Originally Posted by
JandM
Yes, and if the applicant doesn't land a skilled job offer in that time, then s/he has to leave NZ.
Also, the whole point of the SMC JSV is for the main applicant to go alone and concentrate all their time and resources on getting a skilled job. As soon as they do that and get their deferred Residence, then their partner and any children who were on the original SMC application get their Residence, too, and can join them.
This may seem harsh, but it was a rule change in response to what had become an even harsher problem. Under the old regulations, when a family was allowed to go with a JSV holder, they would find a home, maybe the partner, on an open visa, would find a job, and the children would settle into school. But if, in nine months, the JSV holder had NOT got a skilled job, they would all be told to leave the country. Of course, it was a heartbreaking thing for this group of people, having to tear up the life they had begun to make for themselves, and even worse if, despite all warnings, they had sold up their home in their original country and now had nothing to go back to. That is why the law is now as it is.