Emigrating from Scotland with Kiwi husband and son from previous relationship

[chip0804]

We are trying to emigrate to NZ for my son starting school in July. My husband is a Kiwi, my son and I are both Scottish and his biological father, who is Scottish, does not reside in Scotland. He is currently working in Afghanistan on an U.S Army compound and comes back to Scotland twice a year at the most.

I have a few questions that I need answered...

Within the dependant children section of the family category, F5.20, section c.iii states that either a statutory declaration by the other parent (biological father) or a court order is needed to prove my son is lawfully allowed to live in NZ
1. Does an affadavit (equivalent in Scotland to being sworn in in court) constitute as a statutory declaration?
2. Would the biological father have to sign affadavit/statutory declaration in Scotland or could an american/afghan lawyer oversee this?

Can we apply for our Partnership and dependant child visa's from within NZ?
If we applied for our visas and they weren't granted in time for my son starting school, could we gain entry to NZ on a temporary visa or holiday visa in the meantime?
How long roughly does the application process take?

Lastly, do we both require medicals in order to fulfill our visa requirements and if so, can any doctor do this or does it have to be a doctor specified by INZ?

I know these are not straight forward questions but I would appreciate any help you can give.

Thanks in advance

[Mamee & Co]

First off I would ring the NZIS helpline and ask them your questions directly.

I am assuming that as you can apply for a visa in Afghanistan there is some mechanism that can be used. I think if you were to enter NZ on a visitor visa you would need to have a return ticket for leaving the country. You will need medicals and if in a country where there are panel doctors you do need to use them, however these can also be done in NZ.

Good Luck

[JandM]

Hello and welcome.

[dharder]

Welcome to the forum.

If we applied for our visas and they weren't granted in time for my son starting school, could we gain entry to NZ on a temporary visa or holiday visa in the meantime?

Just wondering about this: you mention that your son should start school in July, and the visas not being issued in time for that. Is this the UK school year you want him to start at? The school year here in NZ works differently, and in particuarl for a child entering school for the first time, there is no set entry month (they usually start shortly after their 5th birthday). So from that point of view, there isn't really any timing pressure.

Good luck with everything,

Daniela

[nativecolo]

Yeah, very relaxed. Just bring him here for the b'day and bung him in. My kids landed Sunday and went to school Monday.

[girlwithanewf]

Your son will need a student visa to attend school though and ask your doctor for a printout of immunisations as schools are supposed to see this.
There is a list of panel doctors on the NZ immigration website somewhere. We had our medicals and chest X-rays done in Perth a couple of years ago.

[fairburnings]

It is much cheaper to get the medicals done in NZ, as any GP can do them. It is also much cheaper to submit the visa application in NZ, as a different fee applies.

[girlwithanewf]

Just for information, we had the full medical done today at Immigration Express in Wellington and it cost $450 per adult and $200 for a child for the medical,blood test and chest Xray.

[chip0804]

Thanks for the welcome folks and for all the useful information! My son is enrolled in a catholic school and the principle told me they have an intake in July, so they must have cut it down to quartlery intakes? He is 5 in April anyway so will be ready for school (and so will I lol!)

Can you just confirm, if my son is going to school i have to apply for a student visa and not a dependant visa?

Thanks for the medical info. I have found the guidlines with regards to where to get the medicals done and found that the designated doctor in Glasgow isn't far from us which is good. They quoted £280 for adult medical, £80 for child and £80 for my chest xrays. They said my son doesn't need an xray since he is under the age of 11.

I have also managed to get a wee bit further forward with the staturoty declaration from my son's father - as long as it complies with NZ standards it will be considered so it doesn't matter if it is overseen by a lawyer from Scotland, USA, Afghanistan - phew!

Feels good to know there are many others who have experienced all this stuff and come through the other end intact!

[JandM]

What sort of partnership visa are you going for yourself? Residence, or partner-sponsored temporary work visa?

At first glance, I think yes, your son will need a student visa. He wouldn't qualify as a dependent child, as he's not the child of your partner, unless he has adopted him formally, and you yourself aren't yet a citizen or resident.

Dependent child – you are a dependent child with a parent who is a New Zealand citizen or resident.

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...categories.htm But if you are applying for residence under the Family Stream, it may be worth asking INZ if you can, at the same time, apply for a dependant child visa, to be processed along with your case. (This procedure happens when one partner is applying for a work visa, and the other is allowed to apply for a partner-sponsored work visa at the same time, with a letter linking the two files. We on here are nothing official, so I'm only guessing that this MIGHT be allowed, but I think it's worth asking.)