It used to be that your partner would apply, the visa officer might say "not quite enough, do you have x, y or z?", and you could send them additional documents to support your application.

I've now been told that overseas NZ immigration offices (that is, visa offices inside embassies and consulates around the world) will no longer help you once you've submitted your application. If you don't have enough they will just decline it and return it to you with a note saying why it was declined.

The reason this troubles me is that the Family Work Instructions question N1 asks, "Are you and your partner living together in a genuine and stable relationship?".

You just know that answering No is going to cause problems, but how can we answer yes when I'm in NZ and she's in Japan? I came here in September to find work, which I've done, and now want to bring my wife over.

The same with the checklist for N9. Box #1 says "I have attached evidence that my partner and I are living together in a genuine and stable relationship"

There's that living together again.

I just have a nagging feeling that if she makes her application in Tokyo, with my address being in New Zealand, they are just going to throw it out without even looking at the huge bulk of evidence we've collected to show our relationship.

What do you lot think?