SMC: question about Resident Visa fee?

[hannah nguyen]

Good evening every one, I have a question about the resident visa fee.

In my ITA the fee is $2065 USD (which is about $3170NZD) cause I'm applying for the resident visa offshore from China. However, I check the fee on immigration website, if I apply in Auckland, the fee is only $1810NZD, does anyone know why the fee is so much different? And is this possible for me to bring my file here in Auckland then apply to Auckland branch and pay the cheaper fee? or I must pay the fee as it is in the ITA as well as my documents, must send to Shanghai branch?

And if it is possible, will it affect my result? cause I remember someone has say it's easier to have the resident visa when apply offshore rather than onshore?

Thank you,
Hannah

[JandM]

The fees paid are to cover processing of the case. Costs are different in different areas of the world

You have to make your application to the INZ office covering the area where you are living. If you were able to move to NZ to live - and obviously, you would have to have some kind of work visa (which would mean you had to have a skilled job offer) to make this legal - only then you would be allowed to apply to the NZ branch.

someone has say it's easier to have the resident visa when apply offshore rather than onshore

There always seem to be rumours about immigration. The trouble is, the 'someone' who 'said' doesn't pass on the background information to explain.

ALL INZ offices apply the same set of rules. (There was an upheaval a few years ago when the Asian area was found to have been interpreting things differently, but this was thoroughly investigated and new management put in, with retraining.)

If a foreigner puts in a Residence application from within NZ, that person must already hold a work visa of some kind, which means they already have a job in NZ, which will have been checked out by INZ before issuing the work visa. Because of this earlier verification of the job, and the fact the applicant is qualified to do it, it is LESS likely that a Residence application will be found to have problems, compared with someone applying from abroad for Residence. Applicants from within NZ are already pre-filtered, by the very fact that they have qualified to be there.

[tchu]

So you submitted EOI while you were off-shore (in China) but at the moment you are in Auckland under work/study visa? If I were you, I would ask INZ officer who release the ITA letter on where should I submit my application to be sure about it. I guess the answer would be that you must submit the application in Auckland branch as you currently live in Auckland (not true if you're only in Auckland under a short term visitor visa).

[JandM]

No, this poster is still living in China.

[hannah nguyen]

No, this poster is still living in China.

Thanks JandM, and that's true, I'm still in China at the moment, I only has visitor visa to come to NZ. Thanks, willl pay $3000NZD for the application then

[akl]

And "where you are living." at the time of EOI selection or ITA issuance or when applying for the residence application ?

Any idea guys which stage decides the application fee ?

[JandM]

When you put in the EOI, check the Office and Fees Finder. http://onlineservices.immigration.go...or.htm?level=1 In case you had moved to another country before another stage in your case, then check again.

[akl]

Thanks for your inputs JandM,

that means we can pay a band A fee for EOI and band B/C fee when applying for after ITA if we change countries /locations accordingly. it doesn't have to be according to the location when the application got selected or when the letter was sent /received .


Thanks again