Change to Partner Visa Lengths

The Government has updated the maximum duration for work and visitor visas for partners of New Zealand citizens or residence class visa holders who have been living together for at least 12 months. The visa duration has been extended from 2 years to 3 years.

This change gives couples more time to save for residence application fees and better aligns with the visa durations offered to partners of temporary migrants (for example, partners of AEWV holders).

The new duration applies to applications received from 1 October 2024 onwards, as well as to any applications submitted but not yet decided by that date. Existing visas will not be automatically extended; a new application will need to be submitted for the longer duration (there is no special method to extend the visa of a dependent - it is simply a new application.

This update is part of the Government’s broader efforts to build a better immigration system that attracts and retains the skills and experience needed to support New Zealand’s economic growth.

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As always, the information in this post is of a general nature only and not intended to be immigration advice.