Denied residence because her partner had sponsored a partner before
A Malaysian mother of four New Zealand-born children was declined a residence visa despite a genuine, long marriage to a New Zealand citizen. The reason had nothing to do with her relationship: her husband had sponsored two earlier partners for residence decades before, and the rules let a person support only one partner for residence. Immigration New Zealand said it had no ability to apply discretion.
What happened
- She was married to a New Zealand citizen and they had four children together, all New Zealand citizens.
- Her residence application was declined because her husband had previously supported two former partners for residence, breaching the one-partner sponsorship limit.
- Immigration New Zealand said it had no discretion to look past the sponsorship history, however genuine the current marriage was.
As reported by NZ Herald, 18 February 2023: “Malaysian mum of four NZ children denied residency visa by INZ, dad had sponsored previous partners”.
The lesson
Your application can be sunk by your New Zealand partner's history, not your own. A citizen or resident who has already successfully supported a partner for residence generally cannot support another, and this is a hard rule with little room for discretion. Check your supporting partner's sponsorship history before you build a plan around residence, because finding out at decision time is devastating.
The visa in this story
Partner of a New Zealander Resident VisaResidence for the partner of a New Zealand citizen or resident, based on a genuine and stable relationship and time living together.
Don’t let this be your story
Most partnership visa heartbreak is avoidable with the right advice before you apply. Have a lawyer assess your situation honestly, backed by our money-back guarantee.