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
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.