# Various questions



## Dane73 (Jan 18, 2017)

Hi Guys! 
We are moving to NZ in November and have a few Q\s. 

1) We understand that healthcare is partially subsidised and that many people also have private insurance as well. Is the latter correct? Regarding the private insurance, does anyone know if pre-existing conditions are also covered?

2) Any recommendations for private health insurance?

3) Do any of you have experience applying for the temporary partner visa? My wife is Australian and therefore gets temp residency on arrival - she will then sponsor me. We have been told that I can come in on a visitor visa with her, and then submit the application for the partner visa after that. Though everytime we ring immigration services, they tell us something a loittle different. Any experience?

4) Is it necessary for my wife to have a job and an address before sponsoring my partner visa

Thanks in advance!
Peter


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

Hello again.

1) For persons on temporary work visas minimum 2 years duration and for people on permanent class visas (Resident Visa or Permanent Residency Visa) then yes, healthcare in nz is part subsidized by ACC. Difficult to say exactly what the benefits are but as an example it drops the "normal" GP consultancy fee down from around $75 to $44. If you were here on a different type of visa, say a visitor visa etc then you'd have to pay the full amount. 
I'm not sure you are correct that many people in NZ have private health insurance. I'd say not. It is readily available but it isn't super cheap. I luckily get SouthernCross Regular Care for free through my employer as part of my salary benefits and it covers all persons living with me. If I paid for this myself with corporate discount it'd probably cost maybe $2k a year for 2 adults and 2 children. Without the discount maybe up to an additional 40% ? There are many plans all at different affordability levels so it all depends what you are comfortable with. If you want benefits like dental and eye care you can only add those things with a comprehensive policy so you have to be cautious as your talking maybe $300 a month plus. I recently priced an upgrade to a fully comprehensive policy including dental (because the dentist is so expensive) and on top of the company benefit they wanted $196 per month at full corporate discount......ouch! I didn't go for it. NIB is another company that offers private healthcare. 
There are some really cheap as chips policies aimed at long term travellers that could be an option for a year or two?

2) SouthernCross or NIB.

3) Your partner won't get temp residency. She will get a Resident Visa with immediate travel expiry. Means she can live study and work here forever but if she left the country the visa would expire and she'd have to go through the process again to get back in and any time on that previous permanent visa would be lost. This affects your eligibility for PRV and citizenship. 
You don't really wanna go for a visitor visa as you won't be allowed to work at all. You should be able to apply for a temporary work visa based on being the partner of a resident visa holder. If this is granted for at least 2 years it'll ensure your status is more favorable, you'll be allowed to live study work here and it'll give you time for your own resident visa to be processed.

4) Nope. You'll obviously have to have an address though.


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## Dane73 (Jan 18, 2017)

Hey. Thanks so much for the info. Its extremely helpful. 
Few QS off the back of that:

1) Regarding my wife - do you mean that even going to Aus on holiday to see family or EU, means she loses the visa?
2) Regarding getting my partner visa, we have rung immigration about 6 times now and every time we ask the same Q, we get a different answer. Perhaps you have a better insight? We have been told: a) that we can both enter NZ together, and I can come in on a visitor visa, announcing my intention to be sponsored by my wife, and then switch. the other answer is b) My wife has to come in by herself and apply for me, and then I come in after I get the visa. 
We obviously prefer a) and most of the immigration folk have said that. But the others say b. 

Thoughts?
Thanks so much again!


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

Dane73 said:


> Hey. Thanks so much for the info. Its extremely helpful.
> Few QS off the back of that:
> 
> 1) Regarding my wife - do you mean that even going to Aus on holiday to see family or EU, means she loses the visa?
> ...


1) Yes, but she can easily get another one since she's an AUS citizen. The only problem it creates is if you want to go for PRV and citizenship as those rules state you must have held a permanent class visa for at least 2 consecutive years (PRV) and 5 years (citizenship). The clock for this progression will stop each time she leaves and will restart from day one of re-entry. 
Best thing to do would be to stay for the 2 years, apply for PRV (takes a few days) then you are free to come and go without loss of visa.
2) As far as I know - both travelling together.........so long as your partner declares she's come to NZ to live and you have proof of partnership you will be eligible for a temporary work visa as the partner of a resident visa holder that allows you to work and not just be a visitor. You can then apply for the partnership resident visa as soon as you are settled.
Being a visitor is fine but if there's any delay with your resident visa it could be months until you are able to work. You'll still have to obtain police reports and have an immigration medical and it all takes time.
If immigration won't grant you a temporary work visa based on partnership at the border then you need to apply for this immediately as it only takes a matter of days to be processed meaning you can then work. Residency takes months.


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## Dane73 (Jan 18, 2017)

Thank you SO much for the information and insight. Very valuable to us. 

Peter


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## jawnbc (Apr 28, 2012)

To be precise, ANYONE in NZ who has an accident is 100% covered by ACC for their related treatment while in NZ. Including tourists.

Participation in the public scheme of PMOs is not part of ACC. The public scheme covers a set amount for a normal GP visit, but almost all GP practices charge above this. University student health centres often charge only a tiny (or no) surcharge. The PMO scheme also includes many prescriptions at a rate of $5 for up to a 3 month supply. Though prescriptions on on "the list" are paid at cost: cough syrup, for example, is often $20 for a bottle; cortisone-based cremes are around the same. 



escapedtonz said:


> Hello again.
> 
> 1) For persons on temporary work visas minimum 2 years duration and for people on permanent class visas (Resident Visa or Permanent Residency Visa) then yes, healthcare in nz is part subsidized by ACC.


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

jawnbc said:


> To be precise, ANYONE in NZ who has an accident is 100% covered by ACC for their related treatment while in NZ. Including tourists.
> 
> Participation in the public scheme of PMOs is not part of ACC. The public scheme covers a set amount for a normal GP visit, but almost all GP practices charge above this. University student health centres often charge only a tiny (or no) surcharge. The PMO scheme also includes many prescriptions at a rate of $5 for up to a 3 month supply. Though prescriptions on on "the list" are paid at cost: cough syrup, for example, is often $20 for a bottle; cortisone-based cremes are around the same.


Oop. Didn't mention eligibility for accidents and emergency care visiting a Secondary Care facility or hospital in NZ as the OP specifically asked about healthcare and whether or not it is funded. I assumed this to be for Primary Healthcare and visits to the GP and not emergency care. Suppose I should have differentiated between them as it's all relevant to a newbie.

Anyways, I found this video which pretty much explains the NZ Healthcare System across the country. One just has to ignore the fact that this video concentrates on DHB's in Auckland when the rules and processes are the same across the country.

https://vimeo.com/158429915


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## davidx (Jun 18, 2017)

Dane73 said:


> Hi Guys!
> We are moving to NZ in November and have a few Q\s.
> 
> 3) Do any of you have experience applying for the temporary partner visa? My wife is Australian and therefore gets temp residency on arrival - she will then sponsor me. We have been told that I can come in on a visitor visa with her, and then submit the application for the partner visa after that. Though everytime we ring immigration services, they tell us something a loittle different. Any experience?
> ...


I'm in the same situation except I'm an Australian citizen and will be sponsoring my partner. I'm also getting mixed answers from immigration and migration agencies too. 

The immigration agencies I speak to say that we both need to be in NZ and living together when we apply for a partner visa and to get her in on a visitor visa then establish our relationship in NZ and apply.

One person from immigration said that my partner can get a visitor visa and travel with me if we state our intentions to apply for partnership later. Yet, the criteria for this visa states that you must be a genuine tourist or visitor and intend to leave, so I don't understand how this could be approved. 

Another person says I have to go there alone to get my residency, establish myself there and prove that I'm a resident through confirmation of employment, proof of living such as rental receipts, etc, and then apply; simply having a presence in NZ doesn't count. We obviously wouldn't be living together if this were the case but someone then says that you can explain the reason why you aren't living together is because I had to go to NZ to establish residency in order to be an eligible sponsor. 

What do you think is the best thing to do? Because one persons advice contradicts the other and I have no clear-cut answer as to the right way of doing things.


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## jawnbc (Apr 28, 2012)

Funnily enough, I was in this position 5 years ago. My husband's an Australian citizen and we were living in Canada (I sponsored him and eventually he became a citizen). Then I was offered a job here in Auckland.

Had he arrived in NZ ahead of me, apparently he could have sponsored me as his partner (there was no same sex marriage in NZ until nearly a year later). But because I had to be here earlier, I had to go through the skilled migrant process. 

But they definitely would not let him act as my NZ sponsor until he had established residency here. Where are you both living at the moment? How long have you lived together? 




davidx said:


> I'm in the same situation except I'm an Australian citizen and will be sponsoring my partner. I'm also getting mixed answers from immigration and migration agencies too.
> 
> The immigration agencies I speak to say that we both need to be in NZ and living together when we apply for a partner visa and to get her in on a visitor visa then establish our relationship in NZ and apply.
> 
> ...


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## davidx (Jun 18, 2017)

jawnbc said:


> Funnily enough, I was in this position 5 years ago. My husband's an Australian citizen and we were living in Canada (I sponsored him and eventually he became a citizen). Then I was offered a job here in Auckland.
> 
> Had he arrived in NZ ahead of me, apparently he could have sponsored me as his partner (there was no same sex marriage in NZ until nearly a year later). But because I had to be here earlier, I had to go through the skilled migrant process.
> 
> But they definitely would not let him act as my NZ sponsor until he had established residency here. Where are you both living at the moment? How long have you lived together?


We are both living together in Asia and have been doing so for over a year now. 

We got copies of two leases in addition to utility bills and other supporting evidence to prove this too. 

It's my understanding that I must be in NZ before my partner and multiple sources have said that I must establish myself there first before we apply. Not sure if 1 month of rental receipts + a pay slip from an employer would be enough?


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## jawnbc (Apr 28, 2012)

Dunno mate. But from my experience, your nearest NZ High Commission or Embassy are pretty good about answering specific questions. They might grant her a "bridging" type partnership visa for a year or two before giving her a resident visa. Good luck!



davidx said:


> We are both living together in Asia and have been doing so for over a year now.
> 
> We got copies of two leases in addition to utility bills and other supporting evidence to prove this too.
> 
> It's my understanding that I must be in NZ before my partner and multiple sources have said that I must establish myself there first before we apply. Not sure if 1 month of rental receipts + a pay slip from an employer would be enough?


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