Advice regarding applying for a Partnership based work visa

[olliebodd]

Hi guys, first time posting on here but i have been on here often taking advantage of the great advice on here.

It is now my time to ask for help directly.

My partner of 16 months is a Kiwi and we are looking to travel back to New Zealand in the next few months after having been in Japan on a winter season. I am from the UK but have used up all my working holiday visa so cannot enter to work easily. Therefore we are going to apply for a Work visa sponsored through her.

We have been traveling and living together since the beginning of our relationship, so we feel we would be eligible for the visa. I am starting to compile the evidence of our relationship but I am a little concerned because we don't have rental agreements from where we have been living together as they have been included with our employment (we have been doing back to back winter seasons). I was thinking of getting letters from each employer stating that we rented a shared room for each period plus we have letters addressed to each of us to the same address. Would this be enough and accepted as evidence?

Also in regards to police certificates, what is the amount of time I have to spend in a country in the previous years to warrant a need for a police cert, is it 6 or 12 months?

What might be the processing time for a work visa? Is Queenstown quicker than Wellington etc?

Lastly and one of the more stressful ones for us. What is the best way for me to enter New Zealand without the work visa so that I can apply for it once there. I am thinking of entering with a refundable and movable flight out which would be booked for up to 6 months later. Would i get questioned much at immigration with this. Especially as I have had multiple entries to NZ over the last year not to mention my three years on working holiday/ work visa's about 6 years ago. Is there a better way to do this to ensure I get the amount of time in country to process the visa.


I would apply here in Japan but i feel it will be more complicated here, especially when it comes to getting some of the police certs I need.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I appreciate any help anyone can offer.

Cheers

Ollie

[JandM]

Evidence of living together - a rental agreement is listed as one possible piece of evidence, not as an absolute requirement. It's not the end of the world therefore, that you don't have it. But obviously, you do need proof that you were sharing your accommodation. Be careful of the wording of landlords' letters, because INZ have been known to refuse partnership when the people concerned could be taken to be 'just' flatmates since there were also others in the accommodation, and the same when they had been students or co-workers living in a hall of residence or hostel.

12 months. http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...ertificate.htm

You might have some awkward questions about re-entering NZ. The general rule with visitors' visas is that people shouldn't spend more than half their time in the country. How do you stand if you add up all your visits? Immigration at the airport are on guard against people who may overstay, and they are inclined to err on the side of caution if they don't see that someone has the clear profile of 'a visitor', who is someone with definite ties to their home country, who will visit for a defined amount of time, then leave. You will see that, already, you will have drawn yourself to their attention. I'm guessing that, despite possible awkward procedures for getting the police certificates, you might be better off applying for the partner-sponsored work visa from where you are - worth looking into, at least?

Are you aware that there is the partner-sponsored temporary work visa http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...milystream.htm, not just partner-sponsored residence? We know from experience that this is taken seriously with around three months' solid evidence (for instance https://www.google.co.uk/#q=site+enz...tnership+proof), and the processing is quicker.

Or if you're within the age range (up to 35), you could investigate the BUNAC IEP visa, which is available even if you've previously had an ordinary WHV. http://www.bunac.org/uk/work-abroad/...-zealand/visas

[olliebodd]

Thank you JandM for the quick reply.

Thats great info regarding the wording of the letters, thank you so much. We will ensure they state we were living in the same private room each time.

All the times I have entered NZ in the last 2 years won't add up to more than 3 months, I have family over there as well as visited my partners family so hopefully that would be an acceptable reason for the multiple entries plus as we travel a lot hopefully with a flight out to new country they would be happy.

It would be the Partner-sponsored temporary work visa we will be applying for. Would you happen to know the typical processing time for this? Also am I right that for the partner sponsored temporary work visa, police certificates only have to be from countries I have lived in for 5yrs or more. And if I'm not going to be in NZ for 24 months i may not even have to supply them.

Do you know how they work out the length of the work visa? If we were planning to stay in NZ for under a year before traveling to a new country would they give me a visa for say 9 months to a year?

I have considered the BUNAC visa however I have to be in the UK to apply and the vast majority of the fee is spent on help setting up Jobs/Accomodation and IRD number...all which i don't need help on and it pains me to pay so much for that.


Thank you so much for your time and Help Jandm.

Cheers

[JandM]

From the web-page about partner-sponsored temporary work visas.

If you have been living together for 12 months or longer, we may grant you a work visa for up to a maximum of two years.
If you have been living together for less than 12 months, initially we can only grant you a work visa for up to 12 months.

So it apparently depends on how long is covered by the evidence of partnership that you present. I remember seeing a post from someone quite surprised to find that they had been granted a two-year visa at their first application.

And yes, it's anywhere you've lived for five years or more since age 17, as you're going for the work visa.

As for timing, Google "Immigration NZ (whatever) branch processing times", and you will come up with their best guess based on recent averages. (It's never a promise.)

I see your thinking about the nature of your record of visitor visits, but would still be cautious. YOU know you're a decent, honest person, but they don't.

By the way, whenever you put in your application, keep on collecting partnership evidence all through the processing time, because INZ normally ask for more proof you have been still living together, just before they issue the visa, so as to avoid granting one to any person whose relationship has broken up meantime. Also, keep on collecting afterwards, to be sure you have ammunition in hand for whenever you may want a further work visa, or the full residence.

[olliebodd]

Thank you again for the advice.

I just have one last question...Would it be possible to request a single year work visa/ specific length under 2 years, as we plan to travel else where after the winter. or is it just at their discretion?

I ask because if it is less than a year it will also save me on having to renew my UK passport before i apply and also should save me from having to get a medical as well.

Thanks in advance.

Ollie

[arvinderchahal]

Hi jandM.this is my first time here . i am have a query to discuss with you.i have got my partnership based visa yesterday of 6 months till september 2016.last time i have applied for work visa under partnership based category was also for 6 months . i mean how come they not giving me 1 year visa rather than 6 mnths visa.i had to pay application fees twice and so so.now i am thinking to apply for residency within 4-6 weeks .will it be a good idea to apply soon bcz its been 1 year for my patnership this month please reply me back.thanks

[JandM]

I've no idea why they gave you a six-month partner-sponsored work visa. The only idea that occurs to me is, did your passport only have six months to run, so they couldn't give you a visa longer than the life of the passport it was going on? In any case, you could ask INZ this question.

And yes, you can apply for partner-sponsored residence any time when you have 12 months' partnership proof to show. You don't have to wait till near the end of the existing visa.

[arvinderchahal]

my passport is expiring in 2024 .i donot have any idea why they gave six months .as i have proofs to prove my 12 months partnership.yes i am going to apply it next month as my current visa of 6 months is expiring in september 2016.
i have documents which i wants to mention
.weekly board transcations
.joint bank account,joint internet bills,joint power bills .joint car insurance from last 5 months.
.letters from friends,family members.
phtos of our time spent,movies tickets.,facebook posts others
proof of our calls,texts
.stuff we bought like beds ,others equipments under both of our name.

will it be enough to apply for residency or i have to add something else please suggest me thanks
.

[JandM]

Here are many old threads about evidence of partnership, which give explanations and may give you more ideas. https://www.google.co.uk/#q=site:enz...tnership+proof

[arvinderchahal]

Hi JandM,i do have one more question
which is like my partner is nz citizen and she is on jobseeker work and income benefit .so does it gonna affect my partnership based residence application?please reply me .thanks JandM