For those of you looking for a short and sweet synopsis of how long my visa took and how much it cost:
- January 2, 2024: Arrived back in NZ on a 90-day Visitor Visa, which is automatically granted
- February 5: Drove to Auckland to get a medical exam for Immigration (an appointment which I’d scheduled back in January)
- February 7: Had bloodwork done for Immigration (walk-in; no appointment necessary)
- March 22: Submitted Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa
- March 27: Received an email from Immigration saying that I had been granted an Interim Visa
- April 2: Received an email from Immigration stating that I needed to have a psychiatric evaluation (this was because I take certain medications; not everyone needs to have a psych exam)
- April 26: Drove to Auckland to meet with a psychiatrist for evaluation (an appointment I’d booked back in February, knowing I’d likely be required to have it done)
- April 29: Psychiatrist sent me a letter for Immigration stating that I am mentally stable. I emailed this to Immigration and uploaded it to my online application.
- May 21: Granted a Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa–! (it took 9 weeks; Immigration’s website said 11)
What happens next:
My Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa is good for one year (until May 21, 2025). I can seek employment in any field (it’s an “open” work visa) except for “legalized adult work” (prostitution). I can also study for up to three months. And–most importantly–I can come and go as much as I want to while on this visa.
Around January 2025, I will apply for the Partner of a New Zealander Residency Visa, which lasts for two years. After that, I will apply for a Permanent Resident Visa. The difference between the two is that Resident Visas have travel conditions that only allow you to re-enter New Zealand as a resident for those two years, whereas a Permanent Resident Visa allows indefinite re-entry to New Zealand. If I am granted a Permanent Resident Visa it will, as the name suggests, allow me to live and work in NZ forever, which is my goal.
After five years of being in NZ on the Permanent Resident Visa–so long as I have spent 240 days of each of those five years living in NZ–I am eligible to apply for Citizenship, which would give me a NZ passport. The US allows dual citizenship, so I will still legally be American and won’t have to surrender my passport.
TOTAL COST for the Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa - FBI background check: $30 (I ordered it when I was still in the States)
- Required medical exams (physical, chest x-ray, bloodwork): $527
- Psychiatric evaluation: $600
- Petrol to and from Auckland, twice (medical exams and psychiatric evaluation): $197
- Visa application itself, paid when you submit it: $860
TOTAL COST in NZ dollars: $2,214
TOTAL COST in US dollars: $1,317