Alex

Please can anyone clear this up for me. We came here in April, with permanant residency stamped on our passports that lasts for 2 years.Do we have to reapply and go through the whole process again, and risk being kicked out if we fail medicals? I have been on the immigration website, but could not find anything.
Hope someone can help. Thanks

IainW

Your returning residents visa is valid for 2 years - that lets you back into the country if you leave. After 2 years living here that becomes a permanant returning residents visa, allowing you to come and go as you please. Essentially once you've been here for 2 years, your PR is permanant. If you leave before 2 years, it will eventually lapse.

sarahw

After 2 years you have to reapply for a returning residents visa. Depending on your circumstances (amount of time in country, tax residence etc) you may be granted either a further year's extension of an indefinite one.

newkiwi

Its quite easy, you dont have to go through the whole process, but just make sure of the following.....

1. Dont be outside of the country on the date your Returning Residency Visa expires....Be sure you are inside NZ on that specific date..

2. You have to spend more than 183 days (i think, but its around that number) (ie six months) in each of the two years' prior to the expiry date of your Returning Residents Visa. So make sure your holidays etc dont take you out of the country for more than 180 odd days, at a maximum...

3. Dont spend too long outside NZ one a single trip.


When our RRV expired, we just went into the immigration offices, and they gave us new indefinite RRVs right on the spot.

Hope this helps

JAJ

As other have said, after 2 years you'll need a Returning Resident Visa (RRV) to travel outside NZ for holidays etc, however getting one is not a problem provided you are living in NZ.

Your status in New Zealand only becomes really secure once you become a New Zealand citizen. Visit http://www.citizenship.govt.nz

If you applied for PR before 21 April 2005, you need to wait 3 years for citizenship (and apply before April 2010) - otherwise you need to clock up 5 years in New Zealand before you can become a citizen.

Alex

Thanks for your help, it s alot clearer now, although I think I may hold off buying property/ building a house until we have citizenship, even if it is 5 years away.
Thanks again,
Alex

newkiwi

Hi,
There is no advantage to waiting for citizenship to buy a house, so you can look at buying whenever you feel you are right to settle down in NZ forever/ can afford it.... Just the fact of becoming a citizen isnt going to give you that security that NZ is for you, it only means you are less likely to be kicked out....For example is you commit rape or murder you can lose your Residency, but you can only lose your citizenship if you obtained it fraudulently.....