Visa Fee Question

[PJ87]

Hello!

Sorry if it's a silly question....I am a UK citizen and I'm in a long term relationship with my Kiwi partner, we currently live in Edinburgh. We plan to emigrate out to NZ next year and I understand we'll be completing form INZ1000 with my partner sponsering my visa. My question is would the fee be £180 (Work Visa: Partner of NZ Citizen/Resident) or £800 (Resident Visa: Family Category)? I'm hoping it's not the latter!

Thanks for any assistance anyone can give.

[JandM]

INZ1000 is for partner sponsored Residence, so you'll be paying the fee for Residence under the Family category.

Hold on to the thought that, once this is done, you won't have to renew it, which would involve you in further costs and submissions. Yes, the fee for processing the work visa is cheaper, but it's only of limited duration.

[PJ87]

Thanks JandM, I realised my mistake now!

We've been together for 3.5 years and living together for about 2.5 years now, I understand that I'm eligible to apply for permanent residency (I think!) on the basis of our partnership however we aren't married or engaged. Would I even be likely to be approved for this or would I be safer to just go for the work visa through partnership?

Thanks!

[JandM]

INZ doesn't put any special weight upon marriage - partnership is regarded as proved by a live-in relationship. http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...artnership.htm From what you say, you would be eligible for Residence as a partner. Residence is what you get in the first instance - you could then go for permanent residence after two years, upon meeting certain criteria. http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...quirements.htm (You can't apply directly for permanent residence as you haven't been together for five years or more yet. http://www.immigration.govt.nz/opsmanual/42627.htm)

[PJ87]

Thanks JandM...you're very good at this!!

So what would be the difference in me applying for residency and a work visa through my partner?

[JandM]

The work visa is cheaper to do in the first place but only has a limited life, so you'd have to be reapplying and paying over again in one or two years, and INZ expect that after one renewal you'll be going for Residence anyway. Residence is more expensive but you don't need to renew it - once within NZ, it's forever (the two years' travel conditions expire, but getting permanent residence as on that link I gave before sorts that out).

And looking at a worst case scenario... suppose you got to NZ and at some point down the line, you split up from your partner. The partnership work visa allows you to take any job - it isn't restricted to a skilled one. So you might have found a job you were perfectly content with, and your boss wanted you to continue, BUT if you weren't in the partnership any more, you wouldn't have the right to work even in your own job, without proving it was skilled, and you'd got all the qualifications, and the boss went through all kinds of formalities or proved there wasn't a NZer to do it. Whereas once you get Residence, you've got the right to live in NZ, and work at anything, or study, or start your own business - it's not dependent on the partnership continuing.

[PJ87]

Hi JandM,

Thank you for all your help. I think we'll go for the work visa at the moment the expense of the Residence permit and medicals etc required is just a bit much right now and I'm not in a huge hurry to get Residency so we'll worry about that in a year or two.

Thanks again!

[JandM]

All the best.