Applying for PR from Residence Visa - Timeframe

[IrishInNZ]

Hi folks,

Just wondering if someone can clear something up for me. From the Immigration NZ website:

Requirements for a permanent resident visa
"1. You have spent enough time in New Zealand
You have been in New Zealand as a resident for a total of 184 days or more in each of the two 12-month portions of the 24 months immediately preceding your permanent resident visa application. You do not have to provide any extra evidence, other than your passport(s)."

Say you were granted a residency visa in Sept 2012, do you have to wait until Sept 2014 to apply for PR or can you apply 184 days after September 2013, so, apply in April 2014 rather than having to wait until Sept 2014?

Thanks in advance for your help

[dreammerchant]

I think your question is - What's the earliest you can apply for a PR visa(without any travel conditions) after you have obtained a RV(with travel conditions).

As you probably know, a notable feature of a residence class visa(RV and PRV) is, even after the initial visa expires(i.e residence visa with 2 years travel condition) , the holder is entitled to stay in New Zealand indefinitely without breaching immigration regulations. So, you can never become unlawful in NZ if you continue staying here after the travel condition on your residence visa expires. If you're living abroad, it would then depend on how much time you have spent here to be eligible for a no travel conditions visa, which is the PR visa.

So, the answer to your question is - you have to wait until the travel conditions expire, which is 2 years after you get your Resident Visa to be eligible to apply for a PR visa, which would have no travel conditions and cannot apply in advance. The "minimum 183 days in each of the two years requirement" is only one of the ways in which you can demonstrate your commitment to NZ to be eligible for a PR visa after the travel condition on your residence visa expires.

Please go through this link for your reference -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zea...nent_residency

Hope this helps.

[IrishInNZ]

Thanks so much, that clears it up for me nicely, September 2014 it is!

[JandM]

And here's the relevant INZ page spelling it out (my bolding). This is the top paragraph of the page which everyone must comply with, then, as well as that, you have to meet one of the other criteria from lower down. http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...quirements.htm

To be eligible for a permanent resident visa the principal applicant in your original residence application must:

hold a resident visa, or have held one in the last three months
hold, or have held, that resident visa for at least two years continuously
have met any conditions that your resident visa was subject to under section 49(1) of the Immigration Act
have met one of five commitment to New Zealand criteria set out below.

[dreamhome]

Hi I was granted the Job Search visa in Apr this yr, I entered NZ in June and managed to secure a job in AKL last month. I am supposed to start work on 10/10/12. Is there anyone who can advise me on how long it takes to convert my JSV into a residency visa ?

[JandM]

Here's a recent thread from a forum member who has just been through the process. http://www.enz.org/forum/showthread....ht=#post457825