Resident to PR?

hi there,

so I know that to be able to apply for permanent residence, we have to at least be in NZ for 184 days in each of the (2) years.

does and should this apply to both the primary and secondary applicant(partner)?

Or is this only applicable to the primary one?

In most circumstances, the criteria is only applied to the principal applicant, and non-principal applicants will be granted a Permanent Resident Visa if (and only if) the principal applicant is granted one. There are exceptions though; see RV1.20 for the ways in which eligibility for non-principal applicants can be determined.

thanks for replying @Kelerei!

Follow up please!

when the 24 months (of 184 days per year) has been fulfilled by the primary applicant;
and the primary applicant applies,
Is it fine if the secondary applicant is NOT present in NZ?

(for example, we wish to go outside NZ after fulfilling the 184 days of the 2nd year, then come back to nz before the residence visa expires, so we can apply for PR; is it possible that only the primary applicant come back to NZ?)

or does both need to be in NZ during the application?

There is no requirement that either the principal applicant or any dependent applicant be physically present in NZ when applying for a Permanent Resident Visa (see RV2.5 for all of the requirements). Personally, I wouldn't do it myself, in case I end up stuck outside the country having lost residence status, and would ensure that I travelled back with valid travel conditions before applying onshore.

And yes, it is possible to get a Permanent Resident Visa or a second/subsequent Resident Visa if you are outside NZ with expired travel conditions (see RV2.5 again for the Permanent Resident Visa, in particular RV2.5(a)(ii), and RV4.10 for a second or subsequent Resident Visa). I still wouldn't do it myself though.