Partners of New Zealand citizens who hold work or visitor visas will have their visa duration extended from the current two to three years.
According to New Zealand Immigration (INZ), the new measure will enter into force on October 1, 2024, and will also apply to residence class visa holders who have been living with their Kiwi partner for at least 12 months, VisaGuide.World reports.
The Government has made changes to the maximum duration for work and visitor visas for partners of New Zealand citizens or residence class visa holders that have been living together for at least 12 months. This is now increasing from two years to three years.
This measure follows the Government’s efforts to improve its immigration system, aiming at becoming a world-class immigration system. The country intends to attract and retain talent and skills in order for the economy to expand further.
Current Visa Holders Will Need to Apply for the Extension
Partners of New Zealanders who currently hold any of these visas will have to file applications for a longer duration, as they will not be automatically extended.
The new measure for extending visa validity for partners of New Zealanders holding visitor or work visas, as well as a residence class visa, will apply to applications received from October 1, 2024, and further on.
In addition, applications that have been submitted but are still pending are eligible for the visa extension.
This will give couples additional time to save for residence application fees and better aligns with the visa durations provided to partners of temporary migrants.
85% of Visitor Visa Applications Filed so Far This Year Have Been Approved
According to statistics published by Immigration New Zealand, a total of 90,493 applications for the Visitor Visa have been processed for the 2024 to 2025 financial year. Nearly 85 percent (76,669) were granted, while the remaining 13,824 received a negative response.
In July and August, the authorities received a total of 456 visitor visa applications. During these two months, 252 applications were approved, while 104 were rejected.
Data from INZ reveals that the waiting time for a visitor visa is currently set at three weeks, while a Partner of a New Zealand visitor visa has to wait up to 12 weeks for a decision on their application.
The authorities in New Zealand have previously urged visa candidates to submit early applications, calling on applicants from their countries to get their documents prepared ahead of time due to a potential backlog of applications. The same explained that between October and March, student visa applications are priorities, which could lead to delays for other types of visa applications.