Partnership visitor visa approved without cohabitationThirty days from refusal letter to approval | no cohabitation partnership visitor visa
- JessieCHEN
- Oct 4
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 17
When the refusal letter arrived, he asked one sentence only Are we already too late. The reasons were plain no proof of living together. The couple were genuine but had been living apart for a period and sharing care duties. On paper this was a partnership visitor application. In practice it was about making the relationship visible, verifiable and immediately deliverable as shared living.
Common mistakes
Importing the residence twelve-month rule into a visitor file. A partnership visitor decision turns on either living together now or being able to resume living together promptly.
Believing that more chat screenshots equal more safety. Without a clear storyline, piles of screenshots only raise contradictions and reading costs.
Writing we will live together and thinking that is enough. Without specific dates and a real address, it is a wish, not a plan.
What moved the decision -Three concrete moves
First- Rebuild a timeline that can be checked
List first contact, two-way visits, family introductions, trips and holidays. Place every entry on an exact date and link it to one source document. Useful proof includes airline records and itineraries, hotel or homestay invoices, original photo files with timestamps, tickets and sign-ins, bank transfers and shared spending, and statements from family and friends who can be contacted. Keep one naming rule for all files. Carry the pack with a master timeline and an evidence index.
Second- Turn cohabitation into an executable plan
Write a six-month schedule rather than intentions. A practical pattern looks like this
• Week 1: Confirm two address options and the renting steps, name who views and who signs, and include the landlord or agent contact.
• Week 2: Open a joint bank account, set bill sharing and automatic payments and list which bills will be paid how.
• Weeks 3 to 4: Complete moving and purchases, set up internet, power, water and gas, with dates, account names and the owner of each task.
• Monthly budget list living costs for housing, transport, communications, utilities, household and a small buffer, with amounts and payment method.
Each step needs a date, an amount and a named owner, plus a fallback path, for example, if address A fails, switch to address B with the steps already written.
Third- Answer the refusal letter in a structured way
Turn the refusal letter into a numbered checklist and reply in the same order without digressions.
• Replace vague months with exact dates.
• Prefer statements and invoices to screenshots wherever possible.
• Upgrade generic references to verifiable statements that set out contact frequency, joint activities and specific dates, with a phone or email for verification. Write calmly and stick to facts so the reading and checking path is short.
Approval issued
What changed the outcome was not adjectives, but a continuous record and a plan that could be delivered.
How to leave with tools readers can use
Build the master timeline
Write down your experiences in chronological order.
Prioritise airline and itinerary records, hotel or homestay invoices, original photo files with timestamps, tickets and sign-ins, bank transfers and shared spending, family and friend statements that can be checked.
Two rules: replace vague months with exact dates. Prefer official records and invoices to screenshots.
Write a shared living plan as an action sheet
• Use dates, addresses, amounts, owners and a fallback path for each step.
• Include landlord or agent contacts and any pre-booked appointments where possible.
What lasts beyond the approval
Credibility shifts from words to structure. Plans shift from wishes to dated steps. Risk shifts from abstract to monitored checkpoints. Approval is a beginning. Start cohabitation and shared finances early in New Zealand, and keep collecting verifiable records to prepare for the next stage.
If this is you now
Write down your emotional experiences in chronological order.Convert replaceable screenshots into invoices and statements, and write the one page plan as an action sheet.
*Compliance note
This article is based on a real case but has been de-identified to protect the applicant’s privacy. It is for general information only and not legal advice. We do not guarantee outcomes. All services comply with New Zealand immigration law and IAA standards.
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