Tom365

Hi All,

Maybe someone here can help me out a little. I am going for PR in a couple months. I live in the UK with my girlfriend. I want to know what is involved in sponsoring my partner given that we do not meet the criteria for de-facto partners. We have however being seeing each other for a year and nine months and I can prove that I think but not living together only since a few months ago. So I was thinking about sponsoring her if I got PR myself.

We have been living together for three months but I know from reading up it
has to be a year. So I read somewhere better to leave her off my EOI?
No partner is better than a 3 month relationship? even though realationship
is well over a year.

She has no skills or qualifications to speak of. If I go to NZ get PR can I sponsor her then? What does this involve?

Cheers Y'all
Ben

simonsi

Check the criteria for a sponsor, I don´t think you´ll qualify (otherwise it would be a pretty straightforward end-run around NZ´s immigration controls). I think you´ll find that if the relationship doesn´t qualify, it doesn´t qualify.

NZ´s immigration is skills oriented so if she has no qualifications or skills (that are in demand/shortage in NZ), then you will have to wait until the relationship qualifies.

Read this section of the operations manual (and other sections will help too):

F2.35 Deferring the final decision if the partnership is genuine and stable but less than 12 months duration

1. An application can only be deferred if the applicant has been assessed as living together in a genuine and stable partnership with their New Zealand citizen or resident partner but the 12 month qualifying period has not been met.
2. If, after assessing an application, an immigration officer is satisfied the couple are living together in a partnership that is genuine and stable, but the duration of that partnership is less than the 12 months required, (see F2.5(a)) they may defer the final decision to enable the qualifying period to be met.
3. If the principal applicant wishes to be in New Zealand with their partner during the deferral period, they may be granted a work visa (once an application has been made) for a period sufficient to enable the qualifying period to be met and any further assessment of their residence class visa application to be completed.

Tom365

Thanks a million for the answer!

So what I get from what you have said is the following...........................

I must be the principal name her on my EOI as my partner however state
that we are not living together for more than 12 months yet.

Then she will be granted a work permit on the back of my EOI being lodged
and ITA is issued the CO will grant a work permit to make up the months we
are missing but (and I am nearly there!) will withhold making a decision on PR
until such a time as the 12 months are completed.

Cheers

Ben

Tom365

Sorry read that back it was badly written hopefully you get my
meaning and maybe might give me an answer if you are around again
or anyone who may know.

Ben

simonsi

No, read the manual carefully, it states the decision can be deferred if the relationship meets the other criteria, not will be, it isn't a given.

Put forward your evidence of the relationship going bac as far as you can and see what their response is.

Persephone

If you are serious about applying to NZ together then could you delay the application until you've filled the living together criteria? It would make things a lot easier.
BennyE- you can only sponsor certain relatives once you're resident in NZ, not girlfriends. What I mean by that is you cannot gain PR and then try and sponsor your girlfriend on the back of that. NZIS will quite rightly want to know why she wasn't mentioned previously. If you must apply now then [in my opinion] it would be better to put her on the EOI and see if NZIS would be willing to defer your application or issue her with an open work visa. It's a chance you would have to take. Maybe look at speaking to an immigration consultant to see whether they have had any experience of this.

I'm going to contradict myself here and say that a NZ citizen or resident can sponsor a partner but you would still have to fulfill the 12m living together requirement in order to sponsor her. Not easy if you are living in different countries... and if she has no skills that NZ is looking for then it will be difficult if not impossible for her to move here on her own.
Are you and her young enough to go for a working holiday visa?