jayandbill

Don't despair yet Marrisa, they tell everyone 24 months. I can't say whether it's longer if you apply from the UK but it took us 16 months when we applied from NZ whilst on a 'Parents Multi visit Visa' but I'm in touch with another couple who I'm sure applied from the UK and it took slightly less than 16 months. I know that still seems like a lifetime but I feel that going back would be a mistake. I've just been back to the UK for a month and honestly I have no regrets that I left. I don't know if others would agree but if I were your parents I'd be inclined to come here on a 6 months visa around Christmas, which I think can be extended and enjoy a NZ summer. I'd enquire as to whether they have to be in the UK whilst waiting for Residency and if not, provided you have room for them to stay, just take the chance and come. We were worried that when our Visitor Visa ran out we might have to go back before we were granted Residency but that didn't happen. Others might have different advice so I'd look at all the possibilities. I'm not usually a risk taker but we took the chance whilst keeping within the Immigration rules. I don't know your or your parent's circumstances and maybe it's not an option, just a suggestion. We just felt life was passing us by, and without our children in our lives.
Good luck anyway

simonmarkellis

Don't panic, if they told everyone it'd take 12 months, then bang on 12 months people would be bugging them for their visa's. If they say 24 and after 12-16 you get it then your happy... and they look good...

My mum's app is at 10 months also. She's trying to sell her house so she can come over on the multiple entry visa and then get the permanent one when she's here...

fingers crossed for you good news won't be so far away...

Marrisa

Thanks for your replies guys

I really dont want to consider going back to the UK but the years are just dragging on and I get so upset even just thinking about it. My parents are both still working and wont leave the UK till the have the tick in the box, so right now they can only come over when annual leave allows.

Also we cant afford to go back there - did the first trip in 4 years last year and we are still paying it off!!

If we are looking at them coming over according to the Immigration waiting times it will be 2013, we will have been here 8 years by then and my daughter 10, they will have misses so much and I think its that that is the driving factor in my pain - them missing out on her, and my daughter not having Grandparents.

I also find any dealings with Immigration so harsh, blunt and just so unsympathetic, my parents want to choose NZ as the place to live the rest of their lives, they will be putting their life savings into it, and wont even need anything, and yet there seems to just be no care at all. Its almost as if someone has to get sick for this to be rushed through....how awful....

Thanks again, really appreciate all this from you guys

Pagan

After lodging our application in Christchurch for residency, under the parent sponsorship policy, in September 2009 we were initially given a time frame of 12-18 months. We have at last been allocated a case officer only then to have the rug pulled from under us by being told that it will then take a further 12 - 24 months for the case officer to process our application Is anyone else being advised that this is the case please?

simonmarkellis

Haven't been told of anything as yet since logging our Sponsorship for my mother last October...

Was looking forward to between Oct and April of next year being allocated a case officer and the application being processed...

wendy_woo

I am in the queue for Parent category visa, as it will take a while is there any reason why I cannot go to NZ for 6 months on the visitor visa, exit the country, maybe to Australia and return for another 6 months visa, would they refuse me entry if I did this multiple times until I got my proper visa?

jayandbill

I can only tell you that in our case it took 5 weeks from getting a case officer. Ther are others I know with the same experience so either things have changed dramatically in the last 6 months or they've changed the rules, or, hopefully, you were just misinformed.

jayandbill

Only if you apply for the the Parent/grandparent Multi Visit Visa, for which you have to have medicals and child sponsorship and fill out many forms, just like a Residence Visa really, it costs about 55GBP plus your medicals, 400 GBP approximately, but in our case it took only 5 weeks from application in London. If granted, you can stay for 6 months, leave briefly and return for another 6 months until you've used up 18 months. Those 18 months can be spread over 3 years. Without this visa you can only stay for 6 months, possibly extending it for a further 3, but then you will have to leave for the same period before returning,

simonmarkellis

If your application is recent i.e. meds are less that 3 months you can apply for the multiple entry visa and ask them to cross reference the meds and police checks from your permanent application. this way you only have to pay the fee... this is what we did for my Mum...

wendy_woo

Ok, so I can do 6 months in NZ, leave for 6 months and then go back for 6 months just on the entry stamp I get as a tourist? If that is the case, that may work best for me.

simonmarkellis

Well my Mum's application is now at 16 months and still no news from Immigration. She has however managed to sell her house finally after nearly 11 months on the market.

So her intention now is to head over on the multiple entry visa and hopefully will get her full visa while she's here...

BEVS

Brilliant You've all been waiting so long now . Will look forward to reading it's all sorted

wendy_woo

Excellent news on the house front, I am sure it will come through soon, we are 5 months in now, and we are expecting our first kiwi grandchild in May so it will probably become more urgent than it was before the news - good luck to your Mum!

simonmarkellis

Thanks... great news on your first Kiwi grand child...

simonmarkellis

Mum, finally got the confirmation this morning... 1 year 8 months after applying, she's been granted her permanant residency... wasn't easy for her, had to have lots of extra medical tests and then a 2nd referral, but in the end i suppose at 82 she's not doing so bad...

As she's over here on the multiple entry visa, just need to find her somewhere permanant to live...