WTR to PR- Your experiences please

[Otaku]

Hi all,

I am on 30-month (2.5 years) WTR (Work to Residence) Visa under Talent (Accredited Employer) category. This basically means that I am working for an accredited employer, and after 24 months of employment I can directly apply for PR (not Residency Visa), provided some conditions are satisfied. Please see this link (under 'Permanent Resident Visas')- http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra.../residence.htm

It says that those fulfilling Work to Residence requirements AND having gross annual income of at least NZD 90k are eligible to apply directly for PR.

So my question is, has anybody applied for PR this way? If yes, how much time did it take for you to obtain the PR stamp. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Otaku

[girlwithanewf]

Yes, we did. All fairly easy. As I am sure you know you need to submit police checks and full medicals - you can submit the medicals online though which I would recommend. Can't remember exactly how long it took but only about a month from submitting the application at the Wellington office. That was for 3 of us.
You apply for Residence and if the conditions are granted they give you Permanent Residence with no travel conditions straightaway.
Good luck!

[Otaku]

^ Many thanks for sharing your experience.

[girlwithanewf]

It's a pleasure. I think that way of doing it is fairly uncommon - one of the main advantages of the immigration rule changes a while ago is that you can now go straight from a talent visa to permanent residency if you earn enough. Previously we would have got residence visas and then had to wait another 2 years to get the travel conditions removed. So that was a very positive change. In retrospect I would have waited to get residency first to avoid having to do two lots of medicals, but it didn't really work with selling our house and moving etc. The talent visa is an extremely quick way of getting a visa.
Good luck to you.

[Otaku]

It's a pleasure. I think that way of doing it is fairly uncommon - one of the main advantages of the immigration rule changes a while ago is that you can now go straight from a talent visa to permanent residency if you earn enough. Previously we would have got residence visas and then had to wait another 2 years to get the travel conditions removed. So that was a very positive change. In retrospect I would have waited to get residency first to avoid having to do two lots of medicals, but it didn't really work with selling our house and moving etc. The talent visa is an extremely quick way of getting a visa.
Good luck to you.

Do you know when this change was introduced? Seems not many people are aware of it. My superiors asked me to file for Residency Visa, as they were of the opinion that I can utilize the WTR time of two years to complete the 'Residency Visa' wait period. Now given that, I have alredy spend 6 months, it makes sense to go through the new route as it is faster.

Also, what do you mean by submitting medicals online? Any link which can explain that?

[girlwithanewf]

You have to wait until you have been here on the WTR visa for 2 years and then you apply for Residency. Immigration then give you permanent residency if you fulfil the conditions. This changed in Nov 2010.

You have probably seen this page already, but this states about the two year requirement.
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...dencefromwork/
and more details about the application here:
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...tepsfortalent/

For the medicals we submitted via http://www.nzimed.co.nz/benefits/
The immigration medical place we went to in Wellington used this system. No paperwork involved, all done online and it seems much more efficient.

[Otaku]

Useful tip regarding the on line medicals. Thanks, and they have a branch in Auckland too. We are still 1.5 years away from filing, but never too early to start preparing.

[Farmwards]

I can echo girlwithanewf’s experience…. I also recommend getting medicals online at nzimed.co.nz. My PR was granted exactly 1 month after submitted by application. And this was 'delayed' because [1] I didn’t initially submit full birth certificates (full birth certificates contain the names of both your parents), and [2] my medical was subject to extra review

WTR Visa received – 24/06/2009
Arrived in NZ – 01/08/2009
Applied for PR – 08/08/2011
PR granted – 08/09/2011

This route is certainly a lot less paperwork and the processing times are so fast compared to the skilled migrant route. You also have the advantage of getting permanent residency (i.e. no travel conditions attached) immediately (subject to the minimum income requirements).

One disadvantage I have found with this route (although it may not be an issue for yourself) is that if you want to later sponsor your family members to get residency in NZ, you will have to wait longer….

You have to be the holder of a residency class visa for at least 3 years before you can sponsor your parents (in my case, I am wanting to get residency for my widowed mother). If I had started the skilled migrant route before I arrived (or as soon as I arrived in the country), I would have been granted a residency class visa much sooner and be closer to the 3 year requirement now. As it is, I have only held a residency class visa for 1 year and have to wait a further 2 years before I can sponsor my mother for residency (not to mention the expected queue for the EOI parent category + further processing time if we receive ITA).

Good luck with your application!

[Otaku]

Thanks for sharing your experience Farmwards, and good luck with your application too!

[anonimoose]

The 2-year rule I think only applies for WTR talent (accredited employer). This is not the case for WTR granted under SMC or deferred residency as it only needs you to be on a skilled employment for three months before you can have your residence application re assessed.

You have to wait until you have been here on the WTR visa for 2 years and then you apply for Residency. Immigration then give you permanent residency if you fulfil the conditions. This changed in Nov 2010.

You have probably seen this page already, but this states about the two year requirement.
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...dencefromwork/
and more details about the application here:
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...tepsfortalent/

For the medicals we submitted via http://www.nzimed.co.nz/benefits/
The immigration medical place we went to in Wellington used this system. No paperwork involved, all done online and it seems much more efficient.