[K&J]

My partner and I are applying for permanent residency for me under the partnership category, however we need to move to NZ well before we are likely to hear the outcome of the application so I have applied for a work permit under the partnership category.

I've been told that there shouldn't be a problem processing the work permit and I should hear whether I have been successful very soon, and we should be moving in September this year. However, because my passport runs out in 12 months time I can only apply for a work permit for 9 months. After this time I will either have permanent residency or will have extended my work permit under a new passport.

The problem is, that if my understanding is correct, I will have to pay customs duty on all my personal effects I am sending out to NZ as the work permit will be less than 12 months. The application is already in, and because I'm currently living in Australia the timescales for getting a new passport isn't feasible for when we need to move.

Has anyone had a similar problem and managed to negotiate with customs?

Karin

[Jo Jo]

Could you not ship your effects under your partner's name, rather than under yours? If your partner has not lived in NZ for 21 months, they would not have to pay duty or GST on household effects.

Your name should also, strictly speaking, go on the Unaccompanied Personal Baggage Declaration (http://www.customs.govt.nz/NR/rdonlyres/5944F998-A14B-456E-8455-CDE8D5F9FEA9/0/NZCS218.pdf), but the arrival status of other family members isn't asked for on the form.

[K&J]

Unfortunately my partner lived for just 2 months in NZ about 18 months ago, so that's not possible. We're already having to pay customs on the stuff were shipping from Australia because of this, we just weren't counting on paying for my UK stuff.

Everthing was feeling so positive two days ago, and now I feel flat again. It's such a rollercoaster this immgration lark.

Karin

[slider]

My partner and I are applying for permanent residency for me under the partnership category, however we need to move to NZ well before we are likely to hear the outcome of the application so I have applied for a work permit under the partnership category.

I've been told that there shouldn't be a problem processing the work permit and I should hear whether I have been successful very soon, and we should be moving in September this year. However, because my passport runs out in 12 months time I can only apply for a work permit for 9 months. After this time I will either have permanent residency or will have extended my work permit under a new passport.

The problem is, that if my understanding is correct, I will have to pay customs duty on all my personal effects I am sending out to NZ as the work permit will be less than 12 months. The application is already in, and because I'm currently living in Australia the timescales for getting a new passport isn't feasible for when we need to move.

Has anyone had a similar problem and managed to negotiate with customs?

Karin

Is it not worth the relatively small cost of renewing your passport early? Would you then be able to obtain a longer work permit?

[kanatakiwi]

Unfortunately my partner lived for just 2 months in NZ about 18 months ago, so that's not possible. We're already having to pay customs on the stuff were shipping from Australia because of this, we just weren't counting on paying for my UK stuff.

Everthing was feeling so positive two days ago, and now I feel flat again. It's such a rollercoaster this immgration lark.

Karin

Re the 2 month thing, I think he would still qualify for the examption. My Kiwi OH was back here for 2 months at one point and he just said it was an extended family visit, and he was not "residing" here as he still had home in Canada etc, and we talked this through with Immigration by email before we arrived and got in writing from them that the 2 months wouldnt affect his exemption for his personal goods shipped to NZ..

[Kirst&Kev]

Re the 2 month thing, I think he would still qualify for the examption. My Kiwi OH was back here for 2 months at one point and he just said it was an extended family visit, and he was not "residing" here as he still had home in Canada etc, and we talked this through with Immigration by email before we arrived and got in writing from them that the 2 months wouldnt affect his exemption for his personal goods shipped to NZ..

Fully agree with this. Surely 2 months is just an extended holiday??

[K&J]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Getting another passport is not really an option as the immigration dept currently have it to process my work visa, so I'd need to wait until I get it back, arrange for a new passport, which is time consuming as I don't have residency in Oz so it will have to go to the UK and back, and then apply and pay for another work visa which would have to be complete by the beginning of September.

We might be able to wing the 2 months holiday in NZ for my partner, although he did work during this time. It's certainly an option.

Another suggestion I've been given outside of this forum is that we may be able to pay a deposit to customs, and then when I've got PR or a longer work visa get it back. Has anyone done this?

[kanatakiwi]

Thanks for the suggestions.

We might be able to wing the 2 months holiday in NZ for my partner, although he did work during this time. It's certainly an option.



My OH worked a while he was here too, and it was not an issuevas he clearly had a residence and a job in Canada to come back to, and was a landed immigrant ( had PR ) in Canada. In fact over the 14 years he lived in Canada we made numerous trips here, all were for longer than 6 weeks, and one was for four months. We always just said we were coming to spend time with our children and grandchildren. never a problem when we finally moved here permanently.

[R&A]

:)Thanks for the suggestions.


We might be able to wing the 2 months holiday in NZ for my partner, although he did work during this time. It's certainly an option.



My partner had been back into NZ about 8months before we left (for about a month) and again about 12 months before that (for 6 wks - during which time he worked part-time) we shipped our stuff in joint names as I had my PR sorted but it didn't cause a problem that he had been here - or worked - maybe we were jsut lucky not to be asked - it never occured to either of us thiat this could have been a problem until after we were here. I'd do as a previous poster mentioned and try to get it in writing before the event.

Good luck.