As a part of your partnership based visa application assessment, the case officer will use a variety of information to determine if you meet the requirement of being in a "genuine and stable" relationship. In some cases, the immigration officer may choose to interview the applicant OR both the sponsoring partner and the applicant either face to face or via telephone.
The general format of the face to face "couple" interview is that it is held concurrently with the applicant as well as the partner, i.e. with one immigration officer interviewing the applicant and the other interviewing the sponsoring partner in separate rooms. For a telephonic interview, the process may broadly be the same, i.e. the applicant may be telephoned by one immigration officer and the sponsoring partner by another immigration officer at the same time, while the interviewees are required to confirm that they are not in the same room together.
Some tips for the immigration interview
Translator
You must ask for a translator, in case English is not your first language. Normally INZ would email you and confirm the time and date for the interview at the same time they normally ask if you may require a translator. However, in some cases, the process may not have been followed correctly. You can and you must ask for a translator if English is not your first language.
Underpreparedness or Nervousness
Many times we have seen that there may be a very long delay between when an applicant may have filed a visa application and the time when a case officer may interview the applicant, sometimes there is that unexpected call from the case officer and the interviewee may not be prepared. In many cultures, it is considered rude to say a firm no to a government official. Please remember, that you can always ask the case officer for a different time slot if you get a sudden or unexpected interview call.
What are they going to ask?
It is a very good idea to go through all the Information that you have provided to Immigration in your visa application. The general format of the questions may be as follows
Your and your partner's ID and other information
What is your name, or nickname?
What is your partner's name?
Does he/she have any other name/s?
When is your birthday?
When is your partner's birthday, profession, town or city of residence/family details?
Relationship Questions
How and when did you meet?
Anniversary, marriage, engagement or any other key event date/s?
Who brought you together/arranged your marriage?
When did you start communicating with each other?
Where did you live before moving in with your partner?
Where are you living currently?
Have you spent any time apart?
How did you maintain your relationship when you were apart?
How are you maintaining your relationship if you are not living together currently?
From your first to current address provide a timeline of your places of residence?
Who else lives with you/
How many bedrooms, rent, and other dwelling specific questions?
Periodicity of rent and utility payments and their approximate amounts?
Who cooks? Do you eat together how often do you eat out?
How often do you engage with family or each other's families?
Does your family approve of the relationship? if not how does it impact you?
Name partner's family members, occupation and other similar details?
What was the last event you both attended?
Name your best friend and partner's best friend?
What shows did you watch?
What do you do in the evenings?
How often do you go to church/temple?
Views on religious or cultural differences and how you reconcile them in case of interreligious or intercultural partnership.
How you do divide housework/shopping and other household duties?
Married/Marriage plans how and when?
Your work and your partner's work-related information.
What work do you do, what work does your partner do/
Days off, Pay?
How do you/your partner commute?
Banking and Financial
How many accounts do you have?
Joint account when did you start it, how do you manage your money?
How do you pay bills, and how do you share living expenses?
Any joint loans or big-ticket purchases, or savings for the future?
Future plans?
Finally, sometimes the case officer may ask, what will you do if your application is declined.
Disclaimer
We are a private business and not a part of Immigration New Zealand, the above information is general in nature and meant for information purposes, it is not meant to replace professional immigration advice.
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