Successes

Examples of our work and recent successful outcomes:

Partnership-Based Visas

Many applicants fail to plan their visa pathways and consequently lack documentary evidence to meet Immigration New Zealand’s requirements.  This is especially so for partnership visa applications.  Applicants must show their relationship is both “genuine and stable” and they are “living together” with their partner.  We provide comprehensive advice and guidance so our clients applications are robust and decision-ready.

We are experts in advocating for clients whose circumstances complicate their applications, for instance they have a criminal conviction or have been charged with an offence, have medical issues, or have breached terms of a previous visa.  We regularly prepare character waiver submissions and letters responding to concerns raised by Immigration New Zealand.  Recent successes include:

  • Partner Work Visas for a client with historic overseas convictions and another client with a recent NZ conviction.  We worked with those clients to identify and present special circumstances justifying a waiver of the good character requirement; and
  • Partner Work Visa for a client whose new relationship with a NZ citizen was questioned by Immigration New Zealand.  Our client had previously had a partner work visa based on their relationship with a different NZ citizen, had technically breached that visa’s conditions by staying on that visa after the relationship ended and, spent time living apart from their new partner due to work commitments.

Accredited Employer Work Visa (“AEWV”)

We guide employers and employees through the 3 stages of the AEWV regime including advising employers regarding their ongoing compliance obligations and assisting them as necessary to meet those.

We recently helped two entities recruit offshore employees where both entities had been trading for less than 12 months.  We advised our clients what documents to prepare and provide to show their businesses were genuine and viable.  At the job check stage we reviewed, advised and extensively rewrote letters of offer, employment agreements, job descriptions and advertisements to meet Immigration New Zealand requirements.  We also answered employment related questions.  In both cases we prepared the prospective employees’ AEWV applications, liaising with the employees from an early stage to initially ascertain their ability to meet work visa requirements and ultimately ensure they could provide necessary documentation.  Finally, we advised our employer clients regarding their ongoing obligations as an accredited employer.

Compliance and Technical Matters

As immigration lawyers, our adversarial immigration work includes:

 

  • Immigration and Protection Tribunal humanitarian appeals;
  • section 61 requests for clients in New Zealand unlawfully;
  • Ministerial requests for clients with exceptional circumstances; and
  • preparing character waiver and medical waiver submissions and otherwise responding to Immigration New Zealand’s concerns.

We listen carefully to our clients about the circumstances of their case, identify important factors that might justify a favourable outcome, advise how to improve their position, and ultimately present their unique and/or special circumstances to Immigration New Zealand in a manner inviting a positive outcome.