[Lupin]

Hi all, I'm applying under the family partnership policy.

I have everything I need except the police check and I think a couple of hours and I could have the forms all complete. So I've got some questions and would really appreciate your advice if you could help

1) Is it worth sending the application in before the police check? My medical has only just been done so I'm not at risk of that running out. If I send it with the police check to follow are they going to assign me a case officer and start work on it or is it just going to sit waiting for the police check? If the latter then I'm probably best keeping it here and sending it complete? -have just found on the NZIS site that it will not be accepted without all documents, so that's that one answered!
2) How should I send it to NZ house? I guess I need at the very least registered post....what about insurance for all those documents? Anyone just taken theirs in person to NZ house, London? Good option?

3) Should I send certified copies of everything or the originals?

4) I was sent some useful (not; at times contradictory with the immigration website....if I took these notes seriously I wouldn't apply at all as they imply S (NZ citizen) needs to be IN NZ for three years to sponser me) notes that specify I must not put documents in plastic folders. My application was printed off the internet so it's all seperate sheets....should I bind the seperate parts together. I'ma bit dubious about sending a box full of paperwork. I'm tempted to ignore that advice and send it all organised into seperate folders etc.

Thanks for reading so far!!!

Any advice you can offer on any of the points above is V. much appreciated!

I think I'm a bit bored of this bit :roll

[zardell]

Hi Lupin.

Can't help you with all your questions but,.......

2) We took ours to London - didn't trust the postal service, but hey - it worked for others. Very easy - arrived at NZ House (open at 10am) directed to Immigration Dept (upstairs) took a ticket from machine (only one before us in the queue) and handed in our ITA. The chap went through it all with us and gave us a receipt for the original documents they kept (we wanted and got our passports back) and the whole process took no longer than 20 minutes if that. Easy peasy. An expensive day out, but it bought us peace of mind. Noo way could I have faced having to get all that paperwork collated again should it have got lost in the post.

3) We took originals.

4) We attached photostat copies of all original docs to the docs, listed the docs in order of presentation and posted that list in our covering letter. We did not use plastic folders, because as you say, they asked us not to.
Now, due to the fact that all our papers were gone through and checked whilst we were there, I am sure that the immigration officer mixed them up, but hey, he was happy so therefor so were we.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do,

Julie

xx

[Lupin]

Thanks Julie, I think I'm leaning towards taking it in person, there's a cheap coach from my town, so actually might cost less than sending it!

[zardell]

Thanks Julie, I think I'm leaning towards taking it in person, there's a cheap coach from my town, so actually might cost less than sending it!


You're very welcome.


Being a control freak (and my OH being the lovely chap he is and putting up with me) I just HAD to take it in person......I was having nightmares about loosing the bl**dy thing in the post and doing it all again...... :no

Can't put a price on peace of mind, not in my book anyway.

Julie

xx

[Smiler]

Lupin

We did the same as Julie. Ok only 90 mins on the train from Sussex plus getting across town, but well worth it.

OH took all original docs, they checked them all and gave them straight back. I couldn't even trust them to the registered post, some original docs can't be replaced that easily.

Peace of mind and the feeling when OH phoned to say he had done it was great, he was so excited!

Treat it as a day out if you can. :raebanana

Dont bind it, just stack it neatly and find an envelope to hold it all together, even if you are going to NZ house.

[StevieD]

Must admit I did trust the postal service, and thankfully they came up with the goods, but it is a worry. Trying to replace those documents would have been a nightmare.

Good luck lupin :nice1

[katandbob]

Must admit I did trust the postal service, and thankfully they came up with the goods, but it is a worry. Trying to replace those documents would have been a nightmare.

Good luck lupin :nice1

yep we sent ours by registered post....watched their website like a hawk till it said delivered....but it is scary, and if we were near London we'd have done it in person too.

Kat :clap

[Marie P]

It is scary sending your stuff through the post ,but as every thing is tracked you can check it via T'internet .

We sent our passports back to london 3 weeks ago as we have WTR visa's but have done all they have asked of us and want our PR stamps now .

We were panicing as we hadn't heard that they had received them ,but when we checked the post website we saw where and when they arrived and who signed for them .

Marie x

[So get them banana's polished I will be wanting bucket loads of them when we get our passports back ]

[Lupin]

Am polishing bananas for you Marie...

So, if I take them myself can I bring home my original passports etc and leave them with a photocopy? If so then it's def. cheaper for me to take them myself than pay to send the application in *and* to have my documents returned. Think I'll take 8 year old and have a day in London. So just got to wait for police check (*should* arrive within 15 days now) :) :)

No news about dh's job application though :( It's been all of 11 days though, so I suspect I'm being irrationally impatient!!

Thanks for all your advice :cheers

[zardell]

So, if I take them myself can I bring home my original passports etc and leave them with a photocopy?


:yes

Yes you can.......

We weren't sure about this either, but when we asked if we could have our passports back there was no problem whatsoever.

However, I don't know about the rest of your documents, because we didn't require them and so NZIS still have those AND the attached photostats too.

:cheers

Julie

xx

[Lupin]

photostats??? What does this word mean?

[katandbob]

Photocopys..

[Lupin]

:o

[Lupin]

In the end I sent it via Royalmail guaranteed before 1pm the next day delivery, insured it for up to a £1000 (five passports, birth certs etc, I thought tipped it over £500) and I paid £6.20. I included a pre-paid bag for return of my documents, which was about a fiver. I've just checked and it's arrived safe and sound :)

How long do you reckon before they make first contact...family category, partnership?

[dawn]

Hi,

2) I sent photocopies of all my documents, together with the originals, in 2 piles, in the same order.

I sent mine via guaranteed next day delivery and if I recall, it cost me aorund £12. And I followed the tracking like a crazy woman on the royal mail website, but it got there safe and sound the day after.

this is the horrible bit, getting it all together, once it's gone, you can forget about it until you get a lovely letter from NZIS :D

Good luck

[Lupin]

Cheers Dawn...I have indeed finished that horrible getting it all together bit, thank goodness! How long was it before you heard from NZIS?

[NannyOgg]

Hi ya

As some of you know we are going out to NZ on Vis Visa's then get work etc etc.

In your opinions should we get police checks from here before we go? How long do they take to come through and how long are they valid for?

Do we even need them for work visas? Or just when we apply for PR?

I assuming that we won't need meds for work visa's either :confused:


Thanks

Nanny

[Oregonkiwi]

Do we even need them for work visas? Or just when we apply for PR?

I assuming that we won't need meds for work visas either :confused:

This depends on the length of the visa you are applying for (eg, 6 months, 2 years...)

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/work/worktemporarily/howdoiapply/generalwork/

[dawn]

Cheers Dawn...I have indeed finished that horrible getting it all together bit, thank goodness! How long was it before you heard from NZIS?
From beginning to end, about 5 weeks, VERY quick.

I'll cross my finges for you. See the time scale in my sig. I posted the application on 4th Jan VISA's arrived 11th Feb.

[becca]

Hello,

If you are not happy about using registered post, as they don't guarantee very much, you can try DHL. We went to our local Staples (out of town stationary place) and they have a business centre that uses DHL. It is £8 no matter what they weight and they guarantee by 12noon the following day, plus you can track it on the internet. I must admit I didn't trust the post office with something that so obviously contained passports.

Hope this helps.

Becca

[Jerry]

I also used DHL. You can track the documents via internet. For example you can see when they arrive at the airport near London, and when they are handed over. My documents needed more than 20 hours to go through the customs. In case of loss, you now at least who to blame. I paid about 50 Euro.

/Jerry