New Zealand: Eligibility Tightened for Partnership-Based Visas

Immigration New Zealand has introduced stricter eligibility requirements for dedicated partnership-based visas, effective immediately. Both the applicant and their supporting partner must now be at least 18 when filing and evidence relating to their partnership before both reached that age will no longer count toward eligibility. These changes cover the Culturally Arranged Marriage Visitor Visa; partnership-based resident, visitor and work visas for partners of New Zealanders; and relevant visitor and work visas for partners of workers and students, including the Partner of an NZ Scholarship Student Work Visa. 

The revised evidence rules effectively establish a minimum age of 19 for both partners seeking partnership-based residence, since the required 12 months of cohabitation can only accrue after both turn 18. Although temporary partnership visas do not prescribe the same minimum cohabitation period, couples must still demonstrate that they live together in a genuine and stable relationship using evidence from after both reached 18. Couples may therefore need additional time to establish eligibility even after meeting the minimum age requirement. 

These new measures exclude partners applying through general visitor visa applications or as accompanying family members under the Skilled, Business, International, Humanitarian and other non-partnership-based Family residence streams. They also do not affect residence applications lodged before September 25, 2026, or visas already issued. Applicants should review the current eligibility criteria before submitting, as updates to some online forms may lag behind the new requirements.  

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.