Partnership Work Visa or Residency Visa? Advice needed.

[kails]

Hi guys! First post here

My partner is an Australian citizen (& NZ resident) and I am an American citizen. We originally wanted to apply for a partner visa in Australia but we moved to Dunedin in June and absolutely love it here.

A little background about us:

Met in 2012 while traveling Europe
I moved to Aus from April 2013-March 2014
We lived together for 6 months in the US from June-December 2014
We both moved together to NZ in 2015
*During the time apart we made 5 trips back and forth to visit one another in our home countries*

So we have definitely lived together for a year, but it hasn't all been at the same time. Would this be an issue? If it is.. that prompts my main question. Do you think we should just apply for the partner work visa (for myself) since we definitely have proof of living together here for 6 months (by the time the application is lodged)? And we can always reapply for that visa after the 12 months expire (if that is what they grant us) since we will have an ongoing relationship.

Or should we just go for the residency visa? Since we were planning on applying in Aus, we have tons of paperwork saved up including joint bank accounts in both Aus and NZ, receipts for most trips we have taken together, joint phone bills, gym memberships, IRD and ID card mail addressed to the same address here in Dunedin, photos with friends and family, letters addressed to both of us from friends, etc.

Unfortunately we do not have any joint leases. While we always lived together, we don't have the formal documentation. We lived with his family for the year in Australia and we lived with my mom for the 6 months in the States. I am assuming we could have them write letters stating this information?

Thank you in advance for your help!! Your advice is much appreciated

[JandM]

It sounds as though it could be worth trying for the Residence straight out. If there is evidence that you were living together before the break, contact during it, then living together again after it right up till the time of the application, there is a good chance that it will be accepted. If there is a solid reason for having to separate temporarily, such as work commitments or someone's visa running out, that also helps.

I'm thinking that, if INZ didn't accept your earlier evidence after all, they would offer you a partner-sponsored work visa instead for the time being, to allow you to build up the full 12 months' evidence.

There are links and information that may be helpful at posts #3 and #5 here. http://www.enz.org/forum/showthread....859#post518859 And the old threads here https://www.google.co.uk/#q=site:enz...tnership+proof may be useful for ideas about evidence.

[kails]

Thank you so much!!