I am a Chinese native living in New Zealand. My girlfriend, who is currently living in China, plans to visit me in New Zealand and we want to get married here. Recently I heard about this culturally arranged marriage visitor visa that would grant the visa holders the right to study and live in the country. I am wondering if my girlfriend can take advantage of this. My only concern is that, since our relationship was not established through any kind of matchmaking and arranged marriage is rare in my country, she might not be eligible to apply for this visa. Please advise.
The newly introduced culturally arranged policy does not apply to your situation. However, immigration instructions relevant to your situation have been clarified as well. Therefore, she can apply for a visitor visa but document and evidence the application specifically.
Due to recent updates on assessing visitor visa applications, for people who do not meet partnership criteria, your girlfriend shall be able to apply for a general visitor visa to join you in New Zealand to establish the relationship.
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