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Thread: Visa for partner of Australian citizen

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    2

    Default Visa for partner of Australian citizen

    Hi everyone,

    I'm an Australian citizen and I'm planning on moving to New Zealand to do a PhD. My fiance is Canadian and we're currently living in Canada (we're also planning on getting in married in Canada before potentially coming to New Zealand).

    As far as I can tell I wouldn't be considered a resident until I arrive in New Zealand, so am I right in thinking that my partner wouldn't be able to apply for a partner visa until I'm in New Zealand?

    If that is the case would is it possible that she'd be able to come over on a working holiday visa (she meets all the requirements) and then apply for a partner visa once we've arrived?

    Thanks in advance

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    New zealand
    Posts
    49

    Default

    Hey,

    I had a similar situation albiet i am just a Australian resident. To be eligable you need to prove that your place of residence is in New Zealand, meaning you need to have a place to live and have a job. This basically proves that to immi that you have intentions to live and make NZ your primary place of residence. Providing you have atleast 3 months of living together evidence you would have no problem applying for a partner work visa once you have established the foundations in NZ

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    New Zealand
    Posts
    2,283

    Default

    A WHV is a good option, till you have some evidence of having settled here. Then ,if you are staying, partner based work , or residence application.
    Also suggest she gets a Canadian police clearance while in Canada. They can take forever if you are applying from off shore for one.
    Last edited by ChrisMwn; 2nd February 2016 at 10:18 AM.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    NZ
    Posts
    34

    Default

    Also suggest you get your police clearance, whist you are there, if you have lived in Canada for 12 months, should you wish to go for residency for her, in the next couple of years.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    2

    Default

    Great, thanks for the advice!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    NZ
    Posts
    260

    Default

    ChrisMwn is true. Mine tool 4 and half months after 5-6 follow-ups with Canadian police.
    Best is to get when you guys are there.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Auckland, NZ
    Posts
    63

    Default Australian/Uruguayan Couple - Work Visa based on Partnership Experience

    Hey!
    We are in the same situation but a bit more advanced in the visa process.

    I am Uruguayan and my husband is Australian (born and raised in OZ) We met in Canada two years ago, went to live in Uruguay (which we did for a year) and we got married in Uruguay 4 months ago.

    Last December 2015 me moved to NZ. I entered New Zealand as a tourist (i didn't have to apply for a visa as Uruguay is a visa waiver country) my hubby entered with his Aussie passport. Two days after gotten here he got a job. 3 days after we arrived we opened a joint bank account (had no issues at all with me being a tourist because he's aussie, so JOINT works!) he got he's IRD number in less than a week.

    For your partner you have 2 options:

    1 -Work Visa Under Partnership Category (Partner of New Zealand citizen or permanent resident. Aussies are perm residents automatically upon arrival and only ends if you get out of NZ )
    2 - Residence - Family Stream under Partnership category. (Partner of New Zealand citizen or permanent resident)

    The only difference between these two visas are price, processing times, rights after grant, length of grant, paperwork to be submitted. Residence is double the price than the work visa (400 NZD and 900 NZD aprox, residence requires the Australian to show his/her commitment to New Zealand but the work visa doesn't ask for this (a job contract is enough to show that you intend to stay in NZ and being Australian you get a job right away here). Residence requires that the supporting partner submits a police check apart from the main applicant's one (this only applies to NZ permanent residents/Aussies. Police check for NZ citizens are automatically gathered by the immigration office), the form numbers are different too (pretty obvious), the length of the work visa goes from 6 to 24 months depending on the relationship or how long you've been together (i guess also depends on how much evidence of relationship you can provide, the more the better so they see you wanna stick together). If granted a work visa, later on your partner could apply to the residence so she doesn't have to renew the work visa every time it expires. Processing times for Work Visa lodged in Auckland are 6 weeks, for residence are 6 months. (may be faster, tho)

    Work Visa requires having lived together in the same house at the moment of lodging the application (it's known that you'll need around 3 months of having lived together AT LEAST in order to convince the case officer)
    Residence requires having lived together in the same house for 1 Year or longer (You REALLY need to provide evidence that you guys have been leaving together for a whole year at least).

    Remember that doesn't really matter if you comply with all the requirements unless you can show plenty evidence of it



    Work Visa for partner requirement:
    413 New Zealand Dollars,
    2 passport pictures PER person included in the application (2 of you, 2 of your partner), applicants medical check + XRAY (xray is not always required, I got a full medical including xray for 215 NZD in Auckland), police check for main applicant (issued within last 6 months + translation if in other than english), lodge the main applicant's original passport with the application, lodge a color copy of the supporting partner's passport. Letter explaining your relationship (timeline like), Copies of text messages, facebook posts, pictures together along with the most important things which are: proof of financial support or interdependence (joint bank account, naming eachother as additional cardholders of each others banks, we did this), marriage certificate (if you're married + if so make sure if you get an apostille + translation if language is other than english), basically, attach as many things as a you can to show you guys like eachother and like hanging out together and doing stuff (i am submitting text messages asking him to buy groceries, normal stuff that show we are a couple).

    We are gonna lodge our application next week. Fingers crossed




    Quote Originally Posted by Achernar View Post
    Hi everyone,

    I'm an Australian citizen and I'm planning on moving to New Zealand to do a PhD. My fiance is Canadian and we're currently living in Canada (we're also planning on getting in married in Canada before potentially coming to New Zealand).

    As far as I can tell I wouldn't be considered a resident until I arrive in New Zealand, so am I right in thinking that my partner wouldn't be able to apply for a partner visa until I'm in New Zealand?

    If that is the case would is it possible that she'd be able to come over on a working holiday visa (she meets all the requirements) and then apply for a partner visa once we've arrived?

    Thanks in advance

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    New Zealand
    Posts
    2,283

    Default

    so what's your question? if you have lived together for more than 12 months, you should get a 2 year partnership based work visa. It you intend to stay in NZ beyond 2 years you would need to apply for residence.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    New Zealand
    Posts
    5

    Default

    Hi my partner and I recently went through this (I'm English he is Aussie) - you'll see my thread on my profile. We applied for our visa just a few weeks after arriving and had issues being accepted. The issue was that although Aussies are residents on arrival, you have to prove that NZ is your ESTABLISHED place of residence which is very hard to prove having only just arrived. They request things like proof of work (e.g. IRD number and pay slips ), rental agreements etc. Obviously these are not possible on arrival. If your girlfriend can just come in on a working holiday visa it would be much easier (I would have done so if i could) and then in a few months apply for the partner sponsored one.

    That's my advice anyhow!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Auckland, NZ
    Posts
    63

    Default

    Hi Flora82! Quick question...did you guys apply for the Residence based on partnership or the Work visa based on partnership? As far as I know, the aussie needs to provide evidence of commitment to New Zealand only when applying for the Residence based on Partnership visa. Is this the one you applied to? and last but not least... did you get it?
    Thanks!!


    Quote Originally Posted by Flora82 View Post
    Hi my partner and I recently went through this (I'm English he is Aussie) - you'll see my thread on my profile. We applied for our visa just a few weeks after arriving and had issues being accepted. The issue was that although Aussies are residents on arrival, you have to prove that NZ is your ESTABLISHED place of residence which is very hard to prove having only just arrived. They request things like proof of work (e.g. IRD number and pay slips ), rental agreements etc. Obviously these are not possible on arrival. If your girlfriend can just come in on a working holiday visa it would be much easier (I would have done so if i could) and then in a few months apply for the partner sponsored one.

    That's my advice anyhow!

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