Partnership visa or student visa!!?
 

Hi everyone,

My partner lives in the UK and he's a solicitor. We've been doing research about how we could him out to join me in NZ and we have come up with the option that a partnership visa where I can sponsor him for one year work visa could work - except that he is a solicitor so would need to cross qualify and study here for several months to be able to even work here (though I believe he'd be able to work in a legal workplace in a lower ranked job, just not to be able to actually practice law.)

My questions are -
1. should we go for partnership/sponsorship or does he need a student visa (for when he is studying) first?

2. does anyone know how long partnership visas take to be approved? We have been together for five months and I spent a month living with him in his house at christmas and he has been here for four weeks of that time too, and we have quite a bit of proof about us being a 'legitimate' couple. I just wondered if he should be applying now if it takes a while!

3. Can he be in the country when he applies for the partnership visa or student visa?

Thanks for bearing with me on these questions! and hopefully someone will be able to give me some advice :)

Thank you guys!

Smiler :confused: