Lost my PR-Should I get it back?

[cbrown]

I'm still traumatized but after all the paperwork and the one year wait, we lost our PR status

Long story short, we went back to the USA just to sell property and to "close" our lives there and I became pregnant and we ended up getting stuck in the USA. We are now back in NZ, a happy family of 3

My question is:
I have a 5 year work visa, so I am entitled to health care like a PR..we own a house here, we have NZ drivers licenses, a car and jobs
What would be the benefit of going through the PR process again?
Should I even bother?
I would like to become a citizen one day....

[72andsunny]

I'm still traumatized but after all the paperwork and the one year wait, we lost our PR status

Long story short, we went back to the USA just to sell property and to "close" our lives there and I became pregnant and we ended up getting stuck in the USA. We are now back in NZ, a happy family of 3

My question is:
I have a 5 year work visa, so I am entitled to health care like a PR..we own a house here, we have NZ drivers licenses, a car and jobs
What would be the benefit of going through the PR process again?
Should I even bother?
I would like to become a citizen one day....

Hiya Browns, congratulations on the new arrival! I was trying to reach you RE: we're considering a move to Hawaii, and are looking for feedback on how it compares after living in NZ, but enough about me.

My understanding is that you need to have residency for 5 years (more or less) to become a citizen. Your 5 year work permit would be inadequate for this purpose. If I read your timeline correctly, it looks like your PR (now just called residency) expired while you were outside NZ. I'm not sure if it's still an option since you are back in country, but (if you haven't already) contact NZ immigration and request a variation of travel. Here's a link: http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...teps/apply.htm

At any rate, I do think it is worthwhile to reapply for residency (assuming you are planning on staying another 2 years to make it permanent). Anything can happen in the next few years, and you will not be young enough to apply for residency forever.

[JandM]

From your dates, I don't think you'll be eligible for a variation of travel conditions.

However, in your place I'd certainly look at applying for Residence again. A work visa is a finite thing, tied to a particular job, so there is an uncertainty at the basis of your whole NZ set up. If something happened to your employer's business so your job ended, you would be in the position of having to try to get another skilled job very quickly, or having to leave NZ. When your five year visa ends, there is no compulsion on INZ to give you another - in the meantime, the NZ regulations (including the Skills lists) could have changed, which could mean that your employer must look for a NZ national or resident to do 'your' job, although he's perfectly happy with your skills and what you've been doing for those five years - and you'd have to leave. However, Residence would remove that uncertainty.

[newarrival]

Years ago friends were in a similar position- they moved back to Germany before they had (at the time called 'indefinite') PR, but somehow when they decided to come back (with a job) after about a year, they didn't have to go through the whole process again. It is quite some years back now, but maybe it would be worth to talk to Immigration ?