Kumudu arrived in New Zealand in 2018 to pursue her higher education, and she selected a course related to sports. Despite being an offbeat course, she completed her course successfully in the first half of 2019 and graduated as a top academic student. Kumudu realising that she could excel in this field desired to upskill herself and accordingly planned to enrol in a Level 6 course with the same education provider.
Unfortunately for her, the Level 6 course was not available in semester 2 of 2019. Hence, Kumudu had to delay her re-enrolment till February 2020. However, in the interim, she decided not to sit idle and enrolled on an English language course to improve her communication skills and prepare herself for the job market. She started the Level 6 course as planned and completed it successfully in 2020.
It was now time for Kumudu to apply for a Post Study Work Visa and her friend, a fellow student, suggested that she apply on her own as he believed the visa application process to be a straightforward one. He had studied the same courses as Kumudu, applied on his own, and got a visa valid for one year. However, Kumudu decided to seek professional assistance as she believed she was at a disadvantage as she was not well versed with immigration instructions.
From experience, Kumudu knew she could trust Vandana Rai of Immigration Advisers NZ Ltd (IANZ) as the best person to assist her with the visa application. Vandana had earlier helped Kumudu with her first-time student visa application in 2019, and she was already impressed with Vandana’s professionalism and knowledge concerning immigration matters. Therefore, she immediately called Vandana and scheduled an appointment.
Kamudu met Vandana and explained her situation. She further explained how her friend received a visa valid only for one year. Kumudu was worried as her future in New Zealand seemed unclear. She was not confident about what she should do. The pandemic added further stress as New Zealand was considered one of the safest countries to live in during the pandemic, and she was not ready to leave it so soon.
Within minutes Kumudu knew she was in safe hands as Vandana not only explained the existing instructions but assured her that everything would turn out well. Furthermore, Kumudu knew she made the right decision by approaching Vandana yet again about her visa application.
Vandana submitted Kumudu’s visa application. As expected, she received a Potentially Prejudicial Information (PPI) letter from Immigration New Zealand informing her that she will be granted a visa for only one year as she has not completed both levels the same year or consecutive years.
The PPI allowed Vandana to present a proper response to INZ explaining the circumstances which prevented Kumudu from completing both levels of studies in consecutive years. Vandana advised Kumudu to obtain a letter from her college to support her claims, and she submitted the same to INZ along with the response letter. Vandana requested INZ to consider the circumstances and to grant a 3-year post-study work visa as an exception to instructions. This was an alien concept to Kumudu. However, her confidence in Vandana multiplied when she read the response letter submitted to INZ. Kumudu was highly impressed with Vandana’s abilities and was glad she entrusted her future in Vandana’s capable hands.
Kumudu received an email from IANZ within a few weeks. She was nervous about opening her email as it had just been a few weeks since Vandana had submitted her response to INZ. Kumudu could not believe her eyes when she read that her visa had been approved for three years. She was overjoyed and relieved that her belief in Vandana was not in vain, and as expected, Vandana did not disappoint her.
Immigration instructions may seem simple at face value. However, there is an in-depth complexity that requires proper understanding and interpretation of the instructions. You may believe that making an application on your own will help you save money. Still, the truth is that engaging the services of a competent and experienced Licensed Immigration Adviser will enable you to save your time, money and will grant you the outcome that you desire.
(Name of the client has been changed to protect their privacy)
Disclaimer:
This article does not constitute immigration advice. Individuals need to seek personal advice from a licensed immigration adviser or lawyer to assess their unique situation.