Backlog London - concerned about delay
 

Hubby has been to Haymarket this morning to lodge our ITA as we have finally got the correct contract through which was holding us up until then. At Haymarket he's been told that they have quite a backlog and our ITA doesn't have a case officer as the case officer who was assigned to our EOI has left and that it will take at least 4 weeks before a new case officer is assigned to us because of their backlog.

I take that as meaning that absolutely zip happens with our application until the new case officer is assigned and maybe not even then. We've been told it won't even be lodged on the system.

I'm concerned about what this does to our timescale. I'm now thinking that there's no way we'll be there this side of Christmas and that we should be pursuing other jobs elsewhere instead. We're keen on NZ but we're also career expats who would happily work elsewhere and the job in NZ fitted in with an interest in moving there rather than being a lifelong aim as it clearly is for many. I have children who I don't want to keep in limbo for too long regarding schooling etc.

Also, the person who accepted the docs has said that we have not provided sufficient evidence of our relationship as we have not included joint bills from our last expat job - we have explained that we don't have joint bills from there as the accommodation was provided and paid for by the employer so all rent and utilities went to them not us. Therefore we don't have bills there - answer, not my problem, very friendly! We provided marriage cert, children's birth certs - both born at the last expat job and the birth certs do show our address there but apparently that's not good enough, copies of joint holiday bookings over the last 6 years, proof of living together at our current UK address, lots of photos of us including at official functions, joint national trust memberships etc. I don't see how I can provide something I've never had. And I honestly would have thought that what we've provided is adequate. We've been married 7 years, have had 2 kids in that time and I've provided a clear paper trail of us having lived together in the UK and abroad and having spent our leisure time and holidays together. I just don't have rent or utility bills because we didn't pay them.

Any advice from anyone as to how long it might take from here? I'm feeling pretty depressed at the moment about this. We have otherwise a good application with 170 points - a good job offer, both of us have masters degrees and prof quals and good work experience in a skills shortage area although I won't be working until the kids are older so only hubby scores the points, no criminal history or other problems, all the family have clean medicals other than mine which is clear other than having a BMI of 31 which I expect to cause a medical referral but not to derail the process as there are no other health probs. I didn't think there was anything in the application to slow us up other than my weight but if they're going to insist on bills that we never had..........

Re: Backlog London - concerned about delay
 

Can you not apply for a work visa to tide you over till your ITA is sorted out. Mrs F's husband applied for his whilst in NZ and got it the same day I seem to remember. This of course would envolve you going over on a visitors visa and getting the work visa whilst you are there - a risk I know.

With regard to evidence, I think you would probably find your case officer would be more thorough and sympathetic rather than the person on the desk. If you show why you cant supply bills etc but have provided other proof I cant see that would be a problem, as you say if the bills dont exist you cant provide them.

Will you have any joint bills whilst you are in London Temporarily, might help.

I know they are backed up, they were in March when we got our PR and our case officer said it was only going to get worse due to staff shortages and the whole process being changed etc - sorry!

With regard to your BMI, that will get referred it shouldnt stop your PR application but will probably slow it down considerably whilst they get it referred, is it not possible that perhaps you could try to reduce this between now and when your actual ITA goes through - I am sure this would help if you could show you are actively trying to reduce this (only a suggestion).

Good luck, dont give up on NZ I am sure everything will come right in the end.

Re: Backlog London - concerned about delay
 

Yeah - people on the desk at NZ House always seem to be merchants of doom giving the worst case scenario.

I suppose it makes sense as they don't want to give any impression that everything will be fine, just in case it's turns out it's not.

I understand how you're feeling Bev MK, it's horrible when there is thank chink in the armour of the application that makes you doubt getting the thumbs up.

Try not to fret too much until you have a new case officer and then you'll have someone to talk through and reason with, face to face.

I'm applying for PR as my wife and daughter are already NZ citizens and my wife and I are having to prove that we've lived together for 5 years, which we have. Just about.

Problems are that neither of us updated our electoral register thing until 2008 and all the bills were in the names of our flat mates - which I thought was the smart thing to do, at the time.

I have bank and credit card statements as well as pay slips to prove where I lived going back 5 years, but my wife is a touch short.

In this day and age of electronic, or paperless bank statements, you'd think it's going to get tougher and tougher for people to provide this sort of stuff going forwards.

My bank (Natwest) and her bank (HSBC) can give us statements going back that far, but addresses are not confirmed.

Apparently banks don't keep address records, which I find very difficult to believe. Surely the banks keep every shred of information they possibly can about us.

Shysters.

The only reason I've got bank and credit card statements going back that far is because I was too lazy to shred them, either that or my subconscious was being clever and stopping me from doing it.

I'm not going to get too concerned though until I've had the chance to get everything I possible can together and talk to someone before submission.



The delay however is very frustrating. I suppose like any job in any industry these things will happen, unfortunate that it's happened to you - very annoying and I hope this doesn't hinder your progress.

Re: Backlog London - concerned about delay
 

[QUOTE=ellenarosemary;10236183]Can you not apply for a work visa to tide you over till your ITA is sorted out. Mrs F's husband applied for his whilst in NZ and got it the same day I seem to remember. This of course would envolve you going over on a visitors visa and getting the work visa whilst you are there - a risk I know.

The desk officer today said that we could well be refused entry if we went to NZ now on a visitor's visa. We were very clear that we would not work until we had the correct visa but she said that once your ITA is lodged you are likely to be refused a visitor's visa as it could be regarded as applying under false pretences. I certainly wouldn't want to shell out for flights and get sent back to Heathrow!

I don't really understand the work visa costs and processes anyway.

Will you have any joint bills whilst you are in London Temporarily, might help.

Yep, we've provided council tax bills for London, she says she still needs a joint bill for the last job and that the fact it doesn't exist is my problem not hers.


Good luck, dont give up on NZ I am sure everything will come right in the end.[/QUOTE

Thanks!

Re: Backlog London - concerned about delay
 

Our last posting was somewhere with very poor post so we had all our bank and credit card statements addressed to hubby mum's house rather than forwarding them on. Where possible we moved to paperless anyway.

We're also quite good at shredding out of date paperwork as when you move house, especially internationally, you do tend to get rid of the dross before packing. We keep everything that we may need such as tax records for 7 years and info on pensions etc but we had no household bills overseas and as I wasn't working there, there was very little with my name on it, other than the kids' birth certs and medical records which apparently don't count!

What bugs me is mainly the effect on my kids of the hanging around. We've come back from one job and my eldest who is 4 is the one who's suffering from not having a base or school or set of friends. I want to get him to somewhere I can call his new home, not somewhere that is just a holding pen. All our belongings are still in the container from our last job and I want our stuff back! (stamps feet! :) )

Re: Backlog London - concerned about delay
 

you won't get refused entry, husband came out on visitors visa, then got offered a job and got the work visa within 2 hrs at Wellington Immigration office. (back in Sept 2011). He had already applied for EOI before going over and just updated the info on that to get the ITA invite. Myself and the kids came over on visitors visa in January this year, again ITA was in process and we eventually got the Blueys 14th February this year. Only thing you might not be able to do is send the children to school until you have your blueys or you can and pay student fees, or get the lower rate health care. and obviously start work until you have anytime of work visa

Re: Backlog London - concerned about delay
 

Now, that kind of annoys me as why go round telling people that they are unlikely to be able to enter on a visitor's visa then? I'm sure you can understand that having been told that by Haymarket makes me very wary of shelling out on flights if I risk getting turned away at the border! Interesting to hear you did it though - were you even queried on entry? Were you given any impression that it could have been a problem?

Re: Backlog London - concerned about delay
 

We came out on a visitors visa, after our EOI had been accepted, but we hadn't put our ITA in at stage. We had no problems, but weren't looking for work at that stage either.

Fingers crossed that they're just giving you a worst case scenario, I think I read someone else on here the other day who got a similar response.

Re: Backlog London - concerned about delay
 

nope, and we even came through with my husband having his works visa in his passport. Immigration London even told us not to bother with a working visa and student visas for myself and the children as they would take about much the same amount of time as the ITA.
You do need to have an onward flight from NZ but you can be here for 6mths on a visitors visa. We used the return flight to see family as our move was fairly quick from idea to getting out here.
Maybe the reference from them was that if you did not have an onward flight you would not be allowed to enter.

Re: Backlog London - concerned about delay
 

Would you mind me asking why it took 3 months from your approval to your stickers - was it a delay with them, or just that you didn't need to rush?

Re: Backlog London - concerned about delay
 

They didn't mention onward flights at all but it's an interesting idea. We have family in Oz so if we wanted to have onward flights booked, we could book flights to visit them. We wouldn't want flights to the UK as we won't come back in the first 12 months unless there's serious illness with parents etc.

Re: Backlog London - concerned about delay
 

there was no delay that was the processing time they gave us. You get your case officer doing majority of work usually 2-2.5mths worth, our CO only worked 4 days a week, then we had Christmas and New Year. Once CO has finished your case is passed on for a secondary scheck that usually takes two weeks but we had to chase ours as 2 weeks came and went.
Once we had the OK "can we have your passports to put the visa's in" we had the whole application transferred over to Wellington Office as we were here in NZ at the time and got the stickers a week or so later. We did have to wait a further 2 days as initially they put the wrong stickers in so they had to be cancelled and the correct ones put in but that was ok as it meant we actually got our PR on valentines day :D

Re: Backlog London - concerned about delay
 

That question was actually quoting janiejones as her timeline shows a 3 month gap and I just wondered whether that was her choice or down to NZIS, but interesting to see your process too.

Re: Backlog London - concerned about delay
 

Don't mind at all. We weren't in any hurry, and were trying to tie up loose ends before we came. We also lived quite far from London, so used to book the cheap railfares in advance and make a day of it when we had to go to NZ House.

Re: Backlog London - concerned about delay
 

4 weeks for a CO :eek: when does the job start?

I have a start date of 26th Nov, need to have booked in with a NZ Gp before then and screened clean for MRSA (I'm a health worker with position in a hosp), think we put in our ITA's at a simillar time.