Bringing family if you have a work visa

If you have a work visa, you can normally support the following visas for your partner and dependent children:

• a visitor visa for your partner
• a work visa for your partner
• visitor visas for your children
• student visas for your children.

Visas for your partner and children will expire at the same time as your work visa.

Partnership and how to prove it

Bringing children

There are some work visas where you cannot support visas for your family. If you have an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), Essential Skills Work Visa (ESWV) or Specific Purpose Work Visa there may be extra requirements to meet.

You can support family on most work visas. 

If you have an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) or an Essential Skills Work Visa (ESWV) your job must meet certain requirements before you can support a family member's visa.

If you have a Specific Purpose Work Visa, you may need to meet additional requirements before you can support a family member's visa.

If you have an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV)

If you have an AEWV, supporting a visa for your partner and dependent children depends on how much you earn and your job skill level on the list. 

Bringing family if you have an AEWV

If you have an Essential Skills Work Visa (ESWV)

If you have an ESWV, the type of visa you can support for your partner and dependent children depends on how much you earn.

Bringing family if you have an ESWV

If you have a Specific Purpose Work Visa (SPWV)

If you applied for a SPWV as someone with an AEWV who was working in, or progressing into, a new NOL role between 8 September and 2 November 2025, the type of visa you can support depends on how much you earn.

If you have a SPWV for any other specific purpose or event type, you can support a visa for your partner or dependent children. There are no additional requirements you need to meet.

People with an AEWV working in, or progressing into, a new NOL role between 8 September and 2 November

If you earn less than NZD $26.85 an hour, you can only support a Partner of a Worker Visitor Visa.

If you earn NZD $26.85 or more an hour (80% of the median wage), you can support:

• a Partner of a Worker Work Visa
• a Partner of a Worker Visitor Visa.

If you earn at least NZD $55,844 a year, you can support:

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

You cannot support a visitor, student or work visa for your partner and dependent children if you have a:

• visa for 6 months or less — unless you have a Migrant Exploitation Protection Work Visa
• Fishing Crew Work Visa
• Working Holiday Visa
• Recognised Seasonal Employer Limited Visa
• Supplementary Seasonal Employment Work Visa
• Skilled Migrant Category Job Search Visa
• Domestic Staff of a Diplomat Work Visa.

Your visa conditions will list if you can support a work, visitor or student visa for your family.

Check or change your visa conditions

If you cannot support your partner and dependent children to apply for a visa, they can apply for a visa in their own right.

Find and choose a visa