residence visa rules
 

Hi all.....can someone clear this up for me. If in NZ on a residence visa.......do you have to be in the country for so long each year.....i.e. can you leave the country for holidays etc???? How does the returning residents visa work......and are they hard to get???? Thanks in advance.....:confused:

Re: residence visa rules
 

The returning residents visa is what lets you come back into the country if you leave, in other words it enables you to leave the country and come back to resume permanent residence.

You will be issued with a RRV valid for two years when your permanent residence is granted. You may come and go as often as you want.

After two years you can apply for an indefinite returning residents visa which, as the name implies, is valid for ever (well, at least the rest of your life anyway !). To get an IRRV you must have spent at least 6 (?) months in each of the last two years actually living in NZ.

Once an IRRV is granted you may come and go as you please, and as far as I'm aware, there is no minimum period that you must spend in NZ each year. So you could, for example, leave the country for five years and still be allowed back in as a Perm Resident



Hope this helps

Re: residence visa rules
 

thanks for that....makes more sense now!!!

Re: residence visa rules
 

As long as the rules don't change.

Re: residence visa rules
 

True, but we can only comment on the rules as they exist, cant we.

If they change, they change, then we'll all have to adapt to the new ones