polly.glot

I'm a Kiwi, recently returned home from many years in the UK, complete with the ultimate souvenir - a Welshman! He came in on a visitors' visa, but is now getting himself sorted with a partnership visa - we've been together now for 11 years, married for 8.
He decided to go through an agent, as he heard horror stories about getting the details wrong. However, we have been horrified at the cost of it all! Has anyone done this before, and are there ways of cutting the costs? Is it too difficult to tackle by yourself?
Seems all a bit unnecessary, as my residency in the UK on an ancestry visa was trouble-free and cheap!
Any advice please?

johnht

Hi Polly,
It's not cheap even if you don't use an agent, just less expensive.
I've recently got my residence visa on the partnership stream, my wife being a Kiwi. We're still in the UK and applied to the London office so don't know how long an application in NZ takes. Did you not intend to stay in NZ when you arrived this time (just asking 'cos I'm sure the question will occur to Immigration dept)? Also if there are any delays e.g. further medical tests then that might take you past the end of the visitor visa.
I downloaded the forms from NZ Immigration website and filled them in, there's at least 5 forms to fill in as I recall:
Application form, sponsorship form (filled in by NZ partner),medical and xray form for applicant, plus Police check forms for both of you.
You'll still need to find the same birth certificates, passports, evidence of partnership, family history details whether you fill the forms your self of get an agent.
It's a bit of a pain going through the forms, but the notes on the forms and the guidance info sheets were quite good.
John.

polly.glot

Thanks John. You have been very helpful.
Just heard from daughter in London, who is sitting the citizenship test - £900 for that, so I suppose it's always going to cost.

Lejamez

Hiya,

When we thought about starting the whole process we looked at getting an agent but the cost put us off so we just did it all ourselves. Forms are not complicated, just time consuming and we found that the immigration website was really helpful with any questions we had. I'd do it yourself as with or without an agent you still have all the same immigration costs.

Good Luck

Laura

shuglu72

Do you mind if i ask you how long it took to get your partner visa (wife's a Kiwi, married 6 years) John. We've sold our house and the stuff leaves early next month (its going to family) but we've held back from applying for the visa until the house is gone. We're in no mega rush to get there but we have updated all the passports, got the police record check done and i'll just need to get the meds done before we put in the forms. An idea of time scale would be a great help.
Cheers

johnht

Hi Shuglu,
A bit difficult to give you the answer you want as I had a problem with my medical, but if I try to take out the time the Medical Assessor was involved then it was about 2 and a half weeks from when my application arrived at NZ House til I heard that it had been sent to the MA. Once I had heard that the MA had given approval it was another 2 or 3 weeks til I got a letter saying I had approval in principal. So a total excluding the MA bit of 5 - 6 weeks, say. Of course there might have been other stuff being done by NZI while the MA was assessing which would lengthen that time.
John.