vkb

Hi,

I am sorry if this question has already been answered. I tried to search but could not find it.

My husband is working for an accredited employer from last 6 months in NZ on a silver fern practical experience visa earning $90000 per year. While going through the requirements for Work to residence we came across this link

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...quirements.htm

It says "Under some residence categories, applicants may be granted PRVs straight away, not a resident visa. An example of this is under Residence from Work, where a person may be granted a PRV if they work for an accredited employer, earn a base salary of at least NZ$90,000 per year and meet the normal Residence from Work criteria."

We called up the immigration helpline twice to clarify this and we got different answers. First time we were told that PRV is possible and we should fill the PR form and second time we were told that we will have to wait for 2 years to get a PRV.

The statement clearly says that "PRVs straight away, not a resident visa". My husband is also paying tax and has been in new zealand for close to 195 days.

We are confused how to proceed. Please help.

Cheers
vkb

karen87

I found the exact same quote on the immigration website through this link: Requirements for a permanent resident visa

"Under some residence categories, applicants may be granted PRVs straight away, not a resident visa. An example of this is under Residence from Work, where a person may be granted a PRV if they work for an accredited employer, earn a base salary of at least NZ$90,000 per year and meet the normal Residence from Work criteria."

I don't have any personal experience of this, but it clearly states PR from an accredited employer if earning at least $90k/year.

Persephone

Hello and welcome to BE!

The part highlighted in red is the relevant part. The way a WTR visa works is that once you apply you will be issued a work visa that lasts for 30 months. Once you have worked for 24mths in that job you can then apply for Residence.It is at this point that you can go straight to a PRV if you are earning over $90K pa. Otherwise you get issued a Resident Visa and have to wait 2 years and your travel conditions expire before you can apply for a PRV.

It sounds like immigration were confused about where you were in the process but essentially yes, you will have to wait 2 years until you have worked for 2yrs on a WTR visa. The alternative could be to apply under the SMC if that is an option for you [would still take 2 yrs to get a PRV though]