You may be able to apply for a student visa if you want to stay in New Zealand to be with your partner or your parent, whether they are in New Zealand temporarily or permanently.

Your partner must meet the character requirement for partners supporting partnership-based temporary entry applications and provide a completed Form for partners supporting partnership-based temporary entry applications (INZ 1146) PDF.

The length of time you can stay here on a student visa will depend on factors such as whether your partner or parent is a New Zealand citizen or resident, or a temporary entry class visa holder.

If you are a partner of New Zealand citizen or resident, or if you are intending to marry one,  you may be granted a student visa for the course you have enrolled in.

There are also some circumstances where partners and dependent children are considered to be domestic students for the purpose of student fee payment. Some of these are listed below. For a complete list go to the Ministry of Education’s website.

• Obtaining domestic student status – If you hold a Diplomatic, Official or Consular visa as an officially recognised dependant of a seconded diplomatic, official or consular officers, you must obtain prior approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Protocol Division if you wish to study in New Zealand.
• Student visas for officially recognised dependants of seconded diplomatic, official or consular officers – If the principal officer’s posting comes to an end during the academic year, those officially recognised dependants who are studying and wish to remain in New Zealand to complete a course of study will need to apply for a student visa prior to the officer’s departure from New Zealand. This will allow them to complete the academic year, with domestic student status, after the officer has ended his/her posting and departed New Zealand. Dependent children of military visa holders are not regarded as domestic students for tertiary study.
• If you are a dependent child of someone who holds a military visa – you may be granted a student visa to study at primary or secondary school while your parent is in New Zealand. Because we regard you as a domestic student, you won’t have to provide evidence of having paid your course fees to be eligible for a visa. If you want to continue studying in New Zealand after your partner or parent departs you’ll need to meet our general requirements for a further student visa, and you’ll no longer be regarded as a domestic student.
• If you are a partner of someone who holds a military visa – you are not regarded as a domestic student for tertiary study and you’ll need to meet our general requirements for a student visa.
• If you are a partner or dependent child of someone who holds a New Zealand work visa you may be issued with a student visa for the period of your partner’s or parent’s work visa.* You won’t need guarantees to cover your accommodation and living costs, provided your partner or parent has the income to cover them. However, if you are the dependent child of a holder of an Essential Skills or Religious Worker work visa, evidence will need to be submitted with your application that the parent meets a minimum income threshold, or the Religious Worker’s sponsoring organisation has agreed to sponsor your visa. More information can be found in the Student Visa Guide (INZ 1013) PDF. Please also see our Essential Skills minimum income requirement questions and answers, and our Religious Worker minimum income requirement and sponsorship questions and answers. If you are the dependent child of a work visa holder, you will not have to provide evidence of enrolment if you are a primary or secondary school student. You will also be regarded as a domestic student, so you will not have to provide evidence you have paid your course fees. If you are a tertiary student you will need to meet our general requirements as an international student, including paying foreign student fees.* This does not apply to you if your partner or parent holds a work visa granted under any of the following immigration instructions:
  • Crew of foreign chartered fishing vessels,
  • Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) work instructions,
  • Supplementary Seasonal Employment instructions,
  • Silver Fern Job Search instructions,
  • Skilled Migrant Category Job Search instructions,
  • Working Holiday Scheme, or
  • Domestic staff of diplomatic, consular or official staff.