[denalipop]

I read in some NZ immigration books that Australian citizens are automatically permitted to live in NZ indefinitely, without having to apply for permanent residence. One book implies that permanent residents of Australia can do the same thing. Is that true?

If someone doesn't get PR in NZ, can they try to get PR in Australia, and then immediately move to NZ, with no more paperwork?

[maverickmonk]

Only Australian citizens can avail this facility, one normally gets Australian citizenship only after living in Australia for 2 years as Permanent Resident.
So if you get Australian PR you would have to stay in Australia for atleast 2 years before you would be able to live and work in New Zealand while holding Australian passport.

Same holds true for New Zealand citizens also
check this link out
http://www.citizenship.gov.au/applying/nz-citizens/



I read in some NZ immigration books that Australian citizens are automatically permitted to live in NZ indefinitely, without having to apply for permanent residence. One book implies that permanent residents of Australia can do the same thing. Is that true?

If someone doesn't get PR in NZ, can they try to get PR in Australia, and then immediately move to NZ, with no more paperwork?

[Ash3000]

and I thought you have to stay for 5 years in Australia from the day you get PR, to get australian citizenship :uhoh

[Kanga]

maverickmonk- are you sure about that?

I'll come back to this thread after the school run but I think you're mistaken adn that Oz PR grants you a 'permit' at the NZ border, as does Oz citizenship. NZ citizenship grants you a similar permit at the OZ border but NZ PR does not- at least that's my understanding- back later.

[dusk]

nothing's ever that simple - to become an Australian citizen you have to apply after having been a permanent resident for four years* - as an Australian citizen you may live and work in NZ without requiring visas, but you must have lived in Australia for a certain period of time before you are eligble to apply for citizenship, so the answer to your question is no.

Conversely as a NZ permanent resident you must wait 5 years, then the citizenship application processs can take abouyt a year on top of that, so it's not an easy route to one country to go to the other first :)

(although the rules changed in 2007, so this may not be true for some people already in Australia on PR)

[Kanga]

Actually, scrap that- I'm 99% CERTAIN that Oz PR grants you access to NZ at the border- check out wiki for a start

[KerryS]

I agree with Kanga - Australian PR means you get PR automatically in NZ. My brother is in Australia (and now a citizen) and came over to visit me in NZ when still there on PR.
He was given a NZ PR stamp in his passport when he entered the country at Auckland.

[jeffanar]

Yup looks like you're right Kanga, according to this (http://www.immigration.govt.nz/nzis/operations_manual/7998.htm), "People who hold current Australian permanent residence visas or current Australian resident return visas may be granted residence permits on arrival in New Zealand, provided they have not been excluded under section 7 of the Immigration Act 1987"

Interesting I didn't think that was the case..... Alhough Oz is generally harder to get into so I guess not really a back door into NZ

[dusk]

I stand corrected :) (the stuff about how to become a citizen still is correct I think, although slightly OT)

[Kanga]

I agree with Kanga - Australian PR means you get PR automatically in NZ. My brother is in Australia (and now a citizen) and came over to visit me in NZ when still there on PR.
He was given a NZ PR stamp in his passport when he entered the country at Auckland.

The thing to bear in mind- and what I wanted to come back and look at again is that the NZ Operations manual says:

People who hold current Australian permanent residence visas or current Australian resident return visas may be granted residence permits on arrival in New Zealand,

But what happens when your Oz Permanant Residence expires, which it will if you gain Oz PR and come straight to NZ (and I *think* you might need to activate it by coming through Oz- not sure about that bit)- I'm not sure how long the Resident Return visas that are initially granted with the OZ PR last. So, if anyone is considering getting Oz PR (which for some people *is* easier to get than NZ- depends on individuals) they need to look seriously at the following:


Are you issued residence to NZ at the border or a permit?
If it's a permit does it expire when you leave NZ and (importantly) if you leave NZ at some date in the future after your Oz PR visa has expired (which it does after a period of time if you don't take up residence in Oz) are you then eligible for another NZ permit on re-entry to NZ

Obviously an INDEFINITE Oz PR visa or Oz citizenship would remedy that eventuality but that would be my concern with entering NZ with a Oz PR ALONE. I'll see if I can answer the questions myself .... :)

[Kanga]

This wiki article offers some really useful information http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Australian_Permanent_Residents-New_Zealand

[KerryS]

The thing to bear in mind- and what I wanted to come back and look at again is that the NZ Operations manual says:



But what happens when your Oz Permanant Residence expires, which it will if you gain Oz PR and come straight to NZ (and I *think* you might need to activate it by coming through Oz- not sure about that bit)- I'm not sure how long the Resident Return visas that are initially granted with the OZ PR last. So, if anyone is considering getting Oz PR (which for some people *is* easier to get than NZ- depends on individuals) they need to look seriously at the following:


Are you issued residence to NZ at the border or a permit?
If it's a permit does it expire when you leave NZ and (importantly) if you leave NZ at some date in the future after your Oz PR visa has expired (which it does after a period of time if you don't take up residence in Oz) are you then eligible for another NZ permit on re-entry to NZ

Obviously an INDEFINITE Oz PR visa or Oz citizenship would remedy that eventuality but that would be my concern with entering NZ with a Oz PR ALONE. I'll see if I can answer the questions myself .... :)


You can reenter Oz with an expired Oz PR as a visitor and if you get a job request to have your PR reinstated. (From a friend's experience - she did that earlier this year after spending 4 years in NZ and had her Oz PR back after a short interview at DIMIA in Sydney.) And you can get another permit to NZ if/when you want to come back, even if the Oz PR has expired. My friend never bothered to get NZ PR and relied on her outdated Oz PR for all her entry and exit. It all sounds complicated, but in reality it seems to be just a passport check and stamp exercise...

[maverickmonk]

Wow ,I have never been so glad to be wrong. Wish I had known this earlier ,I would not have applied for NZ PR instead would have applied for OZ PR which I feel is easier and certainly quicker and no concept of WTR in OZ PR !! I have waited 2 years just to get to interview stage and I am pretty sure I will be given WTR.

This wiki article offers some really useful information http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Australian_Permanent_Residents-New_Zealand

[denalipop]

Okay, so if we fail to get NZ PR, our "fallback" can be to apply for Australian PR, and then as soon as we get to Australia, we hop a plane for NZ?

When the Australian PR expires (due to our absence from Australia), does the NZ PR expire too? Or are the two countries' PRs handled independently once they are issued?

I wonder if anyone has simultaneously applied for PR in both countries, to increase the chances of getting to move to NZ within a specific period of time.