will marriage gaurantee Residency application??

[galli_12403]

My *partner* and I want to marry..he is a USA citizen. im a Kiwi...and we want to settle in NZ> We met through the internet.(7 months ago)..and have met in person in America. Will we have any luck with NZ immigration applying through Family sponsorship if we marry for him to get residency in NZ??

[Taffy]

Hi,

You must have been living together in a genuine and stable relationship for a minimum of 12 months before you will be able to sponsor him for residency, or even a work permit for that matter. Marriage alone isnt good enough in the eyes of immigration, i'm afraid!

[marksie]

Get your partner to apply to the immigration department ( you can phone them on 0508 558855 Wellington) ask them to forward you the papers for a "Work Visa Under Partnership" and ask them what is the proceedure. Tell them to enclude the papers for Residence as well. Keep all records like letters and airline tickets etc. I am in the same boat as to speak. This will give your partner up to 2 years and then you need to prove to them that you have had a stable relationship for 12 months before you can apply for Residence which will cost you $1200

[pelagia]

My experience is that they're not that strict on the 12:months rule. My husband and I got married on the day one year after we first met, which ment we were only really a couple for about 10 months and living together ever shorter than that. What you need to do is convince the NZIS that your relationship is geniune and we did that by supportletters from friends and family and lot's of pictures of us together.

However, I do think it helps if you're actually living together at the time of the application.

[netchicken]

My wife is german, and when we went for residency the interviewer said "Germans only immigrate here for love" and bang it was done. Seems if you are a first world nation then its easier to get in than if you married a person from a poorer one