[britchik]

Firstly, I would like to thank all of you who have PM ed me with some great advice :nice1
As some of you are aware, I have a brother who is coming over to NZ shortly. He is coming with his partner (they are not married) and her 2 children from a previous relationship.
They are coming over on a Visitors Visa initially and will be applying for Residence once they are on NZ soil. (My brother is being sponsored by my mum under the Adult child policy, and his partner and children will then go onto my brothers application)
Here is where I am coming a little unstuck ....
What is the situation when they come through Immigration at New Zealand ? As they have bought themselves open ended tickets to bide them some time in getting the application underway once they get here, but they are also going to be carrying a hell of a lot of luggage !!
Should they be honest and say they are arriving with the intention of applying for PR ? Or that they are just taking a long break and are not sure how long they are planning to stay at present.
The one problem I can see they will have if they are honest is the matter of the 2 children not being his and they are going to ask if they have the fathers permission to take them out of their homeland.
I have been told the UK law states that if there are children from an unmarried relationship, the mother will have sole custody, therefore she does not need the fathers permission in any aspect of their upbringing. (Although it has since changed so the Father has as many rights now, her situation still falls under the old Law) and apparently all she needs to do is get a Statutory Declaration drawn up by her Solicitor.
Does anyone know if this would be correct ? Or would the safest bet for now be that they say they are just here for a holiday (and they don't like to travel light !!)
Sorry I know this sounds like a real silly question but it's driving my mum to despair at the moment as she is worried sick they will be refused entry !
If anyone can shed any light on any of this I really would be eternally grateful ! :D

[jess]

It's my understanding that if they come on a visit with the intention of staying and lots of luggage, they could be refused entry. On an NZ tv show about immigration over here, officials refused entry to a couple who came as visitors claiming they would only stay a short while, but who had left their jobs and brought over a lot of luggage and cash. Generally I thought you would need to have a return ticket as a visitor.

Someone with more experience on this will come by I'm sure. I'm just going by what I saw on tv...:o

[Ana&Steve]

I think I would suggest to them that they say they are staying for a long visit (UK citizens can stay 6mo w/o a visiting visa) and get the return ticket to reflect the 6mo idea. That would help explain extra luggage. They will need a return ticket, even if they aren't planning on using it. Also, the girlfriend should go ahead and make sure she's covered with the custody thing, so it doesn't come back to bite them later. I've heard it said that you shouldn't carry CVs and other paperwork with you, as this is a red flag at the airport. Maybe they could mail that stuff ahead to you, or bring the info in a laptop.
Hope some of that helps,
Ana

[veronica]

they don't have to have a return ticket, they can just have an onward ticket to, for example, sydney or melbourne. Even if you just come on holiday you are entitled to the full baggage allowance each, and when you see what some travellers turn up at the hostel with from the states then it shouldn't really be open to question. As a generalisation they don't seem to travel light from there.

[britchik]

Thanks for all your suggestions :D
Have spoken to Immigration at Palmy and they have said that they can definately come over on an open ended ticket , with the probability of staying longer as they will be applying for their PR as soon as they get here. He doesnt seem to think there will be a problem at the airport.
But hey, you know what NZIS are like, they will probably say something different if I ring them again tomorrow . . . . .maybe I will !?! :laugh
Will keep you updated, with all fingers and all toes crossed !

[wilson182]

This has changed a lot since my time, but this is my experience (OH daughter from previous relationship), and this was over 10 years ago
If the mother and father are not married the mother has sole parental responsibility. This allows her to make decisions for example if the child needed an op etc... My OH had to apply for residency (!) when she came to live with us in the UK and we were advised to get a letter of permission from her Mother before we brought her over here.