Permanent residency issues due to COVID-19... help!

[kaybee1661]

Hi guys. I have a friend who is a resident in NZ, and got her residency in September 2018. She is due to get her permanent residency in September this year, but unfortunately she isn't going to hit the criteria due to COVID-19.

She's English originally, and left NZ in March for a 2 month trip to the States & Europe. When COVID hit, she got stuck in the UK, and had to stick it out with her parents until flights reopened (these were organised through a ski company, who have just told her they won't honour her original ticket as it was through the States, which isn't allowed right now)

Basically she may not get back in time to hit the criteria for her 6 months of the second year.

Am I right in saying she can apply for a extension to her travel conditions, giving her an additional 12 months to get her second 6 months?

The person she spoke to at immigration tells her she can only extend for 14 days...

Any advice would be fab. Thanks so much!

[JandM]

See here for the full information. https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-...anent-resident

Yes, she can get a variation of her travel conditions, to extend them, so she can get back into NZ when she can get a flight. As you will see on that INZ page, how long an extension she can be granted will depend on her own circumstances - how long she had been in NZ, etc.. It's all there if you hit the links.

Once she is back in NZ, she doesn't need travel conditions. A residence visa gives the holder the right to live and work in NZ for ever.

When she wants to apply for PR, she needs to be aware that INZ count BACKWARDS from the date of application. So, using the 'time in NZ' criterion, she will need to have been in NZ for no fewer than 184 days in the 12 months leading up to the application, then 184 days in the 12 months before that. When she originally got residence is irrelevant - eligibility constantly shifts forward in time, so some of her first months in NZ will drop off the chart. She can apply for PR at any time when she can see that the numbers work in her case.