Partner Visa + Some other questions

[kiwi_tn]

Hi everyone,

My girlfriend (a NZ citizen) and I are making the big move to NZ by the end of this year, and we are about to submit our application for a Residence Visa under the Family category.
We live in Germany, have met one and a half years ago, und have been living together under the same roof for a year - and a month - now.
But before applying, we've still got some small questions. We called NZ immigration several times and their answers were a little bit vague.

So first, does the time spent together play a role ? or as soon as we break the year limit, we will get the same treatment as a couple that has been married for 15 years ?

I also applied for a police certificate at the consulate of my home country here in Germany but it can take up to 6 months to get it, so we decided to submit the application with a certificate we got from the consulate attesting that I had applied for it.

Do you think this is enough evidence ?

I attached a 2007 police certificate, as I haven't been living there since that time, but just to show my good intentions. We already called and were told that NO, it won't be taken into consideration, but who knows..
I have the police certificates for France and Germany, where I have been living for the last 5 years.

Do you think I could attach my bachelor and masters degrees (respectively in electrical and telecommunication engineering. I could claim 120 points for a skilled migrant EOI - without job offer) ? I thought showing that my intentions are to work (especially being on the long term shortage list) and not to live off my girlfriend could help.

Finally, as almost all of our documents are in german, we decided to translate the most important ones ( 5 police certificates (for both of us), 1 birth certificate, 2 residence statements (anmeldebescheinigung), 2 bank statements) because translation fees are extremely costly. So can we keep the other documents - mainly ads and spam we got for our separate bank accounts saying blablaBANK but with the same address - the rest is in german ? we thought about underlying the address with a highlighter.. Or does every document submitted need to be "neutral" (i.e. not annotated/altered) ?

I know my post is a bit long, so thank you very much if you had enough patience to read up to this line.

Any answer is very much appreciated,
Cheers !

[JandM]

Hello and welcome.

So first, does the time spent together play a role ? or as soon as we break the year limit, we will get the same treatment as a couple that has been married for 15 years ?

The last 12 months spent living together is the qualifying factor. The couple who can show they were already together fifteen years ago would still have to provide evidence for the most recent year. There is no pecking order for getting Residence.

I also applied for a police certificate at the consulate of my home country here in Germany but it can take up to 6 months to get it, so we decided to submit the application with a certificate we got from the consulate attesting that I had applied for it.

Do you think this is enough evidence ?

I attached a 2007 police certificate, as I haven't been living there since that time, but just to show my good intentions. We already called and were told that NO, it won't be taken into consideration, but who knows..

INZ on the phone know that it will be 'no'. The regulations are the regulations. The only time INZ will process something without one of the required police certificates is if a certain country WILL NOT issue them, and the person supplies evidence that they have tried and failed to get what is required. The fact that your home country takes a long time to get through the paperwork is not the same. Judging by what has happened to other people on the forum, you'll be wasting your time applying early.

Do you think I could attach my bachelor and masters degrees (respectively in electrical and telecommunication engineering. I could claim 120 points for a skilled migrant EOI - without job offer) ? I thought showing that my intentions are to work (especially being on the long term shortage list) and not to live off my girlfriend could help.

There is no point in doing this. Your qualifications are completely irrelevant to an application for Residence as the partner of a New Zealander. INZ don't mix up two different sets of reasons for getting Residence. Going in under the Family Stream is one of the most straightforward routes, and proving your partnership (alongside health and character, which are the same for everyone) is the only qualification required, or considered.

I don't have any knowledge, or an opinion, about the matter of not translating some of your evidence, except to say that if you decide to send it in German, you should mention clearly in a cover letter that documents this number to that number are random post sent to one or other of you at the same address, to prove you were both there at the time. Otherwise, some non-German-speaking INZ official may waste their time trying to work out what they are, thinking the content is more important than it is.

[kiwi_tn]

Thanks a lot for your reply.

The thing is, for the police certificate, nobody could tell when it will be ready, and there is a slight chance that the application won't be successful. Anyway, I'll try stay positive about it.

Judging by what has happened to other people on the forum, you'll be wasting your time applying early.

By wasting my time, do you mean having to apply again ? Or having my application pending until I submit my police certificate?
The other reason we want to send the application this saturday is that the fees are 16% up on next monday, that's about an extra 200€ !

[JandM]

By wasting my time, do you mean having to apply again ? Or having my application pending until I submit my police certificate?

They certainly won't consider an application which doesn't have all due evidence in place, and people have mentioned, 'They sent it back.' It seems it doesn't just sit in the INZ office. But whether that means the applicant was told to get their act together and resend it when all the evidence was available, or whether the incomplete application counted as refused, and the fee was therefore a nice contribution to INZ funds for nothing, I don't know.

[dharder]

Hi there,

JandM has answered most of the questions, but thought I'dd add my two cents as well.

I would not apply without all documentation, and as far as I can recall, it could take 'up to' six months, but doesn't necessarily take six months.

We did not have personal stuff translated, but that one sentence in the police clearance thing got the whole translation/certification treatment. I think your list looks fine as far as translated documents go.

There is no point sending in any degrees, they won't care. What you are doing is trying to prove a stable relationship, they really don't care if you live off your girlfriend or not. You only need to prove the twelve months period, but of course it won't hurt if your bank statements go back two year instead of one, though supplying more is optional.

You normally supply a cover letter, and I think that included a table of contents type thing listing all documents and what they are in the front of of all the stuff we supplied.

Good luck,
Daniela

[Lauralocks]

Most of what you asked as been covered. I don't have anything to add about translation but you mentioned highlighting documents - I did this and it was fine. I highlighted my bank statements to show transactions to and from my fiance and wrote on the bank statements explanations of what each one was for.

I also didn't supply anything about or mention my qualifications, even though I too would have got at least 120pts on the skills visa assessment.

The best thing to do for the evidence is to go through the list of what they are looking for and for each point try and provide something as evidence. If you are living together in a geniune relationship then you should be ok. However I would second the suggestions not to do anything until you have all the documentation - including the police certificates and medical report.

[kiwi_tn]

Thank you everyone for your answers !

So I guess we would either wait for my police certificate to arrive, or apply for a work visa (also under the family stream).

In the latter case, if I say that I do not intend to stay in NZ for more than 24 months, I don't need to provide any police certificate, but wouldn't that be lying about my intentions ??

And if my police certificate arrives not very long after that, is it acceptable to submit the "residence" application and have two applications going on at the same time ? Do I need to re-submit a new medical report ?

Thanks again!

[JandM]

In the latter case, if I say that I do not intend to stay in NZ for more than 24 months, I don't need to provide any police certificate, but wouldn't that be lying about my intentions ??

Yes, it would be lying.

It is possible to have two applications in at the same time. It usually happens if someone has applied for Residence, then has a job offer where the employer wants them to start work sooner than the Residence visa can come through. Of course, it costs more.

You can't get a medical for a temporary work visa and then use it for Residence as well - it could be done the other way round, but not that.

What if I submitted a medical certificate with my last
application?
If you are applying for residence you will need to submit a
new medical certificate.
You may not need a new medical certificate if you are applying for
a temporary entry class visa and you have submitted a medical
certificate completed and dated by a medical practitioner within
the last 24 months with a previous application. Your case officer
will let you know if a new medical is required.

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/NR/rd.../0/INZ1007.pdf

[G-Mo]

I believe translations have to be certified.

[daninger]

Hey,

I have a question about the same topic so I thought I post it here instead of opening a new thread.
I already searched the forum about this topic and ound useful information but still I have a few questions...

I was in NZ from the beginning of October 2011 to the end of March 2012 on a WHV. During that time I met my girlfriend (NZ citizen) and we're in a relationship since february. But unfortunately I had to go back to Germany because of a job I accepted and there was no chance to decline it. So I had to go.
My job ends in September but my WHV also expires in the beginnig of October which means I need another Visa cause I want to join her. In my research I found the Partner Visa which is my only hope at the moment because I dn't think I will find a job in NZ without a work visa.
My plan is to go back in October and arrive in NZ one day after my WHV expires. I read in another thread that they maybe won't grant you a visitor visa right after your WHV expired? Is that true?
To the partner Visa...I don't want the residency I'd like to have the work permit for a year. Of course we haven't been living together so far. I also read in another thread about this topic that it could be enough to live for 2, 3 weeks together, get your name on the tenancy list, open a shared bank account to be eligible for the visa. Is that true? But more important do we really have to live together? Because we actually both don't believe that living together is a prove of a stable relationship...
We can prove that we stayed in contact while I was in Germany (Facebook, we skype once a week). We also have friends who support us and all the medical and police certificates arent a problem either. It is only that living together thing that bothers us...
So my main questions are: can I go back to NZ so soon after my WHV expired, if we move in together can we apply for the visa, do they check if we live together or is it enough if my name is on the list, is there any chance to get a visa if we're not moving together...?

Thank you very much for every helpful answer...

cheers dan