[Helsandfamily]

A question that is niggling and I wonder if someone could answer it for me please.

If you have a IRRV in your passport is there anything to stop you from leaving NZ for say 15 years and then coming back and just picking up your life where you left off.

I have heard that there are conditions attached to it eg: that you have to be in the country for 180 days of each year. I knew that this was the case with a RRV but I thought that an IRRV was different.....?

Thanks
Hels

[Helsandfamily]

Anyone....?

[JandM]

Since nobody else has stepped in... I believe your first thought is right, that once you have PR with IRRV, you can leave and come back whenever you want. There are no mentions anywhere that I've ever seen of any conditions (like the half a year thing), EXCEPT that if you committed a major crime, your PR could be revoked.

What did you hear (from where) that made you doubt?

[Duncan74]

The half year thing is between RRV and the point you get IRRV. I'm interested in any more on this as our 'strategy' is to accept that we may need to move back in the future after IRRV to look after my parents and then potentially return to NZ later.

[Helsandfamily]

What did you hear (from where) that made you doubt?

Friends of mine who have been here for 4 years both said that these conditions were attached to the IRRV. I have searched the NZ website but can't find any info on this and was hoping for some clarification on here. When searching (this forum) i found a thread from 1996 sort of confirming it, but wondered if there was anyone who had just recieved their IRRV's more recently that could confirm it either way!

[JandM]

http://www.icareers.co.za/nz/residence_rrv.htm

I've never heard anything like your friends are saying (and my son has IRRV).

And the thread above is pretty categorical.

[bobo]

Are you friends being confused with the requirements to get an IRRV, ie the 180 days, tax status, nz base etc. Once you have the IRRV there does not appear to be any further requirements to hold this.

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/NR/rdonlyres/CAF71A48-28D3-40B8-9D76-5C663CCA17FA/0/1005.pdf

[udang]

Tagging on to the thread. If only the principal applicant fulfills the 184 days each year requirement for the initial 2 years but the attaching family members do not, obviously the principal applicant will get IRRV. But can the attaching family members get IRRV too? I read from immigration web site that if the principal applicant gets IRRV, the rest of the attaching family members will get too but it isn't clear if the family members should need to meet the IRRV criteria too.

[bobo]

Normal for the whole family to get the same RRV/IRRV as the principal applicant.

So would think in that circumstance, unless INZ thinks there are other issues involved, then IMHO the whole family would get IRRV.

[Jolie]

Normal for the whole family to get the same RRV/IRRV as the principal applicant.

So would think in that circumstance, unless INZ thinks there are other issues involved, then IMHO the whole family would get IRRV.

Just a caveat in general, not directed at anyone:

When you send in your passport to get your IRRV, you will have to send in the passports of all your family members as well so that they can get theirs.

If they have spent that 2 years living in another country, it will be apparent from the stamps in their passport.

I would not recommend trying that, I can see how an Immigration Official might get upset and decide to deny family members IRRV when they realised that your family members hadn't been living here with you.