FAMILY & PARTNERSHIP

Bring your family together

Partnership and family applications are decided on the quality of your evidence, not the strength of your feelings. Aimee knows exactly what Immigration New Zealand needs to see — and what quietly sinks these applications.

WHO IT IS FOR

The most personal applications, judged the most forensically

Officers are required to test whether a relationship is genuine and stable, and whether you live together. Couples who are plainly genuine still get declined for evidencing it badly.

You are partnered to a New Zealander — Work or residence based on your relationship with a New Zealand citizen or resident.
Your partner holds a work or student visa — Partner-of-a-worker and partner-of-a-student visas, often with open work rights.
You have children to include — Dependent child visas, whether joining you now or following later.
You want your parents here — Parent residence and long-stay visitor options, each with their own sponsorship criteria.

YOUR OPTIONS

Family visa categories

Different relationships, different evidence standards, different timelines.

Partner of a New Zealander — Work

Work rights for the partner of a New Zealand citizen or resident, usually as a step towards residence.

Partner of a New Zealander — Residence

Residence based on a genuine and stable relationship, with a required period of living together.

Partner of a Worker or Student

A visa in your own right based on your partner’s New Zealand work or student visa, often with open work rights.

Dependent Child Visas

Visitor, student or resident visas for dependent children, depending on your own status and their circumstances.

Parent Resident Visa

Residence for the parents of New Zealand citizens and residents, subject to sponsorship and income requirements.

Parent & Grandparent Visitor Visa

A long-stay multiple-entry visitor visa allowing extended visits without applying for residence.

Living together is not optional. Most partnership categories require you to have been living together for a qualifying period. If you have not, there may still be options — but you need advice before you apply, not after a refusal.

REQUIREMENTS

What makes partnership evidence convincing

Volume is not the point. Officers look for a consistent, independently verifiable record over time.

Joint financial commitments — Shared bank accounts, joint tenancy or mortgage, shared bills and insurance in both names.
A documented address history — Official mail, tenancy records and identity documents showing the same address across the same period.
Recognition by others — Statutory declarations from family and friends, photographs across time, and evidence of shared social life.
Communication and travel records — Particularly important where you have spent periods apart, to show the relationship continued.
A consistent narrative — A written account of the relationship that matches every document and every previous statement to Immigration New Zealand.

At a glance

Living together requirement: Applies to most partnership categories — length varies by visa
Typical processing: Months rather than weeks for residence-level applications
Work rights: Partner work visas commonly carry open work rights
Sponsorship: Your New Zealand partner or child sponsors and must meet their own criteria
Children included: Dependent children are usually included or applied for alongside

HOW AIMEE HELPS

What working with Aimee looks like

Aimee is a licensed adviser who handles your file herself, from the first assessment to the decision letter.

Evidence strategy

Aimee tells you exactly what to gather, in what form, covering which periods — before you start collecting.

Relationship submissions

A clear written case that ties every document to the legal test the officer has to apply.

Difficult circumstances

Time apart, cultural or arranged marriages, prior relationships, blended families — all handled without judgement.

Whole-family planning

Partner, children and parents assessed together so the sequencing actually works.

Status protection

Keeping everyone lawfully in New Zealand while applications are processed.

Interview preparation

If an interview is required, you will know what to expect and how the process works.

THE PROCESS

How a family application runs

Every application is different, but the shape of the journey stays the same.

Relationship assessment

Aimee establishes which category fits, and whether the living-together requirement is met or when it will be.

Evidence gathering

A structured checklist covering the required period, with review as you collect rather than at the end.

Submission and filing

Documents indexed, a written relationship submission prepared, and the application lodged.

Decision management

Aimee responds to further information and interview requests, and advises on next steps once a decision issues.

QUESTIONS

Frequently asked

How long do we need to have lived together?

It depends on the category. Most partnership visas require a qualifying period of living together in a genuine and stable relationship, and residence categories generally require longer than work visas. Time apart does not automatically disqualify you, but it does need to be explained and evidenced.

What if we cannot live together yet because of visa restrictions?

This is common and it is not automatically fatal. There may be an interim option that gets you into the same country lawfully so the qualifying period can start. What you should not do is lodge a partnership application before the requirement is met and hope for the best.

Can I bring my parents to New Zealand permanently?

There is a parent residence category, but it carries sponsorship and income requirements that your New Zealand-based child must meet, and places are limited. For many families a long-stay Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa is the more realistic option. Aimee will tell you frankly which one applies to your situation.

Do arranged marriages qualify?

Yes. The test is whether the relationship is genuine and stable and whether you live together — not how the relationship began. Culturally arranged relationships are recognised, though the evidence you provide may look different from a Western dating history.

My partner visa was declined. What now?

Get the file and the reasons before doing anything else. Most partnership refusals come down to insufficient evidence of living together or inconsistencies between documents. Both can often be fixed, but only if you understand precisely what the officer was not satisfied about.

NEXT STEP

Ready to take the first step?

Tell Aimee where you are today and she will tell you honestly what is possible. Your first eligibility assessment is free and comes with no obligation.