Resident Visa partnership Timeline

[veelove]

Actually I just noticed osmething about the address,
Immigration NZ
DX Box: EP71514
20 Fairfax Avenue
Penrose
Auckland 1061

Could I just put my passport in an envelope and put it there? Because that's not mailing directly to Immigration, but a mailing service place (DX mail). I am so confused (and stressed out) right now.

[veelove]

Out of curiosity and stress. What kind of "remedial work" do COs usually need to do if the case is returned to them from 2PC?
I was told to send my passport for processing on wednesday, today I called to tell them I have sent it and to ask how long it might ask for them to scan it (weeks apparently) and they also told me that I was asked to send my passport because my application is in its "final stage" and that the 2PC has already happened and was returned back to my CO for some minor remedial work. I am assuming they got it back on wednesday - when I was asked to send the passport. But nothing else was asked from me (and no PPI letters at any stage..knock on wood). And how long might it take them to do this remedial work to move to AIP?

[JandM]

Remedial work following 2pc is entirely individual. The 2pc's job is to make sure the CO's work is properly done in all ways, i.e. that the application has been proved to meet the criteria, and that the evidence of that is properly and completely recorded. A fault found can therefore be that evidence hasn't been demanded on some point (in which case the CO would have to get that evidence, by contacting either the applicant or a third party, as appropriate), or that the CO hasn't written up the case quite properly (so they would have to redo all or part of the form-filling/reporting). Nobody outside INZ can tell you exactly what was needed in your case, but you can take heart from the telephone answerer's comment that it's something minor.

Asking for sight of the passport is frequently routine, remedial work or not, and happens if it's not on record as having been checked before.

So, sorry, I can't predict when this last stage will be finished, especially under lockdown, but it sounds as though all you probably need is more patience.

[veelove]

application lodged: 24/9/2021
CO contact asking for partner's bank statements: 26/10/2021
Documents uploaded: 26/10/2021
CO asking for passport: 3/11/2021
Passport hand delivered to 20 Fairfax Ave: 3/11/2021
APPROVED online: 10/11/2021 (I am assuming I will get an AIP as Auckland is in lockdown so they probably haven't scanned my passport yet)

[onyiking]

Congratulations to all the latest Residents
Feels good to be here after a while & to see more success stories.

Just coming to update that I'm now on my PR process & here's my timeline.
Dropped Application in INZ drop box in Auckland: 21/01/22

[trex1985]

Thought I'd share my timeline and details.
Married to a Kiwi for 3 years, together 7. Have a child together, born in Australia.
Child has Irish and NZ citizenship.
Lived together 6 years. 5 of those years overseas (Ireland 2, Australia 3).

Submitted Application Jan 10 (Offshore, Aus)
Approved March 17

We move to Napier Nov/December.


I didn't go into a huge amount of detail with my supporting documents.
Tenancy Agreements, Marriage and birth certs, joint bank statements and investment funds.

Very simple timeline of our relationship.

Quick and easy for me.

[gusmog]

Hi all! I have a question about the timeline on a partner resident visa.

I applied for this visa on Jan 11. I've been married to a permanent resident for 4 years, together for almost 10. Last week, INZ asked for extra medical information, and I went to the doctor for assessment and blood sampling. I had had mild depression and was taking medication when I submitted the first medical examination (this was March-2021 to entry here with an emergency visitor visa). I'm much better now and have not been taking medication since I got into NZ last October. The doctor made a very positive assessment of my situation.

Considering INZ is checking my health information, would you say this is an early, mid, or later part of their procedure? I'm trying to estimate when they might give a decision and if it's worthwhile to apply for another visa (e.g. work visa) while I wait.

Thank you!

[JandM]

Hello and welcome.

I'm afraid there isn't an answer for your question. The COs have to check all of a number of matters for each applicant, and tick them off as being satisfactory, but there isn't a set order for them to do this in. Therefore, you can't draw any conclusions as to how far through the procedure your case is when you hear of any particular item being checked out.

Also, all that a CO needs to know about a medical is that it has been passed as ASH (acceptable standard of health) - they don't investigate it themself. Each medical will be checked in the first place (and this is triggered when your application goes into INZ, with the link to your eMedical) by computer. The computer will pick up any abnormalities noted by the examining doctor, and medications mentioned, but alongside that, we think, from other people's experience, that there are probably certain keywords (for instance, some past condition which was treated and cured some time ago) which can flag the need for a look by a human being. If that happened, and the first person to check felt there was need for an expert to consider it, that is when the case would be referred to an MA (Medical Assessor). MAs have the duty of understanding an applicant's state of health, and have the power to require extra tests and/or doctors' reports until the point when they can clearly see that s/he will not cost the NZ Health Service too much for care and/or treatment. It sounds as though this is what may have happened in your case. Messages from the MA are passed to the applicant through INZ (by a clerk if you don't have a CO yet), not directly, but that is separate from processing your application.

Meantime, when your case was lodged it will have been looked over by clerks, making sure, without doing any fact-checking themselves, that it APPEARS from what you have said about yourself and your situation, that the evidence you have supplied is enough (so, that this is a complete application), then it will have been added to the date-order queue waiting to be allocated to a CO for processing. COs each have an allocation of cases that they work in rotation (so, they send out queries on one case, then don't just sit waiting, but work on the next, and the next, and so on, with each file going to the back of their work pile and working its way round to its next turn for the CO's attention, when s/he will see what replies have come in and whether they can tick off some item, or if more questions need asking, round and round till all the boxes are ticked and s/he can recommend an outcome). When a CO finishes some cases and has room for more, s/he takes the next ones from the front of the date-order queue, and at that point only you have active verification of your evidence starting. And your CO will only need to tick off that your medical is ASH, i.e. the final outcome of the eMedical, plus referral to the MA if that was necessary.

So from all the above, you can see that getting the medical query is no clue to where your case might be in the date-order queue, or with a CO. If you phone INZ, the call-answerer may be able to tell you if you have a CO yet (depending on what has been entered in the computer), but s/he won't be able to say how much longer processing will take, as, after the queuing, every case is different and dealt with individually.

If I were in your place, I would think it likely that I would need a partner-sponsored work visa.

[gusmog]

Hello and welcome.

I'm afraid there isn't an answer for your question. The COs have to check all of a number of matters for each applicant, and tick them off as being satisfactory, but there isn't a set order for them to do this in. Therefore, you can't draw any conclusions as to how far through the procedure your case is when you hear of any particular item being checked out.

Also, all that a CO needs to know about a medical is that it has been passed as ASH (acceptable standard of health) - they don't investigate it themself. Each medical will be checked in the first place (and this is triggered when your application goes into INZ, with the link to your eMedical) by computer. The computer will pick up any abnormalities noted by the examining doctor, and medications mentioned, but alongside that, we think, from other people's experience, that there are probably certain keywords (for instance, some past condition which was treated and cured some time ago) which can flag the need for a look by a human being. If that happened, and the first person to check felt there was need for an expert to consider it, that is when the case would be referred to an MA (Medical Assessor). MAs have the duty of understanding an applicant's state of health, and have the power to require extra tests and/or doctors' reports until the point when they can clearly see that s/he will not cost the NZ Health Service too much for care and/or treatment. It sounds as though this is what may have happened in your case. Messages from the MA are passed to the applicant through INZ (by a clerk if you don't have a CO yet), not directly, but that is separate from processing your application.

Meantime, when your case was lodged it will have been looked over by clerks, making sure, without doing any fact-checking themselves, that it APPEARS from what you have said about yourself and your situation, that the evidence you have supplied is enough (so, that this is a complete application), then it will have been added to the date-order queue waiting to be allocated to a CO for processing. COs each have an allocation of cases that they work in rotation (so, they send out queries on one case, then don't just sit waiting, but work on the next, and the next, and so on, with each file going to the back of their work pile and working its way round to its next turn for the CO's attention, when s/he will see what replies have come in and whether they can tick off some item, or if more questions need asking, round and round till all the boxes are ticked and s/he can recommend an outcome). When a CO finishes some cases and has room for more, s/he takes the next ones from the front of the date-order queue, and at that point only you have active verification of your evidence starting. And your CO will only need to tick off that your medical is ASH, i.e. the final outcome of the eMedical, plus referral to the MA if that was necessary.

So from all the above, you can see that getting the medical query is no clue to where your case might be in the date-order queue, or with a CO. If you phone INZ, the call-answerer may be able to tell you if you have a CO yet (depending on what has been entered in the computer), but s/he won't be able to say how much longer processing will take, as, after the queuing, every case is different and dealt with individually.

If I were in your place, I would think it likely that I would need a partner-sponsored work visa.

Thank you, JandM. This is a very clear and complete message. It looks like it's better to apply for a temporary visa, indeed.

Cheers!

[JandM]

Good luck with all your procedures.