Partner sponsored temp. work visa.

[hotshoe]

Hi all,
I have enjoyed reading this forum and found it most informative. Isn't the net great. Thought it was about time to tell my story.
I'm a NZ citizen been working in Japan for six years, heading home permanently this Oct.
I can't wait to get back to the kiwi lifestyle.
I have a Taiwanese fiancee and am currently exploring the visa options for her. She also works in Japan but as we are both supplied single accom. by our employers it has not been possible to live together. All my research suggests that the sponsored temp. work visa is our best option initially. Of course in the future we would apply for her PR.
I do find some of the info. on the INZ sites ambiguous and would love to get some feedback here.
I guess my main concern is our eligibility as we haven't lived together?
Also is this visa the best option?
Thanks all.

[JandM]

Hello and welcome.

It is very difficult to obtain partner sponsorship without having lived together - that is one basic criterion that NZIS seem to apply rigorously. Can your fiance qualify for any other kind of work visa in her own right, or could she afford not to work at first and come in as a visitor so she could establish some time living with you to qualify for partner sponsorship?

[hotshoe]

Thanks for the reply JandM.

When you mention her coming to NZ as a visitor I assume you mean for her to come in as a tourist. Not a partner sponsored visitor visa.
For some reason I had the idea that the temporary partner visa was for people in our situation who, for genuine reasons, do not fill the basic criteria.
If she did come in as a tourist and then we applied for a partner visa, wouldn,t that be the same situation as we are in now as we would only have a very limited time living together before her 3 month visa ran out? I suppose we can apply for extensions to her visitors visa, up to 9 months?
Luckily we are able to survive with her not working.
Thanks so much for your help.

[sophiedb]

hi hotshoe,

She may be eligible for a working holiday visa, and it would appear that the next round of applications is taking place very soon:

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...idayscheme.htm

There are only 600 places though, so it would be wise to log in and apply within minutes of the opening to be sure - sounds mad, but the 300 Silver Fern visa applications were all gone in about 30min earlier this month! (see other posts).

I used this route to follow my now-husband to Australia when his UK WHV expired, as we did not meet the criteria for a partnership application either.

Good luck either way

Sophie

[JandM]

For some reason I had the idea that the temporary partner visa was for people in our situation who, for genuine reasons, do not fill the basic criteria.

Yes, it is, but to count as a partner, you have to have lived together in a genuine and stable relationship http://glossary.immigration.govt.nz/...lationship.htm, so you have to find a way to start that process and be able to prove it by official addressed mail to the same address, joint finances, etc. etc. (details elsewhere on old threads if you search). THEN the partner sponsored temporary work visa http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...milystream.htm will be of use to you - you'll see that they make allowance in that for not yet having lived together for 12 months, although elsewhere a partnership visa requires that.