New Zealand Student visa - Dependents & family

To apply for a New Zealand partner visa, you must complete the Partnership-Based Temporary Visa Application, form INZ 1198. You can usually submit it online or on paper along with the visa fee and required documents. The form has several parts covering personal, contact, health and character details.

If you get a New Zealand student visa but your husband cannot get a partner visa because you have not lived together, he cannot join you right away. He typically waits until you are living together in a genuine, stable relationship, then applies.

It depends on the country. In the UK, living together is not strictly mandatory for married or civil partners, though cohabitation evidence is highly recommended; unmarried partners typically need 2 years together. New Zealand residence partner visas ask for at least 12 months of living together; other partner visas differ.

No, generally not. New Zealand currently reserves free domestic school tuition for the dependent children of PhD students, not for an ordinary Master's by Research; your 16 and 12 year olds would likely be classed as international fee paying students unless another visa route applies.

Yes, New Zealand can treat your son as a dependent child at 19 if he has no children of his own and relies on you financially. He would generally need a Child of a Student Visitor Visa, letting him stay up to 3 months.

Yes, you can both study in New Zealand at the same time on separate Student Visas, since marriage does not block two spouses from holding individual student visas. Alternatively, your husband could apply for a Partner of a Student Work Visa instead, if your MBA is a Level 9 qualification.

Yes, if your master's is a Level 9 qualification, your husband can apply for a Partner of a Student Work Visa, letting him work full-time in New Zealand. Children aged 19 or younger who are financially dependent on you can apply for their own visas to accompany you.

Yes, an immediate family member abroad, such as a parent, sibling or grandparent, can act as a financial sponsor for your New Zealand student visa if applying from South Asia. A US green card alone does not grant special sponsorship rights; Immigration New Zealand assesses evidence of genuine funds instead.