If you and your partner are living together in a stable relationship, and one of you is a New Zealand Citizen or Resident, you can apply for a work or resident visa based on your relationship.

Which visa best fits your situation will depend on a variety of factors, including how long you have lived together, and your personal goals.

There are several aspects to consider when applying for a Partner of a New Zealander Work or Resident Visa. You will have to provide a substantial amount of information to satisfy the requirements of Immigration NZ.

You also need to account for processing times, which at present can be over 6 months for a Work Visa and over 12 months for a Residence Visa. This puts a premium on making sure everything in your application is correct, and nothing is missing, to avoid delays and unnecessary stress.

The basic criteria Immigration NZ requires to recognise a relationship as one with the potential to be successful in a partnership based visa application is that the applicants must be living together in a genuine and stable relationship; this can be a legal marriage, a civil union or a de facto relationship.

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