Any non-NZ citizen here who has filed CR-1 in New Zealand?!?

[klhughes28 1]

Hello! My partner and I live in New Zealand, he's the USC and I'm Australian. We are interested in filing for CR-1 whilst we're here in New Zealand, to expedite the process before his working holiday visa is up. We are hoping to get married next month, so obviously I know that we can't file just yet, we're just trying to get organised. 

 

Does anyone have any experience filing in NZ as a non-NZ citizen? The US consulate website for Auckland says the petitioner/benefactor need to be NZ residents for 6 months, does this count for a working holiday visa? Note that it does not say permanent resident, it just says resident, which I'm hoping we fulfil seeing as we, y'know, live here. As an Australian I do not need a visa to be here in NZ, so I'm automatically a resident.

 

We have been emailing the consulate but they only send us generic FAQ auto-response emails in return, which don't completely answer all of our specific questions.

 

If there's someone out there who has been or is going through a similar experience in NZ, please let me know!

[cdneh 3,112]

I didn't file for the same Visa, but I did the interview for the K1 from NZ. I was a returning resident at the time from Canada.

Have you had a read of the Consulate info her on Visa Journey?  I've used the mail and the phone number form that page in the past with success.

How long was his working visa for, and when does it run out?

 

http://www.visajourney.com/consulates/index.php?ctry=New Zealand&cty=Auckland

 

[klhughes28 1]

1 hour ago, cdneh said:

I didn't file for the same Visa, but I did the interview for the K1 from NZ. I was a returning resident at the time from Canada.

Have you had a read of the Consulate info her on Visa Journey?  I've used the mail and the phone number form that page in the past with success.

How long was his working visa for, and when does it run out?

 

http://www.visajourney.com/consulates/index.php?ctry=New Zealand&cty=Auckland

 

I have read a loooootttttt of stuff on Visa Journey but no I hadn't seen that page, thanks for the link! Definitely very helpful.

 

The number supplied was the one we called, but I didn't know about the extension, we'll give them another call tomorrow. When we first called, we didn't fit the criteria for the options given (no emergency visa or safety issues or whatever) so we just emailed the address that the recording said to email. We received an auto-response 3 minutes later but have heard nothing since then.

 

Cory's visa is for 12 months, it expires on March 5th 2018. We'll be switching him to a tourist visa so that we can stay two more months, but obviously we can't apply for my CR-1 whilst he's on a tourist visa. Hopefully we've left ourselves enough time, but we had to wait to be here 6 months first!

 

Thanks for your help cdneh!!

[klhughes28 1]

19 hours ago, Dee elle said:

A USC can start the process for CR IR 1 from anywhere in the world. As an Australian citizen you will usually have your interview in your home country or a country in which you are currently legally a resident at the time of interviesw, and for more than 6 months..... and for us Aussies NZ fits that as you say... So he can start the process no matter where he is living, as a resident or tourist doesnt matter, once you marry. 

It will be 12 months approx from when the I 130 is first filed until you will attend your interview... so think about where you will be then... if you will still be living and working in NZ legally..... he can be in NZ as a visitor and it wont matter.. its your residency, citizenship that dictates the location....  then use that consulate, otherwise plan to take a hop back over the Tasman and interview in Sydney 

Understand the impact of him being not earning or resident in the US at the time of your interview... he will need to provide evidence of his intention to establish do icile in the US when you get your visa, and unless he has sufficient liquid assets, he wil, need to arrange a joint sponsor for the application.  Both common occurrences and very do-able. 

Just be very well read.... I like this resource

https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/immigrate/family/immediate-relative.html#9

 

Thanks for your response Dee elle! We don't plan on being in NZ for another 12 months, but at least if we file here and I have to fly over to Auckland for a week or two it's no big deal from Melbourne. I think we'll now try to swap Cory to a partnership visa so that we can stay longer, if possible, then he'll go back to California and me to Melbourne, and if we have to be apart for a month or two it's not the end of the world. 

 

I'm fairly sure that Cory will need his parents to co-sponsor us, shouldn't be too big of a deal I hope. He has a job to go back to (working for his dad's company) and an apartment that we can rent off his parents, but because his folks are clearly already quite involved in this then they may as well co-sponsor in case it looks "dodgy" because he works for them?!?!