Hi Steve...
Been there, done that. It took a 3 year war of attrition,
but my lovely mongolian/chinese wife now has NZ residency.
Some random thoughts:
[1] It is illegal ( fines/jail) for anyone to offer immigration advice to someone
applying for a NZ Visa of any sort, unless the advisor is qualified as an immigration
agent. This is to prevent untold ripoffs of applicants, mostly by their compatriots
I regret to say. The application forms are very strict in this regard. If
you say that you were given advice, and the person is not registered, your
application is returned, without the fee refund.
IF you say you were not given advice when in fact you were, the visa can be
cancelled on the basis of it containing an incorrect statement - ie you lied.
You are probably familiar with the case of Bill Liu from China currently before the
courts in NZ
[2] That being said, informal advice from families, of a non systematic nature
and not for a fee, is OK - ie we still have free speech :-)
Further, the complete Operations Manual for INZ is available on line. Its a
little daunting, but it contains the criteria that INZ case officers use for assessing
applications. Its well worth a read - in fact mandatory
[3] You are considering a <<chinese>> lady right?? be aware that all things chinese
are discussed at considerable length and in great detail in Mandarin before
the 'collective' arrives at a decision. Quite often this decision is wrong - ie
at variance with the INZ Ops manual. But it has been agreed on by people of the
Middle Kingdom, so it must be right. This is an introduction to what will become familiar
to you.. how to gently suggest that there might be a better alternative than what
she and her friends have decided, without anyone loosing face. If you do not yet
have vast reserves of patience, you soon will :-)
[4] The stats put out by INZ show the success rate from the DIY applicants was
about the same as those who use Immigration advisors. The latter may have less
straight forward cases, so the stats may be skewed, and some advisors use fear
to facilitate their fee :-). So check the INZ website!!
[5] There are two hurdles - INZ overseas, and INZ here in NZ. My experience with INZ
in China was that it was a battle - the answer is No, now what was the question??.
One criteria they use is to preclude those who might become overstayers or who are not genuine.
( China is number 2 in the overstayer category. )
So INZ look for incentives that the applicant will return to China at the end of the visa.
This can include money in the bank ( eg $50K RMB for 6 months) a house and family in
china, or a substantial job which will give them leave to visit NZ..
[6] If you are granted a visitors visa, you will need to demonstrate that she is a visitor.
I have heard of cases where the "visitor" married shortly after arrival, and was sent
back to China, because clearly the purpose of the trip was not to visit but to facilitate
an arranged marriage ( INZ became aware of a large number of phillipinas who used
this option back last century.. the politicos told them to close the floodgates )
I arranged visits from Fox Glacier, to North cape, all photographed, to make it clear
that my lady was indeed a genuine tourist.
[7] There is a bit of a catch 22 regarding relationship as a ground for a visa - INZ
will only consider an application for residency if you have been together for 12 months or more
How to be together?? Either live as two in NZ or as two in China. If you are together for
6 months or more you can apply for a work visa on the basis of your relationship,
which will than allow you time to demonstrate that it is genuine , exclusive and likely to endure.
I have a friend who lives closeby. His lady was denied a visa on the grounds of risk of
becoming an overstayer. He left his job, went to live in China for 6 months, then gained
a work Visa for her )
[8] I should also add that INZ staff in NZ are generally helpful and professional, tho the
wait time for the help line can be very long. Again, if you staudy the Ops Manual first you
will be able to ask thoughtful questions, and hopefully get a thoughtful response .
You should also make sure you get the most up to date forms - ie the online PDFs
They change quite often..
If all this sounds a bit daunting, it is. Brace yourself :-)
The upside is that I now have an absolute delight of a wife, who could not be happier
to have found her true LaGong...
Last night I cooked up a Shuan Yang Rou (Mongolian Lamb Firepot) tho the
lamb is from Southland :-), lit the fire and opened a bottle of lovely NZ Syrah...and..
We are both happy.. Its as good as it gets
Peace
David K in Auckland
