Immigration Central: New Zealand’s revised Partner of a Worker Work Visa will be effective from May 31

Representational image. (Photo: Photo: Kerin Gedge via Unsplash)

From May 31, 2023, partners of New Zealand’s Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) and Essential Skills Work Visa (ESWV) holders who apply for a new Partner of a Worker Work Visa may have new work conditions in the visa. These changes are part of the government’s plan to rebalance the immigration system to support a higher-productivity, higher-wage economy. This change, however, will not affect the partner’s current work visa.

The changes do not affect current work visa conditions or people who apply before May 31, 2023. These conditions will only be applied to new applications. There are no changes to visa conditions for partners of those holding other work visas (such as a Post Study Work Visa).

Some Work visa holders are not eligible to support applications for this visa. From May 31, 2023, you can check the eligible categories as well as list of accredited employers on the official website of New Zealand immigration.

What is a Partner of a Worker Work Visa?

It is a category of visa usually applied for by applicants who wish to accompany or visit their partner who holds a Work Visa or is applying/has applied for a Work Visa. This visa allows the partner of a work visa holder to work in  New Zealand. The length of stay is the same duration as the partner’s work visa.

With this visa, the applicant can:

• Join his/her partner
• Work in New Zealand
• Study for up to 3 months
• Partners do not need to have a job offer to apply for this visa, and employers do not need to complete a job check
• When granted, partners can change employers without applying for a Variation of Conditions
• There is no minimum number of hours that partners need to work

Work conditions for partners of migrant workers

People who successfully apply for a Partner of a Worker Work Visa on or after May 31, 2023, may have new conditions that mean:

• they can only work for an Accredited Employer
• they cannot work in roles covered by capped sector agreements
• if working in a role not covered by a sector agreement, they must be paid at least the median wage in effect at the time they receive their visa, or when they receive a job offer, whichever is later
• if working in a role covered by an uncapped sector agreement, they must be paid at least the relevant wage threshold in place. They will not be subject to a stand-down period

Some partners of AEWV or ESWV holders will continue to be eligible for a work visa allowing them to work in any occupation for any employer in New Zealand, with no median wage threshold. This includes partners of:

• migrants who are paid at least twice the median wage, or
• migrants who are working in a role on the Green List

Some AEWV and ESWV holders cannot support a partner work visa

AEWV holders who are covered by a sector agreement and paid below the median wage are not eligible to support a partner work visa. ESWV holders paid below the median wage (or lower-skilled if the visa application was made before July 27, 2020) are also not eligible to support a partner work visa.

If they receive a pay rise that means they earn at least the median wage, they may be able to support their partner for a work visa. They do not need to apply for a new work visa to support a partner, unless they want their eligibility for a longer work visa to be assessed based on the new salary. This is because partners generally receive a visa for the same length of time as their supporting partner’s work visa.

Partners of temporary workers can explore other visas to see if they are eligible to apply in their own right. Partners who do not want to work can apply for a Visitor Visa.

Who cannot support visas for family?

You cannot support a work, visitor or student visa for your partner or dependent child if you have any of the following visas:

• Fishing Crew work visa
• Working holiday visa
• Limited visa under the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) or Supplementary Seasonal Employer (SSE) schemes
• Silver Fern Job Search visa
• Domestic Staff of a Diplomat work