New Zealand Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Residence Visa Processing Time

The time frame varies depending on several factors such as completeness of the application, your and the processing staff's response time during verification, etc.  Ours took approximately 1 year and 9 months from the time we submitted our Expression of Interest (EOI) until we got our Job Search Visa (JSV) or Work to Residence (WTR) visa.

I have listed below the dates and turnaround time for each step taken during the process:

March 17, 2012  -  Submitted EOI application online

March 21, 2012  -  EOI Selected (4 days after submission of EOI)

April 12, 2012  -  Invitation to Apply (ITA) received via email which would expire after 4 months, that would be August 13

June 29, 2012  -   Submitted ITA form and all requirements (took us almost 3 months)

September 6, 2012   -  Allocated to CO (after 2 months & several days)

June 13, 2013  -     Interview via phone (after around 9 months)

September 18, 2013  - Received ITA for SMC JSV; expiration after 3 months, that would be December 18

November 19, 2013  -  Submitted requirements & passports for visa labelling (took us 2 months)

November 28, 2013  -  Granted JSV; visa date reflects on passport (after 9 days)

If you have all the resources and can shorten the time to complete all documents or if your  application requirements are already complete prior to submitting an EOI online (which is possible) and there will be no need for further verification whatsoever, processing time can be reduced to 1 or 1.5 years. Following up with the processing staff also helps.

Since we got JSV instead of Resident Visa (RV), we decided that my husband would go first to NZ while my son and I would stay with my parents until he'd get settled in NZ.

February 24, 2014  -  My husband flew and arrived NZ

April 10, 2014  -  He signed a job offer; job based in Wellington; sent documents to INZ Auckland branch for RV
                          approval (after 1.5 months); made follow up with INZ Auckland & Wellington

May 9, 2014 - Got RV approval (after 29 days) after making follow up with our case officer 

May 15, 2014 - Submitted our passports for visa labelling and paid Migrant Levy fee

May 19, 2014 - Got our RV stamp on our passports

June 8, 2014 - Our son and I flew to NZ….And we lived happily ever after :-)

Will do my best to discuss each step in detail, the challenges we faced, and how we got them resolved in the process.

Hope these help.

'How much did it cost you to process your NZ visa?'

Some may find this question quite personal but this is one of the most frequently asked questions we received when our friends learned about our plan to move to New Zealand.  Glad we're able to dig up our records. :-)

For a brief background, we applied  for NZ residency under Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) directly through Immigration New Zealand, no agency. My husband is the principal applicant; I am his partner/spouse with our 2-year-old child as dependent. 

For those interested, hope you'll find this information helpful.

• NZ$440 - online Expression of Interest (EOI) fee submitted on March 2012; this is per application so that covers the three of us; credit card needed; now, online EOI costs a fee of NZ$510.00 and paper-based EOI costs a fee of NZ$650
• US$1890 - visa fee paid upon lodgement of requirements together with the accomplished Invitation to Apply (ITA) form; we used electronic transfer through Bank of the Philippine Island; breakdown->1845 app fee, 30 postage, 15 bank charges
• PHP19000 - medical fees; approximate amount for 3 heads (only around 2000 for our 2-year-old); costs depend on which accredited hospital or clinic you go to 
• US$50 - return courier fee paid upon sending of passports for visa labelling/stamping+docstamps
• NZ$775 - migrant levy fees for 3 heads (NZ$310 for 5 years old or over; NZ$155 for under 5 years old); paid at NZ immigration office; we used debit card; credit card can also be used
• PHP1200 - PDOS registration fee (Filipino applicants)

These give us a ballpark figure of PHP151,000 equivalent to NZ$3,974 or US$3,512 at 38 NZD and 43 USD exchange rates, respectively.

Please note that the figures above do not include the passport renewals, processing and shipping expenses for supporting documents, proofs and evidences.  Other necessary assessments will incur additional expenses (See http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-standards/international-qualifications/get-international-qualifications-recognised-for-immigration/).

Check this link to calculate fees or visit http://www.immigration.govt.nz for more info.

Thanks!

Why Travel?

Traveling provides a very enjoyable and beneficial experience whether we go on vacation, join an outreach program, or go on adventure trip. I have listed several reasons why everyone should consider this activity.  

First, traveling widens our perspective, and we usually come back a completely different person. When I go to a new place, I always make sure that I get to meet a lot of people. I have been to extremely poor and rich countries, and during one of my trips, I realized that there really is a big world out there. The cultural diversity is amazingly interesting. People are so different, and we all come from various backgrounds with different lifestyles, social status, and personalities.  


Second, traveling is a great stress-relieving activity. When we feel happy as we look at the magnificent beauty of creation, our body releases endorphins, the natural hormones that combat stress; as a result, we feel more relaxed and invigorated. It is also one great way to create unforgettable memories alone, with our loved ones, or friends. On the other hand, witnessing the sufferings of the less fortunate makes us less preoccupied with our own problems making us realize further that we are luckier or far more blessed than most people.

Third, it is one of the best ways to learn things that are not taught in schools or found in books.  Since we get to learn about other cultures, we can acquire other people's best practices for self-improvement.  

Finally, it is an avenue for us to share about our country and our own culture. Exchanging of ideas and beliefs is inevitable as we get to meet a lot more people, so being open and receptive helps. Interacting with different kinds of people during my previous trips, I have met some broadminded, non-racist, easy to get along with, and friendly individuals, and I would eventually find out that these people are well-traveled. They know how to respect other people's culture and beliefs which is very admirable.  Indeed, there are those who have not traveled, nor have they met people of different race, yet they also possess these good traits and characteristics, but I am convinced that travel experiences are usually life-changing; consequently, traveling makes one a better person.