Partnership Visa Information
Here we share some general information about Partnership Visa policy. This material is for information purposes only. Contact one of our Licensed Immigration Advisers for personal immigration advice.
Partnership Visa Policy
Non-New Zealanders can gain residence in New Zealand on the basis of their relationship with a partner who is a New Zealand Citizen or Resident.
But what seems like a simple and obvious policy is not always straightforward. The government expects a couple will be able to document a relationship to a high standard before residence is approved. Proving a genuine relationship to the satisfaction of an immigration officer is complex. Taking care to get-it-right will avoid disappointment. Read more about the partnership visa nz guide here.
How is Partnership Defined?
Partnerships can be defined as two people of the same or opposite sex who have lived together in a genuine and stable relationship for at least 12 months. The types of partnerships that are recognised include:
- a legal marriage
- a civil union
- a de facto relationship
Useful Information
The Malcolm Pacific Immigration advisers and experts take away the stress and worry of navigating the complex world of New Zealand Partnership policy, visas and immigration.
Helpful Links
Partnership Visa Approval
Approval is based on an assessment by Immigration New Zealand of whether the relationship is “genuine and stable” and whether the partners have been “living together” for 12 months or more at the time the nz residence application was lodged and then decided. The presence or otherwise of a legal marriage is not a deciding factor on its own. The rules apply to both straight and gay couples.
The biggest frustration for applicants is that they know their relationship is 'genuine and stable' but proving that with documentation can be difficult. Frequently couple's have been separated due to employment, family commitments, or visa barriers, which adds additional complication to documenting 12 months of living together.
The Complex Criteria
With such subjective criteria and a wide variety of customs in different cultures and religions, it is not surprising that this policy has been used in the past by some people - to gain an unfair advantage or that Immigration New Zealand has developed complex strategies to defeat such frauds!
Even the most genuine and straightforward partnerships can find themselves subject to a very intrusive set of requirements. While you may know that your relationship is “genuine” and “stable”, how do you “prove” that to a suspicious third party; how do you prove how long you have lived together; what if a couple has travelled or spent some time apart?
General Comments
Health and character requirements apply, and there is a limit on how many times a New Zealander can sponsor a partner.
Historical actions (or lack of action) by applicants that were innocent at the time can create serious problems in the context of an Immigration New Zealand assessment.
All this is complicated by the emotions involved when a relationship is placed under a microscope by a third party and when children are involved.
Even the most straightforward cases should talk to Malcolm Pacific Immigration from the very beginning.
* special conditions apply to all forms of property development to qualify as an acceptable immigration investment – take advice from a specialist licensed immigration adviser
** to secure a reduction in the number of days to be physically present in New Zealand under the Balanced category requires additional funds to be invested over and above NZD 10 million. The additional funds must be placed into approved managed funds or direct investments under the Growth category. Example – minimum 105 days spent in New Zealand reduces to 91 days provided a total of NZD 11 million is invested (minimum $10 million into any of the Balanced investments plus a minimum of $1 million into Growth investments).
*** “approval in principle” is issued in writing by Immigration NZ when the Active Investor Plus Visa application has been fully assessed and cleared to proceed to the next phase which is the transfer and investment of the nominated funds. Take advice from a specialist licensed immigration adviser about this critical step. Frequently problems occur due to misunderstanding the precise nature of the transfer and investment requirements.
The Active Investor Plus Visa residence application
The journey for an individual or family applying for the Active Investor Plus Visa typically looks like this.
- Establish eligibility to make sure you qualify for residence. If you are ready to move ahead connect with the specialist Investor Visa team at Malcolm Pacific Immigration
- Gather specific documents required for the Active Investor Plus Visa. Documentation must be 100% correct to achieve a successful outcome (approval).
- Lodge Active Investor Plus Visa application with Immigration NZ.
- Assuming no problems with any aspect of the application Immigration NZ issue a letter called “Approval in Principle”.
- Now there is 6 months from the date of the approval in principle letter to transfer nominated investment funds to New Zealand and fully invest funds into the acceptable Growth or Balanced investments. A one off 6 month extension to the transfer and invest deadline is available in limited circumstances. No more than 12 months maximum is permitted to complete this step.
- Once the transfer and investment has been cleared by Immigration NZ then resident visas are issued. The visas must be activated by each family member included in the application by arriving in New Zealand within 12 months of the date visas were issued. A resident visa allows a person to live, work, study and reside permanently in New Zealand.
- Immigration NZ conduct audits of the investment funds at 24 and 36 months intervals for the Growth category and at 24 and 60 months for the Balanced category.
- When funds have completed the investment term (3 or 5 years) and other requirements met then Resident Visas convert (on application) to Permanent Resident Visas (these visas are valid for life)
- Applying for New Zealand Citizenship becomes an option. For more information on citizenship read here
Processing times
The processing timeframes for an Active Investor Plus Visa application will vary based on a number of factors including the available human resources at Immigration NZ. Typically timeframes (always subject to change) are:
- 4 to 12 weeks to gather the documents required to lodge the application. A crucial step and must be 100% right to avoid problems.
- 3 to 6 months for the application to be assessed and decided by Immigration NZ.
- 12 months maximum to transfer and invest funds. A crucial step that is often misunderstood and mismanaged.
- Immigration NZ audits of investment funds takes around 4 to 8 weeks to complete.
- Permanent Resident Visa applications at the end of the investment term take on average 1 to 3 weeks to process.
How Malcolm Pacific Immigration can help you
We have the largest and most experienced team of Licensed Immigration Advisers in New Zealand. In business for 40 years our firm has a strong reputation in the immigration industry for success and delivering quality service.
A specialist team are trained, experienced and focused on the Active Investor Plus Visa deliver high net worth clients a boutique service offering. Daniel Thomson, Director of Client Services is a preeminent leader in this specialist immigration area and leads the team who successfully manage and navigate clients through the Active Investor Plus Visa process.
We assess your eligibility, answer questions and introduce you to a range of leading experts who can help you identify acceptable immigration investments.
We do not over promise or under deliver. The team will walk alongside with you on this journey that will last at least 3 years (Growth) or 5 years (Balanced) right through to qualifying for Permanent Residence Visas.
We deliver value for money. We do not quote low fees and then later surprise clients with additional or hidden costs because things took longer than was expected.
We keep it simple while others make it complex.
We do not try to be all things to all people. Our clients enjoy the fact we stick to immigration and surround ourselves with highly regarded professionals with strong reputations in providing advice on tax, banking, acceptable immigration investments, wealth managers, property experts, relocation professionals and so much more.
We are happy to introduce you some of our migrant investor clients for an independent reference of the work we do. Extra peace of mind that you are making the right choice by engaging Malcolm Pacific Immigration.
Connect with our specialist team today
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much is the government application fee?
A: NZD 27,470 (subject to change without notice)
Q: How long does the process take?
A: We have dedicated a section on this topic. You can read here. We keep you updated on progress and timeframes as we move your application forward.
Q: What documents will I need for this application?
A: Your dedicated Licensed Immigration Adviser will work closely with you on what documents will be required for your application. Everyone’s situation is different and by understanding you and your family’s background we tailor our advice on the specific documents Immigration NZ require. Getting the documents right is crucial to avoid serious problems. A speciality area where misunderstandings lead applications to fall over because documentation was wrong.
Q: Do I really need an immigration adviser?
A: Absolutely!
Immigration NZ would rather receive an Active Investor Plus Visa application from an experienced licensed immigration adviser than a person lodging their own application. Statistically more people are declined when they do not have a professional engaged. This is a specialised area of immigration work. You engage a range of professionals to manage your tax, business, investments and life! Immigration is no different – deal with people who are experienced and trusted.
Q: How much do you charge?
A: The first consultation to assess your eligibility for an Active Investor Plus Visa is free. Once we fully understand your situation and the way forward you will receive a no obligation quotation of costs. From there you can decide whether to proceed with our services.
Meet some of our successful Investor clients
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Craig Elliott
Edmund Mah
Ron Patrick
Dr Hans Albrecht
Contact our specialist Investor Visa team
Our team of specialists are available to meet with you in person or through a video or phone call. We regularly travel overseas so let us know if you are interested in attending one of our offshore events and we will send more information.
You can learn more about our team here or send an email to investors@malcolmpacific.com and we will get in touch to arrange a one on one meeting.
We look forward to the opportunity to be of service.
Get started with a free assessment today
We are New Zealand’s largest and most experienced team of licensed immigration advisers. Our experts take away the stress and worry of navigating the complicated world of immigration. All you need to do is get in touch. Our team is on standby, ready to help.
