[robberger]

"Hello Rob,

I am the visa officer that has been assigned to your application for residence. I have approved your application subject to providing your passports and more evidence of relationship evidence.

Please forward your passports (which should be wholly undamaged, have a year to run and have at least two pages spare each) and evidence that you and your wife have been living together for more than 12 months. I will require one joint bill/statement that is older than August 2005 to establish 12 months of living together."

Question: do you think our individual UK NHS medical cards (the paper ones, not the plastic ones) which show the name and address on each (i.e. one for my wife, one for me, but not together on the same sheet) will suffice? A bit paranoid at this point, but with all the moving and preparation, we've pretty much binned any utility bills etcetera (and they weren't 'joint' anyhow).

Bit confused by August 2005 as that is well over a year ago, but...will just send as much 'proof' as I can muster!

I suppose children who are 3, 2, and 1 isn't sufficient evidence of relationship these days? Crazy!

[tigerlily]

Congrats! Sounds good!!!

Sure the NHS cards sound ok. Do you have your car insurance bills/cards too? Anything that goes to the same address would show you live there together. I agree that having 3 children together (and your names on the birth certificates) should really be enough to prove you're in a real relationship and not just hooking up so she can come to NZ with you!!

[speckythecky]

Not sure about the NHS cards, car insurance would be a good idea. Or how about bank statements. Even if you had seperate accounts, one statement from each account with the addresses should suffice. alternatively phone them and ask what sort of evidence.
I am the same, any bill are in individual names and not joint

[Riddley]

I spoke to our case officer re this and he said "PLEASE don't send me 20 yrs of bank statements!!!" (I think this happens a lot)
He recommended mortage statement, bank statements and utility bills.

[robberger]

Thanks for all the comments.

Well, here's the deal. In the last ten years we've moved about ten times. From 2002 to 2005 we lived in the UK, and when we returned to the US I just didn't see the sense in hanging on to UK bills. We do all our banking digitally, so we have few paper statements (no paper statements to get lost either!).

I decided to send one UK bank statement which is from December 2006 (three months ago); copy of one letter from our landlady in England dated March 2005 addressed to both of us; our joint US tax returns for 2002; and our UK NHS cards. Hope that isn't too much, but wanted to cover going back a few years anyhow.

Gasp! Do you know we're trying to leave before April because my wife is due to give birth in May?

Off to FedEx now...

[tigerlily]

Sounds good to me. They will complain yet again if they have an issue.

You can go at any point in the application process, you know this right? You'll be visitors technically until PR comes through, but you are allowed to travel and live there for a while.

[robberger]

Hi: We could go at any point in the process if we weren't pregnant and due on 2 May 2007, or if we had insurance that covered us in New Zealand! No one wants to insure a 'pre-existing condition' so our option is to get there before the birth or get there well after the birth (new person on the application, new medical(s), new birth cert, passport, and so on).

And yes, we're crazy for moving there one month before the birth but...why not, if my wife is up for it? She doesn't want to give birth here in the US anyway (loved the midwives in the UK).

NZIS strenuously advised against taking the chance of going to NZ as visitors and being sent back on the next flight because 'you must have come here to give birth'! And proof of pre-booked birthing facilities in NZ was not considered sufficient so...we're waiting for approved visas.

Well...Monday/Tuesday should tell the tale!

[tigerlily]

Actually, that isn't the scary part to me. I had kids arrive 6 weeks early, so flying for 12 hours when you are a month out sounds like the real nail biter! But then again, I was having twins, so hopefully that won't happen to you!

[robberger]

You are right of course...we are sweating that a little bit. Okay, it's a major concern...but I've already told my wife she isn't allowed to do it until we hit the airport in Auckland at the earliest!

#1 was two weeks early, #2 was three weeks early, and #3 was four weeks early. Not a good trend...#4 should be five weeks early so we've got two weeks to get there :uhoh assuming the reduced cabin pressure doesn't affect things!

Twelve hour flight? Our best flights look like Salt Lake City to San Francisco to Auckland to Christchurch. Needless to say we'll be asking for more of God's good favor...He's been pretty kind so far I have to say, if a bit ruthless with our emotions!

[sizzlingbadger]

Can you fly that close to birth ?

I know from the UK they won't let you fly beyond 34 weeks, some companies are 32 weeks.

It's a big risk to take so close to birth. I'd definitely have the baby in the US and then travel when they were a few months old.

Good Luck with getting PR in time :nice1

[robberger]

Hi: everything we've seen says 36 weeks, and definitely so for Air New Zealand. Happy they set a limit just to keep us from doing something stupid...but looks like we'll make it by 34 weeks which makes it more comfortable for us.

If we get our passports in time, we'll be leaving on the 20th of this month...34 weeks to the day!

I am dreading the trip a bit, with a three year old, two year old, one year old, and seriously pregnant wife! But I'd dread it even more after the birth...four small children to manage rather than three!

[speckythecky]

When we first flew to NZ nearly 10 years ago our eldest was a couple of months old. It was the perfect time to go, He slept round most of NZ. The stewardesses on the flight were smitten with him and kept taking him from us for a cuddle so we got a break. Wouldn't fancy it with a 2 and 3 year old though