Proof of partnership

[hussam]

Dear All:
Would anybody be kind to help us with the question of how to prove our partnership more convincingly, please? We have just gotten our EOI approved and now we are at the stage of collecting required documents. The problem of proving our partnership worries us quite seriously. We are not married but have been in relationship for about four years. Because I still study and my partner has graduated from the university, we had to live apart for some time, living sometimes in different countries due to job situation, though, obviously, being constantly in touch. The question is how you convince authorities that you are in love and have plans to stay together? We will greatly appreciate any advices and suggestions. Many thanks in advance. Have a good day.

[JandM]

I'm afraid you're going to have difficulty here. Immigration NZ defines 'partnership' as a live-in relationship, and they will only recognize it if you show evidence of living together - in the case of one of you being the secondary applicant for Residence under SMC, they will be looking particularly at the last 12 months leading up to the application.

If there is clear proof that you were together for a significant period of time earlier, then you had to separate for solid and reasonable reasons, but you afterwards reunited, and you can show how you kept in touch, they will SOMETIMES recognize that situation, but it's very uncertain in advance in any particular case.

This isn't a question of convincing the authorities of your feelings and intentions. Anybody can SAY anything, and the partnership visas are the prime targets for fraudsters. In that situation, checking applications could be something like trying to judge an essay-writing competition, so the rules have been framed to relate ONLY to matters which can be shown by concrete proof, i.e. that each couple made a home together, and shared responsibilities for aspects of their lives. There is no other kind of evidence they will accept.

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but it's possible (depending on whether or not there are any periods of time for which you can show the sort of evidence required) that you can't apply together on an EOI at this time. That doesn't mean that you will not in the future be able to get to that point. If one of you is eligible already for the application, you could put it in (but mentioning the partner, even if not eligible yet, so you are making sure INZ knows about him/her), while being careful to collect partnership proof from now onwards. The partner may meantime be able to apply in his/her own right, or possibly get a WHV or visitor's visa which would allow him/her also to go to NZ when the main applicant does, still collecting partnership proof. Whenever there is enough proof (about three months' evidence usually is enough), the partner with Residence could sponsor the other for a partner-sponsored temporary work visa http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...milystream.htm, which lets them stay together and build up to the 12 months' evidence necessary to go on so full partner-sponsored Residence.

[hussam]

Dear JandM:
I hope you are well. Many thanks indeed for your detailed reply. We truly appreciate it. Sorry to disturb you but we we have more questions prompted by your reply. why do authorities care particularly about the last 12 month in proving our partnership. We lived together for two years, which we can verify by bank statements and letters, from 2010-2012. Then my partner had to work abroad mainly because there was no jobs in USA. Now we live together again. We know that the situation is not ideal, but lack of jobs in North America and Europe is the main reason why we apply for the immigration to New Zealand in the first place. What evidence will count as a proof of our partnership? What documents can we submit to show that, despite difficulties and distances, we are still together and plan to be together in future? (Our shared EOI has been approved and we have been invited to apply to immigrate to New Zealand.) We will highly appreciate your reply. Thank you very much for your help. Have a good weekend.

[JandM]

Why the last 12 months? INZ, by carefully inspecting the most recent period of time, is guarding against giving a visa to a secondary applicant who WAS in a relationship with the main applicant but whose partnership has since broken up.* As I said, there are so many attempts to get visas fraudulently that the checks are extremely carefully done. Try not to be offended at the thought that you could be suspected of fraud - it's nothing personal, it happens to everyone, and though YOU know you are good and decent people, you are dealing with a bureaucracy enforcing its country's laws the same way upon every applicant.

(*Notice, if you get to the stage that your application under SMC is being processed, with the secondary applicant still in place, you are very likely to be asked by the CO to provide still more evidence that you are and have been living together throughout the time the case has been being worked, for this same reason - they don't want to give out a second visa if the partnership has broken up in the meantime.)

Anyway, as you have that two years'-worth of evidence, 2010 to 2012, and you're now together once more, that is a much more hopeful picture than could be guessed at from your first post. (I imagined that perhaps you had not ever lived together.) If you make a good case that whichever of you it was had to go abroad for work and the other could not accompany them because of studies, and can show more proof that you are now together again, there is some hope that INZ will accept your situation. Here are suggestions from INZ as to the evidence you can put forward. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=im...GfTH8gfbkYG4Cw And here https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=si...MvCq8wfOhoL4Dw are old threads from the forum where people have been discussing what to use. As far as possible, you are trying to show you are together at the same address from the earliest possible time, with as many kinds of proof as possible (apart from documents, incoming mail to each of you, specially from corporations or government bodies, memberships of the same clubs, joint invitations, photographs of you together and linked to a particular date, or of each of you at the same recognizable place or in the same company, etc., etc., and see the old threads), and then marking each passing month with more evidence. For recent times, try to gather something for the point when you got together again, then get three or more pieces for every week or two since then - and keep on doing this even after you send in your ITA, because they will very likely ask for it.

And they will want to see evidence of how you kept in touch during the absence of the one who went abroad - e.g. phone records, email print-outs, any financial transactions by one of you on behalf of you both, proof that you visited back and forth if you were able to do so.

How long is it that you have been back together now?

[hussam]

Dear JandM:
Million thanks indeed for your kind and detailed answer. We truly appreciate your time and help. We understand now more fully what we have to do to prove our partnership. We think we can prove easily that we lived together during the period of 2010-12; we have bank statements verifying our addresses; then we have financial transactions made to one another at that time. We could also prove that it was indispensable for me to stay in the USA: I am still studying towards my PhD. My partner finished her employment in the USA and could not stay longer in the country since neither of us is American. She had to work abroad for a year and then to help her elderly parents with immigrating to Canada; I visited her once in Canada, which I can prove. During these years, we corresponded through skype and facebook, correspondence from which could be printed out. We are back together four months already and rent an apartment together, which can be testified by a contract. We do not belong to any clubs, unfortunately, but we will see what else we can do to show that we are a good team. Perhaps, we could join some club after all, as you advise. Once again, many thanks indeed for your kind help and detailed answer. We highly appreciate this. Have a lovely weekend.

[JandM]

Another thing you can do is make arrangements that at work and at your doctor's, and anywhere else you can think of, you are on record as each other's next of kin (then those places can make a printout of the information as evidence for you). You can be named drivers on each other's car insurance, if any. If you have a life insurance, the other person can be the beneficiary.

(I just noticed that I forgot to put the link to old threads in my previous post, and I've now added it.)

[hussam]

Dear JandM:
Many thanks indeed for your kind help and valuable suggestions. I know we will benefit from the information you provided and the links you sent us. Thanks a lot for everything. Have a productive and healthy week ahead.
Kind regards.
Hussam.

[Foreign]

My partner has been under the visitors visa, now currently on the working holiday visa. Are we still able to apply for another visitors? in a just in case scenario if our evidence of being in a relationship is not sufficient enough?

[amritsaundh]

------------------------------------Need urgent help-------------------------------------

I have applied residence visa under SMC. I sent beneath documents of my partnership.

We are from different countries. I am from India and my partner is from Ukraine. My partner lived with me more than 12 months in India. We are in a relationship since March 2014 to till date. She arrived to India 4 times and every visit was of 4 months.

1. I have tenancy rent agreements on my name. My landlord gave me a cover letter stating my partner name and wrote My partner occasionally visited me as well. Here, occasionally means many months in a year. for any clarifications, do not hesitate to contact him.
2. Our photos.
3. Travel, hotel, train bookings.
4. Her father made an invitation for me to visit my partner's country.(Support of family)
5. Chat records, phone records.
6. postcard envelopes on her name on the same address as mentioned in the tenancy agreement which is on my name.
7. bank statements for buying each other flight tickets and others to give financial support to each other.
8 My partner visa's that she came to me for few months.
9. Proof downloaded from the E-commerce websites orders came on the same address where we both live together.

My case officer is not satisfied. She mentioned that I principal applicant cannot claim bonus points of my partner. She wants me to give a comment and evidence of 12 months living together. Which other proof should i provide? I have very less time. Please support.

Please help.

Thanks,

[Dank]

------------------------------------Need urgent help-------------------------------------

I have applied residence visa under SMC. I sent beneath documents of my partnership.

We are from different countries. I am from India and my partner is from Ukraine. My partner lived with me more than 12 months in India. We are in a relationship since March 2014 to till date. She arrived to India 4 times and every visit was of 4 months.

1. I have tenancy rent agreements on my name. My landlord gave me a cover letter stating my partner name and wrote My partner occasionally visited me as well. Here, occasionally means many months in a year. for any clarifications, do not hesitate to contact him.
2. Our photos.
3. Travel, hotel, train bookings.
4. Her father made an invitation for me to visit my partner's country.(Support of family)
5. Chat records, phone records.
6. postcard envelopes on her name on the same address as mentioned in the tenancy agreement which is on my name.
7. bank statements for buying each other flight tickets and others to give financial support to each other.
8 My partner visa's that she came to me for few months.
9. Proof downloaded from the E-commerce websites orders came on the same address where we both live together.

My case officer is not satisfied. She mentioned that I principal applicant cannot claim bonus points of my partner. She wants me to give a comment and evidence of 12 months living together. Which other proof should i provide? I have very less time. Please support.

Please help.

Thanks,

If you're married perhaps a marriage certificate.You may also write the chronology of your relationship explaining the periods you have been living apart.Just thinking!