Residence application | Talent Accredited Employer | Processing times

[bengaboy]

Hi,

So after 2 years and a few days on a work-to-residence (talent accredited employer) visa, I applied for residence on Aug 21 2017. The application status still shows 'pending' as of date today.

I was wondering how long is the processing time for this kind of residence application. The immigration website (https://www.immigration.govt.nz/abou...sa-application) says 3 months, but when I called up the contact centre now, they said applications are taking 6-9 months! They said that it doesn't matter which category we apply for residence and all residence applications are taking 6-9 months. Is there someone who got their residence on this category recently? If yes, how long did it take after the application was submitted?

My visa expires on 18 Feb 2018. If I don't get my residence till then, what would my options be? Can I apply for an interim visa? Or, can my company file for another work-to-residence visa? Or can my company file for an extension of my current visa?

Thanks!

[JandM]

INZ can't issue interim visas for residence applications, only for temporary work visas, so if you haven't had any serious action till within a short time before expiry, you will need to apply for a further temporary visa. As long as an application is lodged while the previous visa is still current, an interim visa will keep you legal.

ChrisMwn, can you help with the question of if it is possible to extend a Talent (Accredited Employer) visa, or to get a second one?

[bengaboy]

Thanks @JandM. I'll wait for ChrisMwn's comments. Needless to say, I'm a bit worried

[Dawntide]

Although I didn't get my residency through work to resident (I got it from SMC) I still had to get my work visa renewed to be able to work while waiting for the residency visa. They usually do it very quickly, and instantly grant you a 1 year interim work visa. All you need to do is apply ... its wise to be early as you will need your passport and your interim work visa might be processed by an entirely different CO in an entirely different place in NZ.

Note: My comments are not Immigration Advice. Only a Licensed NZ Immigration Advisor can do so.

[JandM]

Thanks @JandM. I'll wait for ChrisMwn's comments. Needless to say, I'm a bit worried

Don't be too worried. It will be possible to get another work visa in SOME way, whether it's another Talent (Accredited Employer) visa or an Essential Skills visa. I was just asking ChrisMwn if he knew about extending your existing visa.

[pommy0910]

Don't be too worried. It will be possible to get another work visa in SOME way, whether it's another Talent (Accredited Employer) visa or an Essential Skills visa. I was just asking ChrisMwn if he knew about extending your existing visa.

Hi, I have just got my residence through this route. It is not possible to 'extend' your WTR visa, but you can (as I did a year ago) apply for a second one..as long as your employer has maintained their accreditation .If you apply for this 2nd one, immigration will give you a interim visa allowing you to continue working as soon as you lodge it , so you can wait until very close to the end of your current WTR with no worries.

However, you may be ok, because the RFW residency is a much faster processing than some of the others (in fact when they lodge it, the email even states that they are processing these as a priority) (or it appears so from reading times on here).

For reference, I will share my timeline

I applied (including a partner)

Application sent 17/9
Lodgement date 18/9 (although this was only updated on the website 9/10)
No contact from anybody
Changed on website to approved (for both of us) 31/10
AIP email (advising to send passports for stickers) 6/11

Super impressed with Immigration NZ speed (I know they get a bad rep, but I think thats a reasonable timeframe)

Good luck

These are just my experiences and not advise etc etc

[JandM]

Thank you so much for sharing this - it's very helpful.

[bengaboy]

Thanks Pommy!
In my case, my employer still maintains its accreditation. And if I have to go down the route of a new WTR, I would have to pay for the new one as well. Quite a sum of money for applying (for all practical purposes) an interim visa!
Furthermore, in your case, from the timelines I see that you got your residence within a month and half of lodging the application. Its been two and a half months for me already. Guess I'll have to wait and keep my fingers crossed.

[newkiwi101]

not sure if this helps as it was last year but when I put my application through it was lodged at the end of September and approved in the middle of December so about 10-12 weeks from posting to approval. That was for a Residence from work with a partner attached.

[ChrisMwn]

Hi, I have just got my residence through this route. It is not possible to 'extend' your WTR visa, but you can (as I did a year ago) apply for a second one..as long as your employer has maintained their accreditation .If you apply for this 2nd one, immigration will give you a interim visa allowing you to continue working as soon as you lodge it , so you can wait until very close to the end of your current WTR with no worries.

However, you may be ok, because the RFW residency is a much faster processing than some of the others (in fact when they lodge it, the email even states that they are processing these as a priority) (or it appears so from reading times on here).

For reference, I will share my timeline

I applied (including a partner)

Application sent 17/9
Lodgement date 18/9 (although this was only updated on the website 9/10)
No contact from anybody
Changed on website to approved (for both of us) 31/10
AIP email (advising to send passports for stickers) 6/11

Super impressed with Immigration NZ speed (I know they get a bad rep, but I think thats a reasonable timeframe)

Good luck

These are just my experiences and not advise etc etc

that's my understanding too. INZ wont leave you without a visa while your residence is finalised, but whether its technically possible to issue a further Talent visa is often down to the case officer. Youll need to apply for a further visa before your current one runs out if your residence application is undecided..