Can my son live in NZ if his father and stepmother do?
 

Hi there

My son is 17. His dad lives in NZ with his wife (who is from NZ, my ex is british), and their new family.

My son is considering his options for after school/early 20s/etc and thinking about going to NZ for an extended period, and about whether he would need a visa or if so what type. Could he work in NZ as the stepchild of a NZ native?

He couldn't live with his dad and stepmum though his dad has said they would be supportive if he wanted to move (but not support him financially if you see what I mean).

Re: Can my son live in NZ if his father and stepmother do?
 

Ah, duplicate, can mods please merge??

Re: Can my son live in NZ if his father and stepmother do?
 

Hi there, can you do us a favour. We like people to post in the Welcome Inn first (helps us to spot them) and the poster re-posted here at my request.

Would you be very kind and post your reply here as well??

(No I'm not a mod or a conc but was for a while :) and them was the rules last time I knew, so probably won't be merged.)

Re: Can my son live in NZ if his father and stepmother do?
 

Hi, not all good news I'm afraid:

Being a stepchild of an NZ native doesn't confer any status. He would need to apply for a work visa, such visas are easier if he has skills that are in demand. At his age he us unlikely to have any so best bet there would be to look at what qualifications would equip him for a job on the skills shortage list and then look at getting the necessary work experience.

Secondly, he could apply for a residence visa under the dependent child stream, however if the parent(s) in NZ are unwilling to support him (ie he isn't dependent on them), I suspect this would fail.

Now the good news - he can apply for a WHV (Working Holiday Visa), which will enable him to spend 1-2yrs here, work at almost anything he can get and take a good look around, perhaps find a longer-term job which may lead to a longer term work visa....for this he may just need some starter cash, a return flight and a sense of adventure....no in-country support needs to be demonstrated beyond this (such as in-situ parental support etc).

Hope this helps...

Re: Can my son live in NZ if his father and stepmother do?
 

I'm with Simonsi on this one.

Forget the Dad relationship thing for the time being.

Your young lad should go for a working holiday visa.

Link HERE