[baboonworld]

Hi, I'm new here - registered last night to see if anyone else was applying via Partnership Policy (instead of EOI/etc)

We applied for my Partner to get Residency on 24th March (easter weekend). (I am a Kiwi but have lived in UK for 10 years! - have 4 year old daughter)

Waited ages for login acceptance on this site etc (well 24hrs) and then today in post - Application approved!!! Just need to pay migrant levy. :clap

All a bit scary now!!!

Less than a month from applying!!

Oh my god!!

Now my partner has a lot of serious serious thinking to do (he has his Mum here - I have all my family in NZ)

Any words of advice / congrats / sympathy???? :wah

[Bubbles]

Congratulations,


I understand it's a big move, but you will have the security of knowing you have family in place out there and will have a good base to work from :nice1
You should be able to hit the ground running. Thats a big bonus.

Just for the sake of your child alone, I think you're making the right move.

With regard to your hubby, I would think that most people on this forum that are planning the big leap will be leaving close family behind. It's a big wrench, but something we will all have to overcome and overcome it we will.

Good Luck

John

[veronica]

I would reckon it would pay you just to get him here for a few years to get his citizenship, and then the pair of you can choose to live in either hemisphere. none of these moves are fixed in stone.

[kiwidebs]

Hi

You're going the same route we are. I'm a Kiwi, hubby is English (all his family are here). I've lived here for eight years (we have a three year old daughter and a nearly- two year old son). We put hubby's application into NZIS on April 1st and have put in the kids applications for Citizenship by Descent - just waiting to hear back really.
Firstly, you know you have six months (I think, someone will correct me if I'm wrong) to pay your migrant levy - from then you have a year before you have to be in NZ - so that gives you 18 months to make final decisions/plans etc.
Secondly, you've made a great move posting on here - people are friendly, knowledgeable and supportive. Are you in the UK? The NW crowd have regular meetups and we are planning a SE one on May 1st!!

Anyway, welcome aboard.

Debs

[Diny]

you have six months (I think, someone will correct me if I'm wrong) to pay your migrant levy - from then you have a year before you have to be in NZ - so that gives you 18 months to make final decisions/plans etc.


Debs is right - you do have a possible 18 months to make any final decisions.

This is the route we have taken (Kiwi hubby - 2 'half breed' kids and I'm English). Just abit of info here. Don't pay your migrant levy too soon. My letter told me that once I'd paid the levy it would take up to 6 weeks for the return of my passport with PR stamp. I sent my C.O. my credit card details by e-mail and received passport etc in the post less than 48 hours later.

The best thing I can suggest is to get your hubby to join in with this forum. It's the BEST place to get any kind of info. Whatever the question there's somebody here who can help. Just being in touch with others who are 'going through the same thing' can be a massive support.

Try and make it to one of the meetings too. They are a great way of really getting the feel of things - and you'll make some good buddies too.

Please feel free to PM me with any questions you may have regarding English spouses going to NZ with Kiwi spouses. There's not that many of us on this forum who are taking the partnership route.

All the best.

Diny

[Radders]

Also took partnership route.
Wife is a kiwi - she has just become a British Citizen too! (Did the ceremony in Wellington)
It took me three months in total from handing everything in at NZ House to getting the visa in my passport. Would of been quicker if I'd wanted. The waiting was for the NZ police certificate as I'd spent time in NZ before.
Any questions just pm me.
It's all pretty straight forward, and don't worry about the mountains of stuff they ask for. If you've got bank statements and bills/tenancy agreements etc dating back, they are quite happy not to have all the photos!!

[Karoline]

Hi
I am applying for residency under partner category at the moment and would like to know if anyone experienced any difficulties with it.
I have a big map with all our evidence...Valentine cards, emails, love letters, photo's etc.
When i rang immigration to ask about the partner policy they said to me that it would take > than 12 months!!! to get residency!
I am in NZ at the moment with a working holiday visa that lasts till march 2006 and had hoped that i would have the residency before that ends.
Any experiences with the partnership policy would be helpfull!
cheers,
Karoline

[Diny]

Karoline

I think NZIS quote these long time periods to cover themselves. I too was told that my application would take up to 12 months to process. In fact it took EXACTLY 3 months from day one to getting full PR. Like Radders, I could have got it quicker had I really needed to but I just sent everything off by post and didn't push anything.

I only encountered one problem. In fact it wasn't even a problem, just a slight correction was needed. My hubby had his part of the application (the sponsorship form) witnessed by a GP and this was not acceptable, we had to get it witnessed by a JP or solicitor - or somebody of equal standing to them. No hassles at all - just sent off a new witnessed form and everything else went like clockwork.

We were also told that when we paid our migrant levy it would take up to 8 weeks for our passports to be returned to us with our PR visas in them. I paid the levy by credit card - sending the details to my case officer via e-mail. The passports arrived back at my house less than 48 hours later !!

I think you have heaps of time to get things sorted before your temp visa runs out, but my advice would be to get the ball rolling right away - just to be on the safe side.

By the way .... all my dealings were with NZIS in London.

Diny

[Karoline]

Thanks for your reply! It's good to get a bit of feedback from people who have gone through the process.
I will deal with the NZIS in Auckland, i'll put a post in what my experiences are with them.

By the way if anyone has a question for me, feel free to ask. I think i know quite a bit by now (done the medicals in NZ etc), however it is always best to contact NZIS itself. They have been answering any questions i have and are very friendly.

I can imagine that our case will be a lot of fun to review, because of all the love evidence i've put in, it reads like a novel ;)

We have used a JP to witness the signing of the sponsorship form, so i think we'll be ok.

I'm going to send the whole package by courier to Auckland (quite a package indeed!!! with my passport...which is scary) beginning of June. It will take a couple of weeks before they assign a case officer and after that i will receive a letter with the contact details of the case officer and it will be a couple of weeks more before they will send my passport back.

I'll let you know the progress of my application...
cheers,
Karoline

[baboonworld]

I couldnt find a JP so I had a Notary Public sign it (£80)

Only took a month from London office - well just less than a month - and we didnt send any photos or cards/letters - but we sent our daughters birth cert and a council tax bill from a couple of years ago along with a current one.

Just need house to sell now (join the club i hear you all cry!!)

[ukiwibird]

:smile Add me to the growing list of Kiwis going to NZ with their UK spouse (it seems horrible to call Wayne that). We've been married 26 years and still had to give proof, utility bills, that we live together. We've two big kids, Ben 22 and Peter 19. Wayne has got his PR, the boys have dual nationally, the house sale is going through (at last). Ben has been living in NZ already with a NZ girlfriend. I can't wait to go now, the waiting is driving me crazy :exit If I can be of any help just ask. Regards Trudy

[ukiwibird]

Just read baboonworld that you were charged £80 by a 'notary public' to sign your application. I was charged £5 by a solictor, & I just walked in off the street and asked if he could do it! Other people beware of people trying to make a fast buck!

[Gran]

Woo hoo, some more of our flying Kiwi birds flying home, Welcome and I hope you settle in well. You will find the place to be much different from the depressed place you left all those years ago.
Gran