For those of you looking for a short and sweet synopsis of how long my visa took and how much it cost:
-2024-
- 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 one year Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa (it took 9 weeks; Immigration’s website said 11). This visa was good until May 21, 2025.
-2025- - January 7, 2025: Submitted Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa (turnaround time: 80% processed within 7 months)
- January 27: Submitted my second Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa. This is the exact same visa I applied for and was granted in 2024. Because my current PWV expired May 21, 2025 and my Partner Resident Visa wasn’t expected until August 2025, I needed to renew this visa so that I was not in the country without a valid visa (INZ does not grant interim visas for resident visa applications). I had to pay the full fee, which had been raised to $1,630.
- March 3: My second Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa was approved.
- June 29: I received an email from the Immigration Officer assigned to my application asking several questions pertaining to the fact that I was in the States without my partner (Why wasn’t he with me/What was the purpose of my travel/How long was I away).
- July 7: My Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa was approved (6 months to the day that I applied; INZ website said 80% are within 7 months). Note: because I was out of the country at the time, this visa didn’t go into effect until I returned to NZ on August 22. This visa allows me to continue to live and work in NZ, and travel in and out of NZ, for two years. The “travel conditions” of this visa expire on August 22, 2027, at which point I can either 1. Legally remain in NZ forever, without leaving or 2. Apply for a Permanent Resident Visa (I’m doing the latter).
COST FOR EACH VISA:
TOTAL COST for the Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa: NZ $2,214 / US $1,317
Cost breakdown: - 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 for the Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa, paid when you submit it: NZ $5,360 / US $3,024 - TOTAL COST for the second Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa #2 (the price doubled in Oct 2024): NZ $1,630 / US $920
- TOTAL RUNNING COST: NZ $9,204 / US $5,261
What happens next:
I am currently here on a Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa. The “travel conditions” of this visa expires on August 22, 2027. On August 23, 2027, I will apply for a Permanent Resident Visa. Permanent Resident Visas allow you to live and work in NZ forever, with indefinite re-entry. The cost is $315 NZD and the turnaround time is typically less than a month.
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. If I meet the criteria, I will be eligible for NZ citizenship in July 2032.