Applying for a Partnership-based work visa while on a visitors visa. What are our options?

[Shipplin]

My partner, who is a UK Citizen is coming to visit New Zealand for 4 months on the VWP. During this time, she will be living with me in Auckland and I plan to take her to see the sites around Auckland and also events which will be held here during her stay. We may also visit the South Island if possible.

My question is, will we be allowed to apply for a temporary partnership-based visa near the end of her stay here in NZ? I ask this because I suspect that INZ will think that my partner is here to collect evidence of our partnership and proof of us living together and that she is not here as a genuine tourist/visitor, which may be grounds for them to refuse our visa application.

There are limited options for us to spend time together to prove that we've spent time in a genuine and stable relationship and that we've lived together, as I've been recently been declined a visitors visa to the US to visit her (refusal under 214(b), not enough strong ties to home country). It wouldn't be wise for me to reapply again so soon as my circumstances have not changed from my previous application. This means that the only chance that we will have to live together will be her coming into NZ.

We could also apply for the temporary partnership based visa while she is overseas, but we would not prefer this as we don't want to have to spend the money on further flight tickets for her to return here.

[JandM]

This http://www.immigration.govt.nz/NR/rd...20June2014.pdf shows you a legal and usable response to the INZ questions on the form to be completed on the aeroplane by visa-waiver passengers who are very much hoping NOT to have to leave again.

If she applies for a partner-sponsored temporary work visa after about three months living with you, with proof https://www.google.co.uk/#q=site:enz...tnership+proof, if the case has not been dealt with by the time her visitor's visa would have run out (the stamp in her passport upon arrival), she would be eligible for an interim visa http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...erimvisaqa.htm to cover her staying on while the processing is concluded.