Bringing family if you have a student visa
If you have a student visa you can support visitor visas for your family. You may also be able to support a work visa for your partner and student visas for your dependent children.
Visas you can support for your family
If you have a student visa and are studying for any qualification, you can support a visitor visa for your partner and children.
Partner of a Student Visitor Visa
Child of a Student Visitor Visa
You may also be able to support a work visa for your partner, and student visas for your dependent children, depending on your study.
Partner of a Student Work Visa
We define partnership as 2 people, who live together in a
You must be able to show us that you and your partner are living together in a
Living together means sharing the same home as your partner. This does not include: Evidence showing you are living together can include: For some partnership applications – such as a Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa – evidence of living together must cover a period of 12 months prior to the application being submitted. Make sure you check the category you are applying under to see if we need this from you. You can provide us with items showing your shared address, dated every few months, to cover the full duration. These items can be addressed to you both jointly — or individually — as long as we can see that you have both been at the same address for the same period of time. Evidence of having a genuine and stable relationship needs to show that: Evidence can include: The way we want to receive this evidence depends on how you are applying. If you apply by paper for a residence visa, we must receive originals or certified copies. You can send electronically issued documents as we regard those as originals. If you apply online, we accept scanned images — so you do not need to send us originals or certified copies. You and your supporting partner must: When you apply for a visa based on your partnership with a New Zealand visa holder or New Zealand citizen, we call that person your supporting partner. Character requirements for New Zealand visas See also the requirements for supporting partners in the 'Eligible NZ supporting partner' and 'Your partner's' sections for these visas: When we assess your visa application, we consider things like: We will also look at your living and financial arrangements, including: If you and your partner have spent time living apart, you should provide information about your separation, including: We will use the information you provide to assess whether you and your partner have genuine and compelling reasons to have stayed apart. Note If you and your partner are coming together through a culturally arranged marriage, the rules are different.
Partnership and how to prove it
If you are applying for a visa based on your partnership, find out how we define partnership and what evidence you can provide to show your relationship is genuine.
How we define partnership
Providing evidence of your partnership
Living together
Having a genuine and stable relationship
How to supply this evidence
Applying by paper
Applying online
Minimum requirements
Supporting partners
How we assess partnership
If you have not always lived together
There are 2 ways that dependent children can apply for a visa. Note The definition of dependent children depends on age and whether they are applying for a resident visa or a temporary visa. Your child is dependent if they are: If they are 18 or over they must not have children of their own. If they are aged 21 to 24 they must also rely on you or another adult for financial support (depending on which visa they have applied for). Your child is dependent if they: If they are 18 or 19 they must not have children of their own. If your children are 20 or older: If they want to join you in New Zealand they need to apply for their own visa. If your children are aged 20 to 24 they may still be dependent if: Your children must have applied for, or have been included in your application for one of the following residence visas:
Bringing children
How to apply for visas for dependent children.
How your children apply for a visa
Dependent children are not eligible for work visas.
How we define dependent children
Resident visas for dependent children
Temporary visas for dependent children
Primary or secondary student visas and visitor visas
Child of a New Zealander or Worker visitor visas
Eligible residence visas
Visas for your partner and children will usually expire at the same time as your student visa.
If your child is studying in New Zealand
If your child is in New Zealand on a student visa, you can apply for a Guardian of a Student Visitor Visa to live with and care for your child.
When you can support work visas and student visas for your family
You may be able to support a work visa for your partner and student visas for your dependent children depending on what qualification you are studying.
You may be able to support a Partner of a Student Work Visa for your partner if you are studying a:
- level 9 or 10 qualification (Master's or Doctoral degrees)
- level 7 or 8 qualification specified for a job on our Green List — listed either as a requirement or a registration qualification
- level 7 or 8 qualification specified on our Qualifications eligible for a Post Study Work Visa list, or
- level 7 or 8 qualification on the long-term skill shortage list — if your study started on or before 7 September 2022.
You may be able to support student visas for your dependent children if you are studying:
- a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- under a New Zealand Government
- under a New Zealand scholarship administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Note
We use the qualification levels from the
Level 9 or 10 qualification (Master's or Doctoral degrees)
If you are studying a level 9 or 10 qualification, you can support a work visa for your partner.
If you are studying a PhD at a New Zealand university, you can support:
- a work visa for your partner
- student visas for your dependent children.
Green List qualifications
If you are studying a level 7 or 8 qualification specified for a job on our Green List — listed either as a requirement or a registration qualification — you may be able to support a work visa for your partner.
Check the Green List appendix for the eligible qualifications.
Green List — Immigration New Zealand Operational Manual
Post Study Work Visa qualifications
If you are studying a level 7 qualification specified on our Qualifications eligible for a Post Study Work Visa list, you can support a work visa for your partner.
Qualifications needed for a Post Study Work Visa
Long-term skill shortage list
If your study started on or before 7 September 2022, and you are studying a level 7 or 8 qualification that is on the long-term skill shortage list, you may still be able to support a work visa for your partner.
Student exchange scheme
If you are studying under a New Zealand Government
MFAT-funded New Zealand scholarship
If you are studying under a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT)-funded
- a work visa for your partner
- student visas for your dependent children.
When your partner can support student visas for your children
If you can support a work visa for your partner but not student visas for your dependent children, your partner may be able to support your children's student visas instead.
Example
You are studying a level 8 qualification that is specified on the Green List. You can support a work visa for your partner, but not student visas for your dependent children.
To get student visas for your children:
- You get a student visa.
- Your partner gets a Partner of a Student Work Visa.
- Your children can apply for Dependent Child Student Visas — as dependent children of your partner who has a work visa.