Harris along with his dependents was in New Zealand on a temporary work visa. He was a flyer with a pilot license. His license was due to expire soon.
He was therefore asked by his employer to travel overseas to complete urgent training in order to keep his flying license valid. As apparent this license was an integral part of his job and without a valid license, he would not have been able to continue in his role. He found himself in a real dilemma due to the border restrictions.
The dilemma that he found himself in was largely due to the circumstances arising out of Immigration New Zealand (INZ) policies on border exceptions, and high threshholds of visa approvals. To get this resolved Harris had to be aware of all the rules and immigration instructions/policies of the New Zealand Government.
This is when Harris decided to take expert advice as the information on the INZ website was not very clear. While he was searching to gather all the information, he found the right profile of our senior licensed immigration advisor Vandana Rai. He was impressed by her positive reviews online and decided to meet her to explain his predicament.
Vandana Rai had a detailed discussion with Harris to understand his situation and requirements. She advised Harris that considering some ambiguity around the instructions she would first like to seek clarity from INZ on certain things as there was a lot at stake for Harris. She wanted to be absolutely sure before giving actionable advice.
Vandana started her work and was able to gather all the required documents and information to resolve Harris’ problem. She got in touch with one of the manager’s at INZ and once the confirmation was received, she advised Harris to go ahead with his trip. This gave Harris ample time to plan for his flight tickets, documentation and MIQ (Managed Isolation Quarantine) booking.
Once Harris was overseas, application for border exception was lodged. This was soon approved, and Harris was advised of the supporting document s required. The request for variation of conditions (VOC) was submitted and Vandana was able to prioritise his application. The VOC application was soon approved, and Harris was able to return to New Zealand within a month. It was only because of the timely and accurate advice that Harris was able to complete his training, continue with his job and ensured that he was back with his family in New Zealand in the shortest possible time.
The Moral of the Story: It is critical for the migrants in New Zealand to obtain the immigration advice from am experienced and competent licensed immigration adviser. If you are unsure of your eligibility for border exception, feel free to email Immigration Advisers New Zealand Ltd at [email protected] or call on +64 09 3790219
Disclaimer: The name of the client has been changed to protect their privacy.