Applying for a permanent residency allows an individual to gain permanent resident status in a country. But the process is not that straightforward as just visiting the imiigraion office and getting a residency. You will first need to move to New Zealand with the help of a visa.
You can either work in the country by applying for a New Zealand work Visa and then wait for the required amount of time to become eligible for a resident visa or use other types of visas to get through the process. In this article, we explain the process of immigrating to New Zealand.
Resident Visa
A sure shot method of becoming a resident of New Zealand is by gaining a resident visa for yourself. Using the resident visa, you get to live in New Zealand as a citizen for a limited amount of time. Once you have lived in the country with a resident visa for at least two years, you will be eligible to apply for permanent residency.
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To apply for your resident visa, you’ll need to find the right form and submit it to New Zealand immigration. With the application, you’ll have to provide proof of your personal, employment, and passport information.
Here are some examples of the type of resident visa that people can apply based on the conditions
- Skilled Migrant Resident Visa which allows people with specialized skills to work in New Zealand.
- Partner of New Zealander Resident visa is for people who have a resident of New Zealand as their partner.
- Skilled individuals can also go with a long-term skill shortage visa application.
- People who get a job offer from a company in New Zealand can apply for a talented resident visa.
Resident for Two Years
Once you have gained your resident visa, it is required for you to live in the country for at least two years in order to gain permanent residency. In case you haven’t served your two years in New Zealand yet, you can apply for other types of visa such as a work visa or a study visa to continue to live in the country.
However, permanent residency can only be applied if you have a type of resident visa and have at least lived for two years on the same visa.
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Resident Visa Conditions
In certain cases, there are conditions in the resident visa that need to be followed through for a mentioned amount of time in order to keep it valid while you apply for a permanent residency.
Even though most of the cases won’t have any conditions like this, there are some cases where this might be possible. For example, if you have a work visa, you may only be able to work for the same employer as long as you are living in the country suing that visa.
Commitment to New Zealand
While you are living in the country with your resident visa, you will be required to show some commitment to New Zealand. Having shown commitment ensures officials that you have a purpose to live in the country. Here are some tips that can help:
Staying in the country for at least 184 days for both the consecutive years as a resident or having a tax resident status to be eligible. Investing at least NZ$1 million can also count as your commitment towards the country.
Owning a business or one-fourth part of it will also count. Even though the process sounds complex, consulting experts such as immigration lawyers Christchurch can help streamline the process for you.