraduate qualification
Travelling with children
Any child travelling with you to New Zealand will need to have their own student visa, regardless of level of study. You’ll also have to pay fees for your children to go to any New Zealand school (whether the school is state or private). Fees vary according to the age of your children and where you live, but expect to pay around NZ$9,000 to NZ$15,000 per year, per child.
Can Spouse Work In New Zealand
If your husband/wife is studying in New Zealand, it is easy to join them if you get a spouse visa for yourself. Not only you, but your children can join you and stay in New Zealand till the time your spouse’s course gets over.
Partner means the spouse into a legal marriage or civil union partner of the applicant where the couple has been living together for 12 months or more. This may include same-sex couples or de facto relationships. Children of 19 years of age or younger, unmarried will be considered dependents. The visa application fee for spouses is INR 32,9700 approximately and the visa is processed in eight months. It may take more time to process the application due to the current COVID-19 crisis but 90% of the applications are assessed within this timeframe.
If you are applying for a dependent visa, you need your application to be reliant on being the partner of a student in New Zealand. There need to be certain criteria that need to be fulfilled before you may be granted a dependent visa.
Requirements for a Partner of the Student Work Visa
The immigration officer needs to be satisfied that the following criteria are met:
- The applicant couple complies with the minimum requirements for recognition of a partnership.
- The couple is living together in a genuine and stable relationship.
- Their partner (the main applicant for a student visa) supports the application.
- Their partner (the main applicant for a student visa) meets the character requirements for partners supporting ‘partnership-based temporary entry class visa applications.
- Your partner must hold a New Zealand student visa to study for a level 7 or higher qualification on the NZQF in an area of skill shortage as specified in the Long Term Skill Shortage List or a postgraduate qualification.
- Prove that you have NZD 4,200 worth of funds for your stay in New Zealand. Evidence of bank or credit card statements will work or even bank drafts and traveller’s cheques can be submitted.
- Proof of good health through submission of chest x-ray or a medical examination.
Documents Required for a Spouse Visa in New Zealand
The following documents will be required for the visa application purposes:
- Valid passport – Your passport must be valid for at least three months beyond your period of stay in New Zealand
- Completed Visa Application Form
- Application fee payment receipt
- Health insurance receipt
- You may be required to show Health and Character certificates, to prove that your intention of staying in New Zealand is genuine
- Two passport-sized photographs
- Marriage certificate or evidence if guardians support the relationship (for 16 and 17-year-olds)
Note: This visa allows the applicants to work in New Zealand even if they have a partner who is studying there towards a level 7 or 8 qualification in the Long Term Skill Shortage List, or a level 9 or 10 qualification.
Working Partners of Student Visa Holders in New Zealand
The spouse of the student visa holding partner will be eligible to apply for a work visa only if the student visa holding partner fulfils the following criterion:
- A level seven or eight qualification on the NZQF in an area of absolute skill shortage as specified in the Long Term Skill Shortage List, or
- A level nine or ten qualification on the NZQF, or
- If the student visa holding partner is on an MFAT-funded New Zealand scholarship.
In case of any other student visa holdings, the spouse of the student visa holding partner can apply for a visitor visa based on partnership.
How to Apply for a Spouse Visa in New Zealand?
In order to apply for a partnership-based temporary visa, applicants must first complete the Partnership-Based Temporary Visa Application (INZ 1198) form. In case the applicants are 16 or 17 years of age, their parents or legal counterparts should sign the form on behalf of the applicants. This form should be sent along with the application fee and immigration fee including all the necessary documents required for assessing the application. The final application is divided into four broad areas namely:
- Section A: Personal Details which include personal name, passport details and partnership details.
- Section B: Contact Details
- Section C: Health of Applicant which would include details about giving birth in New Zealand, medical certificates, etc.
- Section D: Character Details where the applicant will have to submit a police verification certificate (unless exempted).
Assessing Student’s Spouse Visa Application in New Zealand
To sum up, the applicants applying for a student’s spouse visa will be granted a visa based on their personal circumstances. These circumstances may be related to the applicant’s promise of returning home or their personal, financial and other commitments in their respective home countries. The major circumstance may be related to the ties at home shared by the applicant.
Other than the personal circumstances, there are also key points like if any rule has been breached by the applicant during their previous stay in New Zealand, like if they overstayed or made any havoc. In the case of unlawful dependents in New Zealand or any chances of facing deportation from the country may hamper the applicant’s spouse’s visa application rejection. Applicants must be very careful in submitting accurate details and avoid breaching any rules in the country.
New Zealand Dependent Visa Requirements
New Zealand partner visa requirements/ Eligibility
To apply for a New Zealand spouse visa, you & your partner must meet the following requirements.
- Age:
You and your sponsor partner must be 18 years or older when applying for a New Zealand Partner visa. - Partnership requirements:
New Zealand immigration officer assess your partnership on the following facts.
- How long you’ve been together.
- How long you’ve been living together as a couple.
- Whether you support each other financially?
- How do you share financial responsibilities?
- How committed are you to a life together?
- Whether you own property together and share your property.
- Any children you have together, including your arrangements for their care?
- Whether you share everyday household tasks?
- Whether other people recognize your relationship?
- Have eligible sponsor:
Your partner must have an eligible sponsor in New Zealand, - Other requirements:
To be granted by New Zealand partner visa, you and your partner both need to prove that you:
- Your partner & you must be in good health.
- You both must be of good character.
- Your partner must be New Zealand Citizen or resident.
- Your partner must be eligible to support your application.
- You and your partner must have lived together in a genuine and stable relationship for 12 months or more before applying for a New Zealand spouse visa.
- Both partners aged 18 years or older at the time of marriage
- Known & have Met each other before the application is made.
- Are not close relatives according to Schedule 2 of the Marriage Act 1955 or Schedule 2 of the Civil Union Act 2004, New Zealand.
Spouse Visa New Zealand
How to apply for New Zealand Spouse visa from India/ Zealand Spouse visa process steps
To apply for a New Zealand partner or spouse visa, you need to follow the below steps
- Stage 1: Prepare your documents:
The first step of the process is to prepare & Provide accurate, authentic documents & information such as Identity documents, your relationship with your partner, Character documents, medical documents, dependent documents, etc.
Suppose you submit bogus documents or false and misleading information. In that case, it will lead to the rejection of your application, and you will be banned from applying for any visa in the next five years. - Stage 2: Partner supports your application:
Once you have prepared your documents, you can approach your partner (sponsor) living in New Zealand, based on a Resident permit or Citizenship, to support your application.
To support your application, they need to complete & sign a ‘Partnership Support Form for Residence’ and provide all supportive documents to prove their status that they are eligible to sponsor you. - Stage 3 Apply for NZ spouse / partner visa:
In this stage, the Applicant must complete a ‘Residence Application’ form. The Applicant also attaches their personal, qualification, employment documents. And need to pay visa application fee through credit card only. - Stage 4: New Zealand spouse/ partner visa outcome:
Here INZ authority will examine your application against preset standards and verify the documents through a third party. Suppose you can demonstrate that you are meeting the prerequisites of the defined category. In that case, your application is assessed positive, and your New Zealand spouse visa will be granted, and you will be instructed to travel to New Zealand within 12 months from the date of grant your New Zealand partner visa.
New Zealand Spouse Visa Processing Time
New Zealand Spouse visa fee & processing time
New Zealand spouse visa fee / charges depend upon the location where you are applying from and mode of application (Online or paper based).
New Zealand spouse visa processing time is 10 months; however, it may vary case to case
You can pay your NZ spouse visa fee online by Visa, MasterCard credit card or Union Pay (only New Zealand or Australian residence or citizens)
| S.N. | Application Type | Application In NZD |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand spouse visa fee | NZ$ 2250 |
Please note Immigration New Zealand does not refund application costs if your application gets declined or rejected due to any reason.
How long does it take to get a New Zealand spouse visa?
New Zealand spouse visa processing standard time is 8-10 months. 90% of applications are currently completed within this time. However, it may depend upon
- quality of documents
- ADR response time
- The location from where you are applying
- The number of an application is already in the queue.
New Zealand Spouse Visa Requirements
Documents requirements for New Zealand spouse/partner visa
As a visa applicant, you must provide accurate information & genuine documents with your New Zealand spouse visa application. Please make sure to have all non-English documents translated into English. Papers must be transparent & colour copies of original documents.
Please note:- Providing bogus documents or false and misleading information intentionally or unintentionally is a crime. Therefore, your application will not only refuse but may lead to a ban to apply for any application for ten years.
Please find the New Zealand spouse visa documents checklist
- Passport:
You must provide the personal details page of your most recent passport. This page must show your signature. - Marriage certificate:
To prove your marital status, you must have a registered marriage certificate issued by the registrar’s office; please note certificates issued by the trust, gurudwara, are not acceptable. - Photograph:
You must provide a colour passport size (35×45 mm with white background) photograph. - Character documents:
You need to provide a police certificate from your home country and the country where you spent a total of 12 months. - Your relationship with your partner:
You need to show that you are in a continuing relationship with your sponsor/ spouse. You can provide the following supporting documents.
If you are married, provide your marriage certificate.
Other supportive documents such as you have a mutual commitment with your spouse,
To prove your relationship you can below show your additional documents.
Finances:- You can show how you and your partner share financial matters.
Your household:- provide evidence how you and your partner share domestic matters.
Commitment:- Prove how you are committed to a long-term relationship with each other.
Social matters:- Show evidence that others know about your relationship.
