RV / PRV
 

Hi there

I'm having some confusion over the differences between a Residence Visa (with travel conditions) and a Permanent Residence Visa.

There is a sticky in this forum which provides a reassuring message:

However, I'm concerned that although INZ and the members on this forum know this, banks, mortgage lenders, and job interviewers might not!

A bit of background; I'm an expat Brit who's been living in Australia with my wife (a Kiwi) for the last 6 years. We're moving to NZ in 2014 and I applied for a Residence Visa - Partnership category with my wife as the sponsor.

On the basis of us being together for over 5 years, I specifically mentioned to INZ that F2.5.1 of the Ops manual – “Eligibility for a permanent resident visa for partners of New Zealand citizens living overseas” mentions a few simple requirements (that we meet) in order to be granted a Permanent resident visa immediately, without the 2 year wait for travel conditions to be lifted.

My visa approval came through yesterday and it seems I will be on a Residence Visa with travel conditions for 2 years before I can apply for a Permanent Visa, so I was a bit miffed that I wasn't put straight onto Permanent one.

Casting our memory back to our early days in Australia – when I was a temporary resident – my wife and I had great difficulties with some seemingly simple things, and I wondered if I’m going to get into difficulty with simple things like:

1. Banks / Credit cards

ANZ state…

“You’ll need to:
be over 18 years of age
a permanent NZ resident (if not please call 0800 ANZ 2 YOU for information about applying)”

2. Home loans – my wife and I will be wanting to buy a home, we don’t want to be subjected to non-preferential rates or be illegible to apply:

KiwiBank say:

To apply you need to be at least 18 years old, a New Zealand permanent resident or citizen and have a good credit history. We will conduct a credit check as part of this application process.

3. Various Jobs / recruitment agencies often mention Permanent resident as a requirement. I can understand why various government and military positions specify Citizenship, but when they refer to Permanent Resident – I wonder if my Residence Visa will suffice?

Could anyone share any experiences as to any difficulties they've had with banks, home loans, or jobs on a Residence visa?

Many thanks in advance

TJ81

Re: RV / PRV
 

We were on RRV, and had no problems with employers and banks. We just said that we were permanent residents, and they took copies of the residence portion of the visa.

Re: RV / PRV
 

the 2 yr restriction is for everyone on a Resident visa you have to adhere to certain conditions and spend more money on a new Permanent resident visa after you have been here 2 yrs.

Requirements for a permanent resident
visa*

You must:
• hold a resident visa, or have held one in the last
three months
• hold, or have held, that resident visa for at least two
years continuously, and it has been at least two years
since your first day as a resident in New Zealand
• have met any conditions that your resident visa was
subject to under section 49(1) of the Immigration Act
• have met one of the five commitments to New Zealand
criteria set out below.
1. You have spent enough time in New Zealand
You have been in New Zealand as a resident for a total of
184 days or more in each of the two 12-month portions
of the 24 months immediately preceding your permanent
resident visa application. You do not have to provide any
extra evidence, other than your passport(s).
2. You have tax residence status
You have been in New Zealand as a resident for a total of 41
days or more in each of the two 12-month portions of the
24 months immediately preceding your permanent resident
visa application, and you are assessed by Inland Revenue
(IR) as holding tax residence status for the two years
preceding your application for a permanent resident visa.


taken from : http://www.immigration.govt.nz/NR/rd...cember2010.pdf

Re: RV / PRV
 

We had no difficulties.

Kiwibank & ANZ would do well to adjust it's wording from the old NZIS terminology to the new terminology.

You would be NZ residents . That is all you need be.

Everyone has travel restrictions to start with. It's no biggy but does ensure the new migrant has an intent to remain resident in NZ.

Re: RV / PRV
 

It's not a problem. You have the right to remain in NZ indefinitely whether you have a PRV or a resident visa with travel conditions. It's if you leave for a certain amount of time that problems occur if you do not have a PRV.
However the rules are slightly different for partnership resident visas so it's probably best you look at these rather than the usual resident visas.

Strange that you were not given a PRV as you appear to fit the criteria. Have you contacted NZIS about it? Might be worth a go:)

Anyway, I had no problems as a resident before gaining a PRV:)