visa/permit update

Here's a brief update on the visa for those of you who have been wondering:

While I was gone this week, Bryan received a letter from Immigration New Zealand (INZ) and has been in contact with them over the phone sorting out further documentation that we need to submit. The letter states that it appears that Bryan is ineligible for a work permit (and, as I'm applying solely as his partner, I would therefore be ineligible as well) because the denomination that City Church belongs to is not listed as an approved religious movement. This is because the denomination recently changed their name from Apostolic Churches to Acts Churches, so while Apostolic Churches is on the list, Acts Churches isn't yet. Should be a minor issue, but I'm kicking myself for not recognizing and addressing this potential hangup earlier. Sounds like it's easily sorted out with a formal letter.

We also have yet to credibly prove to the government that we are in a genuine and stable relationship, which is not essential to Bryan's permit but is essential to mine. I'm picking up a package from FedEx today that I believe to be our certificate of marriage, which will help our case, but we also need to submit photos and dated letters in both of our names.

Overall, though we have yet to receive our police checks, we feel very hopeful about our prospects, as the communication we've received from INZ does not suggest any insurmountable reasons why we'd be declined for a visa. It would be nice to be able to apply for jobs and buy a car and decorate our home with the knowledge that we'll be around for a while...otherwise, it's T-minus 21 days until we have to leave New Zealand.

-Rachel