Bringing family if you have an ESWV

If you have an Essential Skills Work Visa (ESWV) you must earn above a certain amount to support a visa for your partner or dependent child.

If you have an Essential Skills Work Visa, you can support a visitor visa for your partner.

You may be able to support a:

• work visa for your partner
• student visa or visitor visa for your dependent children.

Partner of a Worker Visitor Visa
Partner of a Worker Work Visa
Dependent Child Student Visa
Child of a Worker Visitor Visa

Supporting your partner's work visa

We may approve a Partner of a Worker Work Visa with conditions if you earn at least NZD$29.66 an hour.

We may approve an open work visa if:

• you earn at least NZD$59.32 an hour, or
• your role is on the Green List and you meet the Green List role's requirements.

If you applied to support a visa before 26 June 2024, we may approve a work visa with conditions if you earn at least:

• NZD$29.66 an hour, or
• the pay rate threshold when your visa application was accepted.

Open work visas

An open work visa means your partner can work for any employer with no pay requirements.

Work visa with conditions

A work visa with conditions means your partner, as the visa holder, needs to meet a set of employment rules or terms.

They must:

• work for an accredited employer
• be paid at least the wage threshold in place for their job, unless they are in a role covered by an uncapped sector agreement.

For the full list of employment rules and terms, go to the 'Work' section under Conditions:
Partner of a Worker Work Visa

Supporting dependent children

If you earn at least NZD$43,322.76 a year you can support a:

• Dependent Child Student Visa
• Child of a Worker Visitor Visa.

If you change your job, employer or location

If you change your job, employer or the location where you work, you must apply to vary the conditions of your visa. If your new job meets the requirements to support an open work visa and your partner already holds a work visa with conditions, they can apply to change their conditions to an open work visa.

Your partner should apply to change their conditions once your visa conditions have been updated.

Changing the conditions of a work visa or applying for a Job Change

If you get a pay rise or your role is now on the Green List

If your job, employer or the location where you work has not changed but you get a pay rise and you now earn at least:

• NZD$43,322.76 a year, your dependent children can apply for a visitor or student visa
• NZD$59.32 an hour, your partner can apply for a Partner of a Worker Work Visa with open conditions.

If your role is added to the Green List, your partner can apply for a Partner of Worker Work Visa with open conditions. You must meet the Green List job requirements.

Green List roles

If your partner already holds a work visa with conditions, they can apply to change their conditions to an open work visa. You do not need to vary the conditions of your visa first, but you will need to provide evidence of your pay rise or meeting the Green List role requirements.

Changing the conditions of a work visa or applying for a Job Change

Supporting your partner's visitor visa

You can support a Partner of a Worker Visitor Visa for your partner.
Partner of a Worker Visitor Visa