Work visa or residence?????

[Leeds1874]

Hi,

Hubby has a job offer but he has to start as Primary School Teacher on 27/1. (aiming to leave on 15/1)

We submitted our eoi yesterday with 150 points and job offer. The offer is a one year fixed term teaching position.

Questions-
Have we got enough time to apply for residency?
Will fixed term job offer be enough?
Work visa- can I work (as his spouse on his visa or do I need my own?
How long do work visas take?
Should/can we apply for both at the same time?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as have had two different answers from immigration do far??

[JandM]

I don't know if the one-year contract will do the trick for Residence - teachers who've already gone before might know. Or you could try asking the NZTC, as they will have seen any number of incoming foreign teachers.

'Enough time' and 'how long' questions are piece of string ones. Answers are so variable depending on INZ office conditions and your own personal circumstances (health, character, checks on qualifications and experience) that it's not possible to give a sensible reply. You can Google 'immigration NZ x branch processing times' for their own average of how things are running at the moment, but it's never a promise or an absolute.

You can certainly apply for two visas at once. Work visas normally clear more quickly as there's less in depth investigation to be done.

Regarding the work visa, you as his partner are not covered by it. You need to apply at the same time for a partner-sponsored temporary work visa http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...milystream.htm, with a covering letter linking it to his ongoing case - assuming he is awarded his, you will get an open work visa matching his for length of time. There are things he won't know yet when filling in the form, but the CO will work the two together, and put that information in as it becomes available.

[Leeds1874]

Thanks for getting back to me.

Have just called them again and they have said that the job offer us good for residency- we just have to wait for it to be drawn from pool.

We are completing temp work visa appn for OH and a partner of worker for me.

The timings should be ok

[JandM]

That's good news!

As long as they're saying it should be good for Residence, then, if time gets short and your CO can see there could be a problem with getting it through in time, that CO themself will tell you you ought to put in for the work visa(s), and see to it. That's what has happened with lots of people going over with a job offer before. (I can understand you wanting to have the reassurance of a visa in your hand ready, mind!)

[gorstsmit]

One point - can't see from your profile/post etc - but do you have kids as well?

If so, check out the requirements for the visitor visas and/or student visas dependant on ages.

Cheers.