Partnership resident Visa

[Janevee]

Hey!
I am new to the forum. Just wanted to ask can we apply Resident visa one month before completing the 12 months cause by the time they would open my file 12 months would be completed. The whole idea behind is just to save some money cause don't wanna spend $$$$ on 2nd work visa.
I am already on partnership work visa from past 8-9 months.
Thank you much for the help

[JandM]

It wouldn't work, not as you've put the question. It's highly unlikely that INZ could or would process an application for Residence in under a month, and they can't issue an interim visa to keep the applicant legal for a residence application, only for a temporary work visa. Apart from that, although in the past some people seem to have had applications accepted early, of recent times we've heard that INZ has just rejected them as soon as they saw there was insufficient evidence. (Although there is a wait till a CO looks at any new case, clerks routinely scan applications when they arrive.)

HOWEVER, you say you have been on a partner-sponsored work visa for 8 - 9 months. You must have shown evidence of living together in order to get that visa, probably at least three months'-worth of proof, plus the processing time. Probably you have already been living together for 12 months or more, and if that's the case, you can apply for residence any time you like. You don't have to wait till you have been on the work visa for 12 months.

[David12345]

It depends if your current temporary visa will still be valid during the processing of your resident visa, interim visas are not issued for the processing of resident visas so you need to stay legal during that time. My partner applied for her residence based on partnership 6 weeks before that date of our 12 months together, so yes its fine to lodge the application before the 12 months is met, as F2.35 in the immigration operation manual states

"F2.35

b.If, after assessing an application, an immigration officer is satisfied the couple are living together in a partnership that is genuine and stable, but the duration of that partnership is less than the 12 months required, (see F2.5(a)) they may defer the final decision to enable the qualifying period to be met."

See here http://onlineservices.immigration.go...ual/i30880.htm

Speaking from personal experience, we also wanted to get the application underway before our 12 months living together to reduce the need of applying for a further temporary visa.