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Thread: Is the work to Residence LTSSL visa right for me?

  1. #1
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    Default Is the work to Residence LTSSL visa right for me?

    Hello, everyone
    This is my first post and I want to say that I am very happy I found this forum. There are tons of helpful information and a very welcoming and friendly atmosphere. Kudos

    Me and my girlfriend are considering coming to NZ to work and stay for a while. We want to explore NZ and decide whether we want to stay permanently at some later point after we have spent some time there.
    We are from and currently live in Bulgaria. I work as a senior web developer in a large international company and have 3.5+ years of experience. I have a Bachelor, Masters and PhD in Telecommunications from the Technical University of Sofia, Bulgaria.
    Our goal is to get a visa that will allow us to stay at least 1 year and come to NZ at most beginning of 2021, because we are both ~30years old and it's kind of high time to have a long term life plan

    After researching on the official INZ website and this forum we think the most appropriate combination for us would be a Work to Residence (LTSSL) Visa for me and a Partner of a Worker Working Visa for her. It seems like the simplest/quickest option. As I understand WTR is easier than other visas, because there's no need for point collection, etc. The only hard part is getting a job offer, which is not for underestimating, but I hope my profession makes it easier. And once I get an offer it seems like nothing else should impede my visa application.

    1. Do you think the WTR LTSSL visa would indeed be quicker, than other options, e.g. SMC? (Does the current situation affect differently the different visa types)
    2. Are there options other than SMC that would suit our goal?
    3. Are there any pitfalls to coming to NZ with a WTR LTSSL visa?
    4. Is there a possibility for my GF to not get a Working visa, given I get mine and other criteria are met (health, character, etc.)?

    Thanks to everyone who puts their time and effort into this great place

  2. #2
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    In my opinion, the LTSSL Work Visa is always a better option than an Essential Skills Work Visa. Two reasons why:

    • Labour market test. Essential Skills requires this (and due to COVID-19, we're seeing signs of an Essential Skills Work Visa being difficult, if not impossible, to obtain due to the requirement that no New Zealanders be available for the work offered). The LTSSL does not require this: instead you need an offer of employment that substantially matches an ANZSCO code on the list, and you yourself must meet the criteria on the list.
    • Work to Residence pathway. LTSSL provides this; Essential Skills does not (only available residence pathway is via SMC).


    Now, as to whether WTR is preferable to SMC... generally, even with the processing delays across various residence categories, I would still choose SMC if it is available. Both streams now fall under the same processing queue, so you may as well not have to add the 2 year wait to become eligible under WTR on top of that. If you don't meet the requirements for SMC, at least you would have WTR as a fallback. That being said, if you are unsure of whether you would like to make NZ a permanent home, it may not be a good idea to commit to a Resident Visa application (either SMC or WTR) until you are (they are expensive, and I personally wouldn't spend that money on an expensive and time-consuming visa application if it were to be all for nothing in the end).

    The key criteria for the Partner of a Worker Work Visa is evidence of a solid partnership: evidence that you live together, share financial responsibilities, etc. The INZ operational manual links are broken so I can't point you there right now, but take a look at the Partnership of a New Zealander Resident Visa thread to get an idea of what to expect. Note that 12 months solid partnership evidence isn't usually required for a Work Visa application (there's evidence that INZ will only require 3 months to take your application seriously), but your partner will be assessed in a manner that's effectively the same as a Partnership of a New Zealander Resident Visa applicant when you include her on your own Resident Visa application.

    The one piece of advice that I can give: it's unwise to make any plans to travel to New Zealand while the borders remain closed.

    I'll pop by this thread again sometime tomorrow and link you to various sections of the INZ operational manual (when INZ fixes it).

  3. #3
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    Actually, looks like it was a temporary blip with the operational manual, so...

    • WR3 contains instructions on how the Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa is assessed.
    • RW4 contains instructions on how the Long Term Skill Shortage List Resident Visa is assessed.
    • SM1 through SM11 contains instructions on how the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa is assessed.
    • Your partner's Work Visa will be assessed under WF3, and see E4.5 for partnership eligibility criteria.
    • For including your partner on a Resident Visa application, see R2.1.15 -- you'll see that your partner will effectively be assessed as a Partner of a New Zealand Resident Visa applicant would (F2), with the appreciable difference that her residence is ultimately dependent on your own eligibility, as opposed to a Partner of a New Zealand Resident Visa applicant being granted residence in his or her own right.

  4. #4
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    Thank you for the information and links

    The key criteria for the Partner of a Worker Work Visa is evidence of a solid partnership
    Proof of partnership shouldn't be a problem, we've been together for 10+ years and if needed we can always marry

    Both streams now fall under the same processing queue, so you may as well not have to add the 2 year wait to become eligible under WTR on top of that.
    Did I understand correctly that a WTR LTSSL visa can wait for the same time as the SMC. If yes, then this makes it unusable. No employer would be willing to wait that long for the visa to be granted. And you can't start the application process without a job offer.

    The one piece of advice that I can give: it's unwise to make any plans to travel to New Zealand while the borders remain closed.
    This is absolutely true, but given it takes a long time to do the migration research, apply for a job, get an offer, we figure border closures should be down by the time we are ready. At least in Europe things are starting to calm down and borders are reopening.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by mandarin View Post
    Did I understand correctly that a WTR LTSSL visa can wait for the same time as the SMC. If yes, then this makes it unusable. No employer would be willing to wait that long for the visa to be granted. And you can't start the application process without a job offer.
    I was referring to the Long Term Skill Shortage List Resident Visa here (not the Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa).

  6. #6
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    I should probably be more specific on the visa pathway, actually -- note that this isn't specific to you; this is a general overview on how the different Work Visa and Resident Visa options interact with each other.

    Once you get a job offer, then you'll need to answer the following questions:



    Partners would almost certainly need to go for the Partner of a Worker Work Visa (unless you have an Essential Skills Work Visa for lower-skilled work, in which case partners would need an employment-based Work Visa in their own right). Dependent children will usually apply for the Dependent Child Student Visa if the child is of school-going age, and the Child of a Worker Visitor Visa if not: note that the caveat about lower-skilled work on an Essential Skills Work Visa applies here too. These can be applied for at the same time as your own application, but can only be approved after your application is.

    Then, once you're ready to apply for residence:

    • Do you meet the minimum of 160 points to be sent an Invitation to Apply for the Skilled Migrant Category? If YES, you may as well submit an Expression of Interest for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa and join the Queue of Despair (now that SMC and the Residence from Work visas share processing queues, I personally don't see any point in dealing with the 2 year wait before becoming eligible for RFW). You can use INZ's points indicator as a guide, but note that it's indeed just a guide: only an immigration officer can award you points during the assessment of your application.
    • Alternatively:
      • If you hold a Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa, and once you've worked for an accredited employer for 2 years, you may apply for the Talent (Accredited Employer) Resident Visa. This is a Residence from Work visa.
      • If you hold a Long Term Skills Shortage List Work Visa, and once you've worked in an occupation on the LTSSL for 2 years, you may apply for the Long Term Skills Shortage List Resident Visa. This is also a Residence from Work visa.
    • If you hold an Essential Skills Work Visa and don't meet the 160 point SMC threshold, you have no residence pathway (and would need to come up with a plan to gain access to a residence pathway, whether it be getting up to the 160 point threshold, finding employment with an accredited employer, or whatever).


    Your partner and dependent children are normally included in your Resident Visa application (whichever Resident Visa it turns out to be).
    Last edited by Kelerei; 2nd June 2020 at 11:16 AM.

  7. #7
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    Thank you very much for the followup posts Kelerei. They've been a great help.

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