Hi,

has anyone taken a Thai wife to live in New Zealand?

I believe the only requirement is to live with her for 1 year before applying, but is it more complicated than that?

Any advice much appreciated.

If you are a Kiwi no problem. If not and you want to emigrate there I don't think it is difficult.

It really depends on your age and qualifications.

I went to live there for 5 years taking my Thai wife and Thai Children. I had UK passport.

My Thai wife loved it and did not want to leave. But it was a little too cold for me. We got Kiwi

passports after living there for two years and we eventually used these to live in Oz. But wife hated there

and wanted to go back to New Zealand. We compromised and came back to Thailand, but I now wish we had never left

NZ. But we are too old to move back again.

If you are a Kiwi no problem. If not and you want to emigrate there I don't think it is difficult.

It really depends on your age and qualifications.

I went to live there for 5 years taking my Thai wife and Thai Children. I had UK passport.

My Thai wife loved it and did not want to leave. But it was a little too cold for me. We got Kiwi

passports after living there for two years and we eventually used these to live in Oz. But wife hated there

and wanted to go back to New Zealand. We compromised and came back to Thailand, but I now wish we had never left

NZ. But we are too old to move back again.

Thanks Anthony.

Yes, I have the NZ passport.

Did you have any hassles with immigration re your wife being Thai, and did she have a Thai passport?

I'd rather live in Thailand with my GF ( I too don't like the cold ), whom I intend to marry, but lack of money may necessitate a move to NZ.

Hi

You should have no problems bringing your wife to NZ, it is just a matter of supplying all the necessary info that immigration looks for to prove a genuine and stable relationship,when submitting her visa.

When my wife came to NZ we went through immigration together with her thai passport and it wasn't a problem,they asked her how long she was here for and a few other unrelated questions and she was straight through.

Yes i know what you mean about the cold and my wife has now become accustomed (as best she can) to the cooler weather,but she is definetly looking forward to Dec ,when we go back to Thailand for a Holiday!

Make sure your prospective wife is at least Mid-so if not Hi-so. Lo-so wives are often 'butterflies' and jump a lot away from home. My wife is luckily Hi-so and after marriage found out was well-off with family money in Thailand. Check your prospective wife's motives. If she agrees to visit New Zealand before you have been to Thailand and met her family - then beware

If you are a Kiwi no problem. If not and you want to emigrate there I don't think it is difficult.

It really depends on your age and qualifications.

I went to live there for 5 years taking my Thai wife and Thai Children. I had UK passport.

My Thai wife loved it and did not want to leave. But it was a little too cold for me. We got Kiwi

passports after living there for two years and we eventually used these to live in Oz. But wife hated there

and wanted to go back to New Zealand. We compromised and came back to Thailand, but I now wish we had never left

NZ. But we are too old to move back again.

Curious as to how your wife managed to get a Kiwi passport as need to be a citizen to get one

Make sure your prospective wife is at least Mid-so if not Hi-so. Lo-so wives are often 'butterflies' and jump a lot away from home. My wife is luckily Hi-so and after marriage found out was well-off with family money in Thailand. Check your prospective wife's motives. If she agrees to visit New Zealand before you have been to Thailand and met her family - then beware

I have no idea what "so" she is, but has her own house and visited Germany before.

Got wiped out in the economic crash, if that makes any difference.

When I asked if she wanted to live in another country she said no, so I guess that makes her a "safe" prospect.

Thanks for the replies.

You need evidence showing you and your wife have been living together for at least 12 months. Usually joint bank statements addressed to the same residential address, some photographs (preferably dated), air tickets etc would be sufficient.

Please take note that you are in for a long wait of 9 to 18 months as these type of applications aren't top priorities for Immigration Officers. Whilst she's awaiting the outcome of that application, you need to sponsor her application for an open work visa to keep her in NZ legally, which takes about 30-45 days of processing time.

The most straight forward way is to apply for a 5 month NZ visitor visa (for her, avoiding hassles such as medical and police certificate) to enter NZ, then apply for PR and open work visa at the same time, at a New Zealand INZ branch.