New Zealand Family Relationship Visa
If your partner is a New Zealand citizen living in Australia on a Special Category visa (subclass 444) and you’re not a New Zealand citizen yourself, this temporary visa may allow you to live, work, and study in Australia alongside them. It’s designed for family members of New Zealand citizens who aren’t “eligible New Zealand citizens” — a term with a specific legal meaning that we confirm first.
Who can apply
- Your partner is a New Zealand citizen living in Australia on a Special Category Visa (subclass 444), and isn’t an “eligible New Zealand citizen” as defined in migration law — we confirm this first
- You’re in a spousal (married) or de facto relationship with your partner
- You are not yourself a New Zealand citizen
- Both partners are 18 years or older
- Your relationship is genuine and continuing
How this differs from a standard partner visa
New Zealand citizens who qualify as “eligible New Zealand citizens” can sponsor a partner for a standard Partner visa; this visa is for the partner of a New Zealand citizen who doesn’t meet that definition. It’s temporary rather than a direct road to permanent residence, and the rules around renewal and any pathway to permanent residence have changed over time — we’ll confirm the current settings for your situation, since this is an area worth getting properly up-to-date advice on.
What’s involved
- Evidence of a genuine and continuing relationship, similar in nature to standard partner visa evidence
- Confirmation of your partner’s New Zealand citizen and Special Category visa status
- Health and character checks
- Government application charge, set and updated by the Department of Home Affairs
Common reasons applications stall
Confirming your partner’s specific NZ citizen status is the step most often overlooked — not all New Zealand citizens in Australia hold the same visa status, and this affects your eligibility. We check this first, before anything else, to avoid a wasted application.