Long distance couple - what are our options?

[Pingviin]

Hi, everyone!

First off, I'd like to point out that me and my partner are aware this forum can't give immigration advice and will be contacting INZ about our situation as well, but I figured I'd initially ask some of my questions here and perhaps get ideas/advice on what to ask from the immigrations officers.

I'm (F25) from Estonia and in a long distance relationship with my partner (M30), who is a New Zealand citizen. We have been online friends since 2009. Early last year we developed feelings for each other, admitted to mutual interest in February and became an official couple on May 1st. He wanted to ask me to be his girlfriend face to face but our first trip fell through and we didn't want to wait longer so he just found a right moment to ask me in a video call. Obviously with COVID-19, the timing of our relationship was not the best because our options for visas and meeting became heavily limited. We ended up having to wait 10 months to finally meet and he arrived for a monthlong visit just before christmas. He's now back home in Auckland and we're trying to figure out what our next steps can be.

We realized relatively quickly that we're both in it for the long haul. Our original plan was for me to travel to New Zealand for a visit and then apply for a working holiday visa - that would've allowed us to live together for a year and helped us bypass the biggest roadblock in our way as far as partnership visa requirements go. However, the WH visa applications normally open in March and I doubt that they're a high priority in current times so I'm not counting on them becoming available this year.

As far as I'm aware, the critical purpose visitor visa's partnership option and the subcategory stating that a person could travel to New Zealand with their citizen partner are basically all that we could go for right now. The problem here is that we haven't been able to live together. The description of "Family members of NZ citizens or residents who do not hold relationship-based visas" is very vague on requirements. Does that option also presume that we've had joint living arrangements? I can't apply for a move to New Zealand because of the current limited visa options and my partner can't move due to his job - he's in the RNZAF. My job however lets me work from anywhere in the world so I can continue supporting myself.

I understand that INZ looks at things on a case by case basis but people who have experience - would this situation possibly help us qualify for a critical purpose visa? I know *wanting* to travel to New Zealand is not a compelling case, but I *need* to so I could live with my partner for some time and then be eligible for a different visa because he is unable to move. Our end goal is for me to get permanent residence so we could make New Zealand our home for good and eventually get married.

With what little information we have, it seems it's these options or nothing, unless something else becomes available. But what is the likelihood of that? I know the government plans to start vaccinating normal people hopefully around summer and I might be able to get a vaccine before that in Estonia, but that doesn't mean it'll be easier to travel.
If critical purpose is not an option, is there any other way for me to get to New Zealand at least temporarily to live with my boyfriend? After that, I could apply for a partner of a resident work visa or something else more permanent even if I might have to return home for some time inbetween. If I don't find a way in, I'll be unable to see my partner until sometime next year as he used up all of his leave to come see me and stay in quarantine. We're both more than willing to wait for each other, but obviously it's the last thing we'd want to do.

If we apply for a critical purpose visa, the proofs of our relationship being genuine we could provide are for example:

• conversations from 2009-2010 proving we've known each other for a long time + transcripts/screenshots of our conversations from the past year including becoming a couple and him telling his family about me, discussing earlier meeting plans and just random talk tidbits;

• flight itineraries and our airbnb booking from December when my partner came to see me and March when we booked flights for me that ended up cancelled due to COVID + NZeTa and travel insurance documents from that time as well;

• pictures and videos of our time together;

• proof screenshots of long video calls (we've gone non-stop for days);

• support letters from mutual friends and family members confirming our relationship;

• little couple things like packages sent to each other and receipts of flowers he's had delivered to me.

What else could we add in case we try our luck and apply? It's frustrating that someone who has never met us will judge the validity of our relationships based on some papers, making us jump through hoops to prove that our intentions are genuine. We know that in each other we've found the person we want to grow old with, but sadly, telling that to INZ is not enough so we're hoping for some sort of a solution because we don't want to spend a single day apart anymore.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

(P.S. - thanks for approving my request to join, JandM )

[JandM]

Hello, and welcome to the forum.

I'm afraid I'm not going to have any good news for you in the short term, which I think you half suspect.

You need to take in what INZ is allowed to consider to be a partnership. https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-...ly/partnership Let me say first, I'm not disparaging your feelings for one another. However, all partner-sponsored visa applications are subject to close scrutiny BECAUSE, as they don't require any proof of qualifications, skills, or work experience, they have always been the ones most targeted by fraudsters wanting to pay someone to lie that they are their partner so as to get them a visa. Since anyone can SAY they love one another and are making a commitment, applicants' stated intentions are left completely out of the picture by INZ, and in place of that, solid evidence has to be shown that the couple have a shared home and life together. That is the reason for the situation you complain about in your last paragraph. It's not personal to you - it's the same for everyone. 12 months' evidence of living together is required for a Residence visa. There is no time mentioned for a work visa, but experience has shown that an application is taken seriously with around three months' evidence.

All this means that so far, from what you have said above, there is next to no hope INZ will consider you a partner, or a family member, in their terms.

HOWEVER, looking at the latest version of the Critical Purpose page https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-...zealand/slider, I see the paragraph about Partners from visa-waiver countries , and if you are an Estonian citizen, this may be a small chink of light for you. You still don't have proof of much time actually, physically together, but your story may just be the basis for an application. If this option does not work, I can't think of any other option that could be open to you. (Before the current emergency, INZ had set up a system for partners in cultures where arranged marriages are the norm, by which the foreign spouse, still overseas, could apply for a visitor's visa which would allow them to travel to NZ to satisfy the living-together requirement for applying for a partner-sponsored work visa, and this provision for partners from visa-waiver countries seems to be rather similar.)

Recent statements from the NZ government have been pessimistic about any move to re-open the borders before the end of this year - it's dependent on the rest of the world achieving control of the pandemic. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/worl...n-b901227.html The borders being closed is why most visas to be applied for by those from overseas are suspended for the time being. This being the case, I'm not suggesting you have much hope for a WHV or student visa.

Sorry the outlook is generally bleak for you in the short term. I wish you all the best.

[charcharbinks]

Doesnt look promising to me. But you can try.

[Pingviin]

Yes, I was assuming there weren't many options for us. I stumbled upon this Operation Manual yesterday and found the minimum requirements for partnership recognition. That section mentions nothing about living together - why is it a requirement then? Especially since it's a subcategory of "Residence" which one would think would have more strict requirements compared to a temporary critical purpose visa. Or am I misunderstanding something? We're considering both the visa-waiver option and the without visa but travelling with partner one as well. I wish they'd make the description of the latter a little more detailed because I'm unsure whether they still want their partnership criteria met for that one or not.

I guess the next step for us is to contact INZ and enquire about the likelihood of me getting a permission to enter NZ. Thank you for your advice so far

[JandM]

You have picked out just one paragraph from that part of the operational manual, whereas you need to read the whole F2 section https://www.immigration.govt.nz/opsmanual/#30875.htm - what is written under ALL those listed headings - to understand INZ's requirements for recognizing partnership.

[newarrival]

Looking at reports from families who have been apart from more than a year now and whose visas have been declined several times, it doesn't look very hopeful, I would agree. But who knows.., INZ might act differently in cases of New Zealand citizens trying to get their partners into the country.

[Pingviin]

Our current plan is to get some money stuff in order just in case we do apply and get approved, then call INZ and enquire about which option we should apply for and then give it a go. Declined or not, we want to at least give it a chance.

[JandM]

All the very best. This present emergency won't last forever, and your day WILL come...

[Pingviin]

No doubt, thank you very much I'll try to remember to update this thread no matter the outcome - someone else in a similar situation might find out experience useful as well.

[DownSouth]

The best chance you have is for your partner to go and live with you for a while and then apply for a Critical Purpose Visitor Visa to return to NZ with you. If that is impossible, then your options are very limited. You could submit an EOI as the visa-waiver Partner of a NZer. As you haven't 'lived together', there isn't much chance that it will be granted unfortunately. But it only costs $45 and if you put together a really thorough application, there might be a (very) small chance that it could be approved, and in any case you won't have lost much. Furthermore, in the future, it will count as evidence that you have made very effort to be together.
In the meantime, you need to start saving because whenever you are able to enter the country, it will be very expensive (flights, visas, quarantine etc). Good luck!