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Thread: Partnership Work Visa... proof of relationship?

  1. #1
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    Default Partnership Work Visa... proof of relationship?

    I am a New Zealander in a relationship with a Japanese guy. We have been in a relationship for about 3 years but we have never really lived together (because we worked in completely different parts of Japan)... We are planning to get married in about a month, and I have a job offer in Hamilton, so of course we want to move back to NZ together
    So we don't have a joint bank account or a rental agreement in both of our names...
    We have both recieved mail to his parent's address in Japan for the last year (his official registered address in Japan), including official tax letters etc, and we have transferred money into each other's account, paid for airline tickets to Europe/travel insurance for each other, applied together for a 1 year visa to France etc... Will this kind of information be enough to prove our relationship?
    Reading things on here it seems that they want information from every month of the last 12 months... Well we were travelling in Europe together for 6 months, but then he came back to Japan to work and I stayed in France for about 5 months (with his sister). We were in contact obviously but neither of us is great with the emails really (and he was working in a really remote area with limited internet access) so I don't think that is great evidence.
    If I have to move back to NZ first to start working and he stays in Japan waiting for the visa how will that affect our application?
    He'd prefer to keep working while he is waiting for the visa application if possible, but in that case we obviously wouldn't be living together :S
    This is really confusing! I am kind of worried.....

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Immigration are looking for evidence that you are living in a committed relationship as a couple, rather than as gf/bf. That generally means that you are living together as a couple and are seen by others as being a committed couple in a stable relationship. Therefore it would be preferable if you can live together for at least a couple of months (either in Japan or NZ) before he applies for a Partnership Work Visa.

    Is he eligible for a Working Holiday Visa? This would provide the opportunity for him to travel with you to NZ and seek work while you live together and collect your evidence for Immigration.

  3. #3
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    Yes, agreed. You really need to live together to be able to get a visa. INZ assesses partnership as being a live-in relationship, and if you Search, there are plenty of old threads on here which will tell you the sort of evidence that people have used. But be aware, having friends/relatives say, 'I know they're a couple' is not enough on its own, or without solid evidence.

    eternalkiwi has mentioned the possibility of a WHV. If he could use that, or else enter NZ as a tourist, you could then move in together and continue building up evidence (assuming you are collecting evidence already, now). You don't have to go for the full 12 months' evidence and partner-sponsored Residence as your first move. You can use the partner-sponsored work visa option http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...milystream.htm, which would give him the chance to be with you, and build up to the 12 months for Residence. The requirements don't state a required amount of time, but in practice, two to three months' evidence up to the time of the application seems to be what INZ look favourably upon.

  4. #4
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    All those evidences you mentioned, plus your upcoming marriage certificate, pictures from various years (example of different length of hairstyles and vacation places, it works!), pictures with family or friends, letters sent to each of you at the same address, testimony from friends that you both are committed couple. I think these will be enough.

    Don't worry too much abt the joint bank acc - we didn't have that either.

  5. #5
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    But there HAS to be live-in evidence.

  6. #6
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    Thank you everyone for your advice! He's too old to get a working holiday visa or that would be a good option

    I guess the living together thing is a bit worrying. We're living together at the moment but it's at his parent's house in Japan... Well I guess we will just have to try!

  7. #7
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    I see Japan is a visa-waiver country, so he would be able to accompany you as a visitor with no difficulty.

  8. #8
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    Living together does not have to be in your own place; you can be living with family, friends or flatting. But living together is a key part immigration look for as proof of being a committed couple in a stable long term partnership/relationship.

    If you are living together with his family, that can be used as the start of your partnership for Immigration. So if you will live together for less than 3 months in Japan, he could come with you on a visitor visa and apply for the partnership work visa once you have lived together for around 3 months. As JandM mentioned Immigration do not have a set minimum period but 2-3 months together seems to be the minimum others have successfully had prior to application. The longer you have been living together the less risk Immigration could see with your relationships stability/strength.

    He may need either a return ticket or possibly proof of funds for a return ticket to enter NZ.

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