Partner visa when the sponsor is a New Zealand citizen: who counts as an eligible New Zealand citizen

Yes, a New Zealand citizen can sponsor a partner for the Partner visa (temporary) (subclass 820), but only if they are an eligible New Zealand citizen. The sponsor eligibility section of the Department of Home Affairs subclass 820 page says a sponsor must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen, and that sponsorship itself must be approved. The same page's glossary defines an eligible New Zealand citizen in a specific way, built around the Special Category visa (subclass 444) and the Social Security Act 1991.

What the glossary says "eligible New Zealand citizen" means

The glossary on the subclass 820 page defines an eligible New Zealand citizen as a New Zealand citizen who is a protected SCV (Special Category visa – subclass 444) holder within the meaning of section 7 of the Social Security Act 1991 (SSA). You are a protected SCV holder at a particular time if you:

• were physically in Australia on 26 February 2001 as the holder of an SCV
• were not in Australia on 26 February 2001 but were in Australia for 365 days (or more) between 26 February 1999 and 25 February 2001 (inclusive) and returned to Australia after 26 February 2001, or
• are otherwise a "protected SCV holder" under section 7(2B), 7(2C) or 7(2D) of the SSA — in which case you must provide written confirmation from Centrelink that you are a protected SCV holder.

The third pathway is the only one the glossary attaches an evidence requirement to: written confirmation from Centrelink.

The same definition appears in the relationship requirement

The relationship requirement on the subclass 820 page points to the same group. In most cases, the page says, you must be the spouse or de facto partner of an:

• Australian citizen
• Australian permanent resident, or
• eligible New Zealand citizen.

That applies both when you make your application and when your application is being decided. So the status has to hold at two points in time, not just on the day you lodge.

The glossary definitions behind those words are narrow. A spouse is one of two people in a married relationship, married under a marriage valid for the purposes of the Migration Act, with a mutual commitment to a shared life to the exclusion of all others, a genuine and continuing relationship, and living together or not living separately and apart on a permanent basis. A de facto relationship is one where the couple are not legally married but meet the same commitment, genuineness and living-arrangement tests, and are not related by family. Both can be between people of the same or different sex.

What the sponsor sections require

The sponsor eligibility section on the subclass 820 page sets out the sponsorship criteria:

• You must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen.
• You must be 18 years old or older. If you are under 18 and married to the applicant, your parent or guardian might be able to sponsor your partner.
• Most sponsors will need to meet the department's character requirements. The page says sponsorship might not be approved if the sponsor has a significant criminal record in relation to relevant offences, refuses to provide a police clearance, or does not consent to the disclosure of their convictions to the applicant. Convictions for relevant offences that have been quashed, or otherwise nullified or pardoned, are not included.
• Sponsorship must be approved.

The "Have a sponsor" section adds that the applicant must have a sponsor when they lodge and while they are on the visa, that the sponsor is usually the partner, and that the sponsor cannot be changed: the person who sponsors the application must be the same person who sponsors for 2 years after the temporary visa is granted.

If the New Zealand citizen sponsor does not meet the criteria

The sponsor eligibility section carries a note that applies directly to this situation. It says that if you are a New Zealand citizen and do not meet the eligibility criteria to sponsor your partner for this visa, your partner may be eligible for a New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship visa (subclass 461).

Evidence of your sponsor's status

Where the applicant does not hold a substantive visa at the time of applying and is eligible to apply, the subclass 820 page lists what must be included:

• A "Sponsorship for a Partner to Migrate to Australia" online form completed by the sponsor. The page states the sponsor must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen, and can lodge the form using the applicant's ImmiAccount or their own once they have the Transaction Reference Number (TRN) or Application ID.
• Evidence of the sponsor's status, for example a passport or birth certificate. A driver's licence or Medicare card is not sufficient evidence.
• A minimum of two statutory declarations, each made within the last six weeks by an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, confirming that the applicant and sponsor are in a married or de facto relationship. The Commonwealth Statutory Declaration form is available from the Attorney-General's Department.
• Evidence that the declarants are Australian citizens or permanent residents, or eligible New Zealand citizens — again, a passport or birth certificate; a driver's licence or Medicare card is not sufficient.

The page adds that Form 888 ("Supporting statement in relation to a Partner or Prospective Marriage visa application") is not a statutory declaration, and that the current and any previous versions of Form 888 are not acceptable because they do not satisfy this requirement. If this information is not included at lodgement, the application may be deemed invalid.

For subclass 820 holders who travel with a New Zealand passport

The subclass 820 page has a separate passage headed "New Zealand passport holders". If an immigration officer processes your clearance at the border, the page says to tell them:

• you have a temporary Partner visa
• you do not want a Special Category visa (subclass 444)

If you do not tell them, you might be granted a 444 visa. The page states that the grant of a subclass 444 visa will override your temporary Partner visa, and that this means you will not be eligible for the permanent Partner visa (subclass 801).

Questions people ask

Can a New Zealand citizen sponsor me if they are not a protected SCV holder?

The subclass 820 page says a sponsor must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen, and the glossary defines eligible New Zealand citizen as a protected SCV holder under section 7 of the Social Security Act 1991. The sponsor eligibility section adds that if you are a New Zealand citizen and do not meet the eligibility criteria to sponsor your partner for this visa, your partner may be eligible for a New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship visa (subclass 461).

Does my sponsor need to be an eligible New Zealand citizen at more than one point in time?

For the relationship requirement, yes. The subclass 820 page says that in most cases you must be the spouse or de facto partner of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, and that this applies when you make your application and when your application is being decided.

What evidence shows my sponsor is an eligible New Zealand citizen?

Where the applicant does not hold a substantive visa at the time of applying and is eligible to apply, the page requires evidence of the sponsor's status, for example a passport or birth certificate, and states that a driver's licence or Medicare card is not sufficient evidence. If the sponsor is a protected SCV holder under section 7(2B), 7(2C) or 7(2D) of the SSA, the glossary says written confirmation from Centrelink must be provided.

Sources

• Partner visa (temporary) (subclass 820) Department of Home Affairs

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary, is not published by the Department of Home Affairs, and the department's current pages prevail if they differ.