Partner of a Worker Work Visa

Visa details

This visa allows you to work in New Zealand while your partner is here on a work visa.

Length of stay
Same duration as

Your partner’s work visa

Cost
From
NZD $700
Processing time
90% within
49 days
With this visa you can
  • Join your partner.
  • Work in New Zealand.
  • Study for up to 3 months.
Things to note
  • Some work visa holders are not eligible to support applications for this visa.
  • You don’t need to have a New Zealand job offer to apply.
  • You can’t include dependent children in your visa application, but they can apply for visas based on their relationship to you.
    Bringing family if you have a work visa
    Dependent children

Explore family visa options

Who can apply

The criteria and evidence below will provide you with the information you need to provide to meet the requirements of this visa.

View All Evidence

Identity

You must provide proof of your identity

  • 1 acceptable photo if you apply online, or 2 photos if you use a paper application form.
  • your passport or certificate of identity.

Acceptable photos

If you submit a paper application, provide your original passport or a certified copy.  We can usually process your application faster if you provide your original passport.

If you apply online, you must upload a copy of your passport when you apply. We will let you know if you need to send your passport after you've applied.

Sending your passport for online applications

Tips

  1. Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after you plan to leave New Zealand.

  2. If you are a citizen of China and you submit a paper application form in China, you must also complete a supplementary form.

    Supplementary form for Chinese citizens (INZ 1027) PDF 338KB

  3. If you are submitting a paper application form, you must provide a supplementary form for Hong Kong and Macao visitors, workers and students.

    Supplementary form for Hong Kong and Macao visitors, workers and students (INZ 1220) PDF 240KB

  4. Also provide a copy of your Identity card.

  5. Also provide your:

    • Hukou (household registration book)
    • Chinese identity card.

Character

You must be of good character

You may need to provide police certificates as proof of your good character.

If you are aged 17 or older and plan to stay in New Zealand for more than 24 months (including any time you have already spent in New Zealand), you must provide police certificates from:

  • any country you are a citizen of
  • any country you have spent more than 5 years in since you turned 17.

You do not need to provide police certificates if:

  • you have provided them to us with an earlier visa application, and
  • they were issued in the previous 24 months.

Good character

How to get a police certificate

Tips

  1. If you provide a police certificate that is not in English, you must provide an English translation.

    This includes police certificates that record no convictions.

Your relationship with your partner

You and your partner must be living together in a genuine and stable relationship

You must provide evidence that you and your partner are living together in a genuine and stable relationship.

Your evidence should show:

  • how long you’ve been together
  • how long you’ve been living together
  • if you’re 16 or 17, that your parent or guardian supports your partnership
  • you spend time together, eg photos together, emails and social media conversations between you
  • you share finances and other responsibilities.

Partnership

Tips

  1. To be eligible for this visa, you have to be living together when you apply.

Your partner’s character

Your partner must be of good character

Your partner must meet our good character requirements or be granted a character waiver. We may ask your partner to provide a police certificate from any country they have spent 12 months or more in over the last 10 years. This applies whether the time was spent in one or more visits.

Your partner will not meet our character requirements if they have any convictions for domestic violence or sexual offences. If your partner does not meet our character requirements, we will consider whether they are eligible for a character waiver.

Who needs to provide police certificates

Your partner's character

Tips

  1. For you to be granted a visa on the basis of your partnership, your partner must meet our good character requirements or be granted a character waiver.

    Your partner won't meet our good character requirements if, in the last 7 years, they have been convicted of any offence:

    • involving domestic violence
    • of a sexual nature.

Your partner’s visa

Your partner must hold an appropriate work visa

We’ll check our records for evidence your partner has an appropriate work visa.

If your partner holds an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) or Essential Skills Work Visa (ESWV), they must meet the wage rate requirement of earning at least the median wage.
Wage rate requirements for visas

You will not be eligible for this visa, if your partner’s work visa was granted:

  • for 6 months or less (unless your partner holds a Migrant Exploitation Protection Work Visa)
  • for a working holiday
  • for lower-skilled work as an Essential Skills visa or Accredited Employer Work Visa holder
  • to work for a Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE)
  • for the opportunity to look for work as a skilled migrant.

There are some other work visas that will not allow your partner to support your application.

Work visa holder supporting family

Funds

You must have enough money to live on while you’re in New Zealand

You don’t need to provide any evidence unless we ask you to. If we do ask for evidence, it can include:

  • bank statements
  • credit card statements
  • bank drafts
  • travellers’ cheques
  • a ‘Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry’ completed by an acceptable sponsor.

What sponsors must do – responsibilities and obligations

Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry (INZ 1025) PDF 414KB

Tips

  1. We may ask for evidence when you arrive in New Zealand.

    If you don’t need to provide evidence, we’ll record it on your visa label.

Onward travel

You must have made arrangements to leave New Zealand

You don’t need to provide any evidence unless we ask you to. If we do ask for evidence, it can include:

  • your travel ticket
  • proof you have arranged to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay.
Tips

  1. We may ask for evidence when you arrive in New Zealand.

    If you don’t need to provide evidence, we’ll record it on your visa label.

Process and costs

The information below will help you understand the process, timeframes and costs involved in applying for this visa, so you can plan ahead and have the best chance of submitting a complete application.

Notes

We cannot display any process or costs information until you have provided your country details. Enter your country details in the panel above to view information relevant to your situation.

Enter country details

How to submit

Payment methods and receiving centre details if applicable.

Notes

We cannot display any receiving centre or payment method information until you have provided your country details. Enter your country details in the panel above to view information relevant to your situation.

Enter country details

Conditions

These are the conditions that you must meet once you have your visa.

Entry permission

You must apply for entry permission when you arrive in New Zealand. You can do this by completing an arrival card, which you are given on the way to New Zealand.

Arriving in New Zealand

Notes

  • You can be refused entry permission if:

    • you do not meet our character requirements
    • your circumstances have changed since you were granted a visa
    • you refuse to let us take your photo or to provide us with your fingerprints or an iris scan, if asked for them
    • you are unable to provide evidence of any onward travel or funds required by the conditions of your visa.

    If you are refused entry to New Zealand

    Before you travel to New Zealand

Study

You can study for up to 3 months.

Work

  • The work you do must be legal.
  • You must not provide commercial sexual services.
  • You must not run or invest in a business that provides commercial sexual services.
  • You must have occupational registration if it is needed to work in New Zealand.

Occupational registration

Open work visas

If you are issued an open work visa:

  • you can work in any role for any employer in New Zealand
  • you have no wage rate requirement.

You may be issued an open work visa if your partner:

  • holds an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) or an Essential Skills Work Visa (ESWV) and either:
  • holds one of the other types of work visas making them eligible to support a partnership-based work visa (such as the Specific Purpose Work Visa).

Work visas with conditions

You may qualify for a work visa with conditions if your partner:

  • holds an AEWV or ESWV and earns at least the median wage (but not more than twice the median wage), and
  • does not have a Green List role.

A work visa with conditions means:

  • you can only work for an accredited employer
    Check if an employer is accredited
  • you cannot be self-employed
  • you cannot work for less than the median wage in roles covered by a capped sector agreement
  • if you are working in a role:
    • not covered by an uncapped sector agreement, you must be paid at least the median wage in effect at the time you get your visa or job offer, whichever is later. 
    • covered by an uncapped sector agreement, you must be paid at least the wage threshold in place. You will not be subject to a stand-down period.

The wage rate requirements page has wage thresholds and the current median wage rate.
Wage rate requirements for visas

Note
  • Any changes to an employer’s accreditation, the median wage or the sector agreements will not impact your visa if you remain in the same employment.
  • You can apply to change your work visa conditions to an open work visa if your partner either:
    • starts earning at least twice the median wage, or
    • has their role added to the Green List, meets the role’s Green List requirements, and earns at least the median wage.

Green List roles

Change the conditions of your work visa

Travel

After you arrive, you can travel in and out of New Zealand as many times as you like before your visa expires.

Funds or sponsorship

You must have enough money to live on while you’re in New Zealand or a sponsor.

Notes

  • We may ask for evidence when you arrive in New Zealand.

    If you don’t need to provide evidence, we’ll record it on your visa label.

Onward travel

You must have made arrangements to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay.

Notes

  • We may ask for evidence when you arrive in New Zealand.

    If you don’t need to provide evidence, we’ll record it on your visa label.

Visa expiry

You must leave New Zealand before your visa expires.

Notes

  • Visa expiry dates are printed on a visa label or included in a visa letter.