I would like to come to NZ

Hello all, this is my first post but what a great site!! I'm 33, a Canadian and a working helicopter pilot in northern canada. I'm madly, nuts in love with a Kiwi girl and we've been together for about a year and a half now. She has had to go back to NZ to work as her holiday visa ran out and we're working on the work visa thing here. I just visited her last week and I could move to NZ in a heart beat!! So what do I do? I have been looking at the immigration NZ site and if I can include my girlfriend as a "partner" then no problem, 120 points. But I'm not sure about that? Can I still get a working holiday visa and come down for the winter (DEC-March ) and check the place out more? I don't really care to get work as a pilot, carpentry or boatbuilding would be fine. I don't have any trade tickets for those skills, but I could go to a Kiwi college and get one if I was allowed. Anyone got any direction or ideas for me? Thanks

Hi,

If your girlfriend is a born and bred kiwi, then she can sponsor you as her partner. If you have been living together for longer that 12 months, then you are considered as being in a genuine and stable relationship. Just apply for a partners visa, either work or residency.

Ok, problem is that we have not lived together for 12 months straight, which seems to qualify you as a "couple". Canada's immigration policy is very stickey on this fact, not sure how the Kiwis' look at it. She is a pure Kiwi so maybe she can just say " Ya, he's mine" and then sponsor me. I would love to just go down there for a few months and look around again and pick up some work, to see if I really would like to move there.
Thanks for the quick reply.

You're just over the age limit for a working holiday visa, so you're pretty restricted to a visitors permit, which I believe is initially 3 months for Canadians, extendible to 6 months. Maybe within that time you will make it to the 12 months :icon_biggrin: