molzer

Hi All

i posted a while ago abut the possibility about moving to Nz, it looks like we are going ahead so now have a few questions if anyone can help me. I am Irish and married to a New Zealand citizen so my question is what kind of visa do I need to apply for. Any help would be great had a look at the NZ immigration and it just confused me.

ex geordie

Hi
I am married to a nz citizan we came here 18month ago and I landed without any visa just waited till I got here then applied for a work visa/permit and got it with no bother and didnt even have to have a job .Its valid for 2 years .
They told me to apply for residency before the two years are up.

ginaf

Hi, I was the same as ex geordie, it's as easy as pie.

molzer

Hi Ginaf & ex-geordie

Did you have to have return tickets when you arrived first.

ginaf

No, just a one way.

molzer

Hi Ginaf

Thanks for your reply, did you get any hassle from immigration at the airport, did you have to have any documents with you ( marriage cert etc). I am having nightmares of turning up in auckland and being turned back with my two kids whilst my hubby waves us on!!

ginaf

Hi, sorry I am being a bit vague as it was a few years ago and I can't quite remember all of the details. The one thing I do remember was fearing the worst when we land and infact they pulled me out of the line and put me to the front of the queue because I had a little one, which was great after such a long flight! They were lovely and I don't think they asked me any questions, I don't think I showed any documents but you might as well have them to hand if you can.

ex geordie

We had return tickets . Husband went through the short immigration queue for nz citizans I stood in the long other passports queue.later found out I could have gone through with him so that woud be the better option for you especially if you have children with you .

lapsed kiwi

My wife has just been granted Permanent Residency based on my NZ citizenship. It seems to be a formality, provided medical and police check are OK and you submit proof of relationship. Expensive though - £460 to submit application then £115 migrant levy.

A friend who arrived in NZ before applying had to have an onward ticket; she bought a fully refundable ticket to Fiji or somewhere then had it refunded as soon as she was in NZ.

urbanproject

Hi,

I got my residency visa under partnership category as my partner is a kiwi. Like the other posters mentionned, it's quite straightforward...whether you're married or de facto partners, just need to prove you have been in a genuinely stable relationship for at least 12 months

It cost me £460, plus cost of medicals and then migrant fee of £115, got the visa 7 weeks after applying. Bought a 1 way ticket for Auckland, Case Officer said it was fine as I have a residency visa.

Hope this helps,

Jen

newkiwi

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra.../stepstoapply/

Hope that link works. It may be easier for you to apply and get the application approved before you leave, that way you know you wont have any hassles at immigration. You will need police checks, medicals, birth certificates, marriage certificates and evidence of your relationship [the kids may count as good evidence ]

You have to fill out the application for residency form, under the family section, and also attach a sponsorship form your husband fills out.

I dont know how long the whole process takes, always better to start sooner rather than later.

JAJ

Arriving as a tourist is usually making a simple process difficult. Not only do you have the risk of hassle with immigration, you've all kinds of restrictions as a tourist. No work, study restrictions, healthcare restrictions etc.

On top of that, the 5 year clock for NZ citizenship doesn't start ticking until you get a permanent visa.



Jeremy

shepslady

Having done a lot of research on this myself being a NZ'er with a foreign spouse I do know it is easier in the long term to apply before travelling to NZ but financially its a darn sight cheaper to apply after arriving in NZ. Guess its just a case of how long you want to wait to get permanent residency etc.

Ive had several friends who entered as tourists & within days of arrival applied in NZ & were issued work permits etc without any problems. As long as your NZ spouse or partner meets the requirements there doesnt seem to be any difficulty in doing it either way.

cheers
Cindy

Batty

Hi Molzer

I too am Irish and married to a Kiwi. We came over in June and I came on a visitor's visa (Irish ones are only valid for 3 months as opposed to 6 if you're from the UK). I got a work permit within 4 days and applied for residency at the same time. Shepslady is correct - it is less expensive to do it here but on the other hand it seems that it will take up to a year to get it. I haven't even been appointed a case officer yet. Other than that, it's all good. Whereabouts are you from?

Norah

urbanproject

We had thought of applying in NZ, my partner's UK WHV was due to expire soon so our timeframe was rather tight... but we heard from word of mouth that the delay to apply for the partnership visa from NZ was fairly longer than applying from the UK. Plus, like Norah, as a French/American citizen, I would only have 3 months tourist visa then maybe I could have extended it there... Glad we did it from London though because it only took 7 weeks from filing the application to getting the visa

Hope this helps,

Jen