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June 2018

The newly married, Her Royal Highness Princess Henry of Wales, won’t have much difficulty as special facilitation is provided to members of the British royal family. For most of us however, if we relocate to another country to be with our life partner, visa requirements are a major consideration.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has just expanded their ONLINE service to allow group applications including partners and children which streamlines the application process and allows each family member’s visa application to be lodged together electronically. The mechanism has been simplified however the rules are more complicated since the introduction last year of minimum income levels, skill level constraints on the principal visa holder and recently an increase in scrutinising the partnership element of visa applications. In this newsletter, Licensed Immigration Adviser Nils Macfarlane, provides a summary for visa applications based on partnerships with a New Zealand citizen, residence or temporary visa holders.

Our intrepid traveller Licensed Immigration Adviser Jeremy Clapp has returned fresh from a European holiday and is sharing learnings this month from his involvement with the Burnside Rugby Club’s Mates Helping Mates seminar presented by Professor Annette Beautrais. Your awareness could be transformational and Heartland Immigration Ltd is pleased that Jeremy is using this forum to support suicide awareness. Together we will make a difference.

A third region of New Zealand has been declared, for a limited period, to have a critical labour shortage and therefore relaxed procedures for a limited period where put in place for visitors already in New Zealand to be able undertake horticulture work. With well established skill shortages throughout New Zealand and labour shortages in many regions I await developments from the Government on meeting the needs of New Zealand employers to fill their vacancies once the local labour market has been exhausted.

Mary Noonan

 

If your partner is a New Zealand citizen or resident you could be able to apply for residence based on that relationship. A legal marriage is not necessary nor is it limited to heterosexual couples however the relationship must be exclusive, the couple must have cohabited together for twelve months and they must be able to convince INZ that this is case.

When accompanying a worker or student to New Zealand the same rules apply to meet the definition of a partner however not all will be eligible solely as companions. Families coming as visitors are treated as individuals for assessment of eligibility and as a group for application purposes.

People who are not able to join their family member, if their application is based on the principle work visa, if that visa was issued under one of the following categories of INZ Instructions:

The lower skilled applicants are those earning less than $20.65 per hour or less than $36.44 if their skill level is at level 4 or 5 on the Australia New Zealand Standard Category of Occupation (ANZSCO). In simple terms anyone paid under $20.66 per hour and all those without degrees or trade qualifications unless they are paid $36.44 or more per hour.

Nil Macfarlane

 

Burnside Rugby Football Club recently hosted the Mates Helping Mates seminar presented by Professor Annette Beautrais, a renowned Suicidologist.

In New Zealand suicide is a larger cause of death than road accidents and workplace deaths combined. I was surprised to hear approximately 60% of New Zealand suicide deaths are males, aged between 20-65, not teenagers as many people believe with the construction, agriculture and forestry industries overrepresented in these statistics. Research suggests 1 in 20 people can have suicidal thoughts in any given week.

If you or anyone you know needs help or someone to talk to please free call or text 1737 within New Zealand to speak to a qualified person who can assist. I encourage employers and other community organisations to contact Professor Annette Beautrais for further information on seminars and training at [email protected]

Jeremy Clapp