What happens if Resident Visa granted while outside NZ on holidays?

[mad_wild]

Hi everyone,

Perhaps I'm just being overly presumptuous my SMC Resident Visa Application will actually be processed this year, but just in case it is I am slightly worried about a month long holiday I have booked to Europe in June.
What happens if I am granted the SMC Visa while I'm away on holiday? Would I be able to enter back into NZ on my current visa (ESV) and passport when I come back? Probably should have thought this through before I booked the holiday and now it makes me feel very anxious as June is likely to be the month when my new visa should be processed (fingers crossed) according to the current timeline on the INZ website.

Thanks!

[Kelerei]

You're unlikely to have too much difficulty returning to New Zealand if your Resident Visa is granted while you are offshore.

Below are a list of things that I personally know you should be aware of, should your Resident Visa be granted while you are offshore -- other people may be aware of other issues:

• This should be obvious, but you will need to find a place to print out your eVisa letter, and carry it with you when travelling to New Zealand. Your current visa will be deemed to have expired on the day that your Resident Visa is granted.
• You will still need to obtain entry permission (same as if you are still on a temporary visa), but only the first time you enter New Zealand on that Resident Visa. On future travel to New Zealand, entry permission must be granted to you. See Y3, and particularly Y3.10.
• Your Resident Visa may be granted with first entry conditions; if so, you must ensure that you travel to New Zealand by that date (variations to travel conditions pertaining to first entry are never granted, so you would need to submit a new EOI and subsequently be invited to re-apply for residence under SMC). See R5.66.1.
• Your first day in New Zealand as a resident will be the day you are first granted entry permission on the basis of your Resident Visa (not the day that you are granted the Resident Visa itself, unless you are back onshore by then), see R5.66.5. This is important in terms of your travel conditions allowing multiple entries from your first day in New Zealand as a resident. It will also be important when calculating time spent in New Zealand when you later apply for a Permanent Resident Visa, and/or the grant of New Zealand citizenship.

EDIT: Just thought of something else. If I were in your position, I would inform the case officer processing the Resident Visa application, so that the case officer is aware that you may not be able to respond to any queries as quickly.

[mad_wild]

Thanks Kelerei for the detailed answer - you've definitely calmed my nerves a bit - I was worried I would need to send my passport off to somewhere to get the visa issued and wait till I receive it back to travel, glad to hear that it's issued as an eVisa.
In any way, I'll keep my CO updated, but fingers crossed that the visa gets issued before I leave for my holidays!

[Kelerei]

I was worried I would need to send my passport off to somewhere to get the visa issued and wait till I receive it back to travel, glad to hear that it's issued as an eVisa.

If this is your primary concern, I can answer this from my own experience (INZ wanted to sight my partner's passport as she got it renewed while our SMC application was in process).

The short version: you may be asked to send your passport off to INZ to get your visa issued, but you'll probably get a six month window to do this in.

The long version:

If INZ decides that they want to sight your passport prior to issuing your Resident Visa, they will wait until the decision is made to approve your application (and said decision has passed the second person check). At this point, you will receive an "Approved in principle" letter from INZ, telling you that your Resident Visa will be granted subject to you submitting your original passport to INZ (and any other requirements stipulated in the AIP letter, but I haven't ever heard of any other requirements for SMC besides pre-purchasing ESOL tuition if you included a partner that does not meet English language requirements). INZ allowed us six months to meet the conditions stipulated in our AIP letter.

If you want more information on the AIP process, take a look at R5.45 in the operational manual.

For the record, INZ issues all visas as eVisas nowadays. You can still choose to have a physical label in your passport, but this is a separate application that can only be made once your eVisa is granted, and it will set you back $130.