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Thread: German Girl & Kiwi Boy - How Do We Make This Work?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
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    Wellington, NZ
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    Question German Girl & Kiwi Boy - How Do We Make This Work?




    Hi guys, firstly, sorry if I have posted this in the wrong forum section. (Admins, feel free to move it).

    OK, here's our story. I meet and started dating the greatest girl in the world. She's a (now) 20 year old German backpacker who has been in NZ since September 2013. I am older and am a NZ citizen. She is on a Working Holiday Visa. We've been offcially dating since December 2013, plenty of selfies etc, meet all the family, Facebook official and she currently lives with me. She has to go back to Germany in 7 days (for family reasons) but her working holiday Visa doesn't expire until September this year. She 100% wants to come back and continue living with me and the plan is to work in Germany for 3-4 months and get some money together (selling personal stuff as well) and then coming back before her Visa ends.

    Now, from my understanding and calling Immergration, "apparently" the best option for us is for her to come back say, July/August (latest) and we apply for a partnership work visa under the Family Stream section. As we've been living together for less than 12 months, that will only last 12 months. Then from there going for the 24 month partnership because it will be over 12 months by then, nearly 24, then from there the Residency Visa. I know that the 12 month partnership Visa takes around 25 days to process so so that's why she'll need to come back well before September to legally be here and apply.

    Questions: Is this all possible and are we going down the correct and easiest road? We're madly in love and know this can and WILL work. We have very positive can do attitudes and just need a little guidance. Also, what are the costs for say, a 12 month partnership visa etc? Just trying to work out what kind of funds we need.


    If you need any information, we will do our best to help.
    Thank you so much for any and all help given.




    Regards,

    Carl and Daisy

    Me&DaisyBellview.jpg

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    Hello.

    The advice you've had from Immigration NZ sounds fine. I would just add, make sure you keep records of all your contact while she is back in Germany, then that time will count as part of your partnership. This could include your telephone logs, Skype, screen shots of IMing, etc.. Also, if one of you buys something that is for the use of both of you (for instance, she might buy some German kitchen gadget for your joint home in NZ), keep the receipt. You might pay online for something for her in Germany - keep the receipt. If you can convince INZ that your relationship is ongoing all the while she is away, then this will usefully add time.

    we apply for a partnership work visa under the Family Stream section. As we've been living together for less than 12 months, that will only last 12 months. Then from there going for the 24 month partnership because it will be over 12 months by then, nearly 24, then from there the Residency Visa.
    You may well be able to cut out the second, 24-month, temporary partner-sponsored work visa. As soon as you can show proof of 12 months' partnership, that is, starting from and including what you already have of her living with you right now, she can apply for partner-sponsored Residence. You don't say when she moved in, but supposing it was last month, then she would be able to apply for Residence any time from February, 2015. Yes, she would have a 12-month temporary work visa running September 2014 - September 2015, but you don't have to wait for that to finish to apply.

    You can use this page http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...or.htm?level=1 to see what the different charges are.

    All the best!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Wellington, NZ
    Posts
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    Thumbs up



    Hi JandM, thank you sooooo much for your help from both of us, you make it sound super easy haha. We just used the calculator and we think we did it right but for a 12 month working partnership Visa it was "only" $360 NZ, not bad at all. We will take your advice on saving "proof". We've checked and found old records of our Viber and Whatsapp chats, phone call logs, Facebook activity, purchases together, etc, thanks for the ideas. A few last questions and a summary just so we can get our head around it before she goes in 4 days.

    1) Is the partnership working visa the same as a "partnership visa", are they one in same or different?

    2) In your opinion from overseeing different cases, when do you think is a safe window for her to come back before September to "guarantee" that she has time to apply and time for them to approve her 12 month visa? We're thinking the earlier the better but she has to save money first for her ticket and living epxpenses until she finds work, August latest?

    3) With the working Visa, is that one of the ones where she must be "asked" or "offered" a job in a job that NZ is short on or can she simply come here, apply for a partnership visa with me then seek her own employment online from Seek or Trademe, etc?


    Thanks once again for your help!! Legend.

  4. #4
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    Feb 2008
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    1) They would be the same. Under the Family Stream for partners, there are only the work visa and partner-sponsored residence, so the context (or lesser price if you're looking at the fees) should make it clear if you've got the right one.

    2) There's no such thing as a guarantee when dealing with INZ. And yes, I agree - get back as soon as possible, and apply. But she wouldn't be illegal if there's a hiatus, since once the application for her partner-sponsored temporary work visa is in, even if it doesn't come through before her WHV runs out, she would come under the provision of Interim Visas. From what it says here http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...erimvisaqa.htm, as she will be trying to go from one type of open visa to a different type of open visa, she would be given a visitor visa to cover any gap of time.

    3) The partner-sponsored temporary work visa is ONLY dependent upon proof of partnership (besides character and health, which are requirements for all visas). http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...am.htm#citizen They don't check for qualifications or work or anything else. As long as you prove the live-in relationship (see old threads https://www.google.co.uk/#q=site:enz...tnership+proof), you are okay. The visa is an 'open visa', which will entitle her to take any job at all.

  5. #5
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    Mar 2014
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    Sorry for the late reply, but I had to say thank you once again JandM so much for your help, you're awesome! Great easy to follow information which really brought it down to laymans terms for us newbies. Sounds very promising. Daisy is back in Germany now (arrived on Tuesday) and plans to be back in the next 1-3 months. We are keeping all our records of Skype video calls, Viber, Whatsapp, Facebook etc. Thanks again from both of us.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Wellington, NZ
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    Just a quick question, when she comes back and applies for another Visa, when do they start the 12 month period? Her current Visa expires on the 18th of September, 2014. When she applies and it's approved, when do they start the date? From like now or do they carry it on after the 18th of September? So she'll have, basically have 16 months, or do they only do it as a 12 month maximum type deal? As always, big thanks from us both.

  7. #7
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    The 12 months on the partner-sponsored temporary work visa will start to run from when it's approved, whenever that is. So it could be before her WHV runs out, or at the end of her WHV, or after they've given her an Interim visa after the end of the WHV, if that should turn out to be necessary - it's all dependent on the processing time for the new visa.

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