WHV to Temp WV through Partnership

[wannabekiwi_em]

Hello,

I am new to this forum and I'll firstly apologise if this has been covered before, I had a look through previous threads but couldn't find anything that was similar to my situation.
Any help/advice is greatly appreciated as I am really worried about how I can solve this problem.

I am currently living in New Zealand on my second year of my Working Holiday Visa.
My partner (a Kiwi citizen) and I have been living together for 4 months and have been in a relationship for almost a year.
I was going to apply for a Temporary Work Visa through partnership and I have all the evidence and documents in order to apply and was confident that there wouldn't be any problems with attaining this Visa, however since going over the forms more carefully I am worried about the section that asks you to list all previous employment, as I have been working in New Zealand for longer than the 12 months that I am allowed.

I understand that this was probably not the best thing to do, however when I first arrived in NZ I wasn't planning to stay for as long as I have. I then met my partner and working has been a necessity, especially when I looked into my options for staying in NZ, to get a new visa through partnership, we have to be living together, in order to pay rent I have to be earning.

Thanks

[Beachcombers]

First thing that pops to mind, is that NZIS require proof of relationship (ie living together) for a minimum for a year and as you are four month living together, you still have a way to go.

Regarding your employment, I would adjust your start date to make sure you fit in with the requirement.

[wannabekiwi_em]

Hi Beachcombers, thank you for your quick reply!

I am not sure that I understand, below is info straight from the NZ Immigration.gov website:

"You must show that you are living together with your partner in a genuine and stable relationship at the time the application is made." - We are and can prove this.

"If you have been living together for less than 12 months, initially we can only grant you a work visa for up to 12 months." - This is fine, I just want to stay with my partner in NZ

In regards to the employment, that seems simple enough, but wouldn't they check and be able to see when I began working?

[JandM]

Beachcombers is thinking of the partner-sponsored Residence. You're quite right that you can apply for a partner-sponsored work visa, and four months' proof is plenty for that - although no time-limit is mentioned in the regulations, they normally seem to like to see a minimum of three months.

I don't know of any thread on the forums that tells of the outcome of a case exactly like yours, but I know you're not the first who hasn't been entirely legal when applying. So you're going to have a bit of an anxious time, but you can still apply.

[wannabekiwi_em]

Thanks for your help JandM, really appreciate it!
So you think I should just apply and see what happens? I think it would be best to be completely honest if they ask questions about my employment but do you have any inkling of what they might ask?
Do you think that the legality will hinder my application a lot?
Is there an interview for this type of Visa do you know?

Lots of questions, sorry about that, as you said, very anxious at the moment.

Thanks again for your help!

[JandM]

So you think I should just apply and see what happens?

You aren't going to get a visa without putting in an application. If you want a visa, you HAVE to apply.

I think it would be best to be completely honest if they ask questions about my employment but do you have any inkling of what they might ask?

Everyone applying to INZ is supposed to be totally honest, since a visa later found to be issued on the basis of any lie counts as fraud, and can be revoked. No, I don't know what they might say. It's not even sure that they would check your work history or say anything.

Do you think that the legality will hinder my application a lot?

Again, I don't know. We're not officials - we're just other members of the public. The knowledge here comes from looking at other people's stories, and at the publicly available INZ regulations.

Is there an interview for this type of Visa do you know?

INZ officials have the right to interview anyone applying for any kind of visa, to clarify any issues. Partnership applications are quite often checked out by means of interview. Because there is ONLY the partnership to be proved, these visas are a target for fraudsters paying somebody to lie to get them in. INZ sometimes interview the partners separately, checking what each one says about their shared history, or personal details about the partner. The questions are no big thing for a real couple, but would catch out people who don't really know each other - matters like how did they meet, each other's favourite/unfavourite food or hobbies, who does what around the home, how did he get that scar on his hand, what was the weather like on your last holiday trip. INZ have also been known to make an unannounced home visit to check that people really are living together where they say they are.

[drew33]

Hi there,

Your situation sounds exactly the same as mine (although Ive been in a relationship for 5 years, 2 here in NZ).

I too was very nervous about my application because I had worked longer than I should have.

In the end I thought it would be best to honest (Im guessing they can check with IRD etc), and if they did have an issue with it, then I'd question how can you prove that you have been living together without a job to pay rent / bills etc which they require as evidence.

I also wondered if I had lied, and they found out at a later date, then maybe my visa would terminated and maybe deported (I dont know for certain, just a thought I had)

Anyway, I was honest and my Partnership visa was approved (only got 1 year, might ask why I didnt get 2 years. . . ).

It's up to you though.
Good luck

[JandM]

Thanks for the input.

[wannabekiwi_em]

Hello

Great advice! Thank you! Yes this is what I have chosen to do also, honesty is the best policy.
I have no other concern other than my working longer than I should have and like you say, how could I support myself and prove that I meet the requirements (living together, paying bills together etc) if I wasn't working.

Thanks again!

[JandM]

Good luck.