Kiwi returning home with British partner ( Visa info needed)

[Kiwijo]

Hi.
Im a kiwi who has lived in the UK for 29 years and been married to my British husband for 27 of those.
I have a New Zealand passport ( he has a British one). Im 53 and he is 64

We are hoping to return to New Zealand to live in the next couple of years.
We will be selling our house in the UK to finance the move ( tickets, his visa, shipping etc).

I understand he will be able to get a partnership visa, but have read that these can currently take a while to be processed.

It appears to be almost 2x as xpensive to apply for one here in the UK than it is in New Zealand.
So we are thinking it would be cheaper to buy return tickets and apply for his visa out there ( we cant really afford to apply for his visa until we have sold the house), and would have nowhere in the UK to return to once we have sold up.

My biggest concern is what happens if this application hasnt been completed by the time his 3 months visitors visa has expired? I see from some of the forum questions that these applications are taking a lot longer than the 3 months they are supposed to.
would he be able to stay in NZ which his application is being dealt with?

Any information would be most gratefully received.
Thanks

[JandM]

There could be a problem with your plans to save money. INZ sets great store by honesty when applying - the Bona Fide requirement. https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-...tity/bona-fide Anyone arriving visa waiver is in effect applying for a visitor visa when they fill in the card on the plane just before arriving. That card is a legal document. Putting something on the card that is not true can be considered as fraud, which, if found out, can cause any future visa applications to be refused or delayed. A visitor visa is intended ONLY for people intending to make a short stay for a definite amount of time, after which they will go back to an established life (home, work, commitments) in another country; a visitor's visa is not a catch-all for any situation for which the applicant hasn't got (or hasn't yet got) an appropriate visa.

[MagicPizza]

Hi.
Im a kiwi who has lived in the UK for 29 years and been married to my British husband for 27 of those.
I have a New Zealand passport ( he has a British one). Im 53 and he is 64

We are hoping to return to New Zealand to live in the next couple of years.
We will be selling our house in the UK to finance the move ( tickets, his visa, shipping etc).

I understand he will be able to get a partnership visa, but have read that these can currently take a while to be processed.

It appears to be almost 2x as xpensive to apply for one here in the UK than it is in New Zealand.
So we are thinking it would be cheaper to buy return tickets and apply for his visa out there ( we cant really afford to apply for his visa until we have sold the house), and would have nowhere in the UK to return to once we have sold up.

My biggest concern is what happens if this application hasnt been completed by the time his 3 months visitors visa has expired? I see from some of the forum questions that these applications are taking a lot longer than the 3 months they are supposed to.
would he be able to stay in NZ which his application is being dealt with?

Any information would be most gratefully received.
Thanks

Is your husband still working?

[DownSouth]

If possible, the best option would be to apply for a resident visa for your husband (while you are still off-shore), and you are likely to be granted a permanent resident visa as you've been living together for over 5 years off-shore. I believe it will cost around NZD$2200, but you will skip the need to apply (and pay) for temporary visas entirely. See https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-...-resident-visa

[Kiwijo]

Thanks for the replies folks.
JandM, I hadnt realised about that.
I had thought it might seem a good option as, selling the house to pay for the move and getting his visa would leave us without anywhere to live is the application took a while in the UK.
Looks like its back to the drawing board. Ive been trying to get home for years, there always seems to be something to hold us back.

[MagicPizza]

If your husband is still working, you could try the Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa. The timings on that visa are 90% of applications are done in 5 months and it's quite a bit cheaper than residency.

There is a section on being "Bona Fide" and your intentions for this visa should be to stay in NZ temporarily. However, when I applied for this visa I actually told INZ that my intentions were working towards staying in NZ forever and buying a house. I'm not suggesting you tell them the same – I'm just unclear on how they view wanting to stay forever as a negative when applying for a temporary visa.

Have a look at the criteria and see if it would work for your situation. Good luck! With your relationship status you should get a 2-year visa.

https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-...=residence-GBR

[TheNewKiwi]

If your husband is still working, you could try the Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa. The timings on that visa are 90% of applications are done in 5 months and it's quite a bit cheaper than residency.

I was going to suggest the same thing. I have known several people who have opted for the work visa (even though they qualified for residence) simply because of the shorter processing time.

But he does not need to be still working to get it. I have never worked in NZ at all, and I started with the partner work visa.

[MagicPizza]

I was going to suggest the same thing. I have known several people who have opted for the work visa (even though they qualified for residence) simply because of the shorter processing time.

But he does not need to be still working to get it. I have never worked in NZ at all, and I started with the partner work visa.

You're right, I just couldn't quite remember if I put any employment history on my application. I thought it might look better on paper if there was some recent employment history, but yes I don't think it truly matters.

[JandM]

Nobody has to prove any qualifications or work history for a partner-sponsored work visa. You just have to prove the partnership. https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-...lders#criteria That visa ALLOWS the partner to work - it doesn't say they HAVE to.

[Kiwijo]

Thanks for the suggestions regarding work history etc..
However, work history will be a bit difficult as he has spent the best part of the last 20 years working from home ( self employed) part time.
The bulk of his time has been spent looking after his elderly parents ( who live next door).
We lost his Dad to dementia 8 years ago, and now his Mum is almost at the stage where she will have to go into residential care.

Cheers
Kiwijo