In fact, it's my first experience living overseas. i've never been on any exchange programme or overseas work attachment. A bit sad that i only get to experience this when i'm approaching my big 3. Gulps.
The plan to move here was something that i had prepared myself for to end the pain of our long distance relationship. Haha. And i started rolling out the plan in different stages over a 6-month period (because i really only have the school holidays to do my own stuff).
1) Setting up a local bank account
During my last trip to NZ, i brought along extra cash to put with the bank and i set up an account with ASB. They have the option of opening an account from overseas and activating it on arrival but i really prefer to just do it in person in advance. The process was quick and fuss-free.
2) Getting the right forms
NZ has many visas so it's essential to do some research beforehand, knowing your purpose of coming to NZ (eg. work or holiday) and eligibility. The costs vary quite a bit for different visas and you can't apply for a work visa unless you have a job offer. i went down to the immigration office to enquire about the partnership visa and got my forms. There were separate forms for Sean and i to fill in, which had to be submitted together with other documents.
Form-filling was quite straight forward but it was the gathering of documents that gave me a headache.
3) Getting the documents ready
Photographs attached must not be more than 6 months old. Which meant that i couldn't use the ones i took for my passport renewal.
Certified true copy of passport. i had to photocopy and approach a Justice of Peace to countersign. For convenience, i looked up the list of JPs and contacted the one whose address was the closest to mine. Haha.
Medical record. VFS has a list of panel doctors on their website (all of which are very expensive!) and i booked an appointment with Fullerton Healthcare. i remember having to wait for an hour just to see the doctor and the clinic was super packed. After my general checkup, i had to do an x-ray at Radlink Diagnostic Imaging. After the results were out, the clinic notified me and did an e-record submission on my behalf.
Certificate of clearance. For this, i had to fill up a form with a certified true copy of my passport and submit in person at the Police Cantonment Complex. Processing fee was $55 and although they said that processing time is 10 working days, i had mine done in a few days and made a second trip to collect my COC.
Other relevant supporting documents. As i had applied for a partners visa, i had to submit evidence to prove that we are "in a stable and genuine relationship". On top of that, i had to provide a handwritten statement to outline our relationship status.
Bank statement. To prove that i can financially support myself during my stay here.
4) Submission of application at VFS
The counter staff only briefly checked my documents and collected payment. An immigration officer then got back to me about my visa status and did a very detailed explanation when i posed my questions. When everything was settled, i went down to collect my passport. The entire processing time took less than 21 days.
That left me with just buying my air ticket and packing my luggage which i procrastinated quite a bit hehe.
5) Packing
I came up with a list of items that to bring over. i bought essential supplies from sephora and innisfree which would last me for the year, and those amazing daiso vacuum ziplock bags.
My only issue was clothes as i wanted to bring all my favourites. The boyfriend had helped to bring some of my stuff back when he came to Singapore in December. i ended up not bringing a lot because he said i can always shop here. Which i did!
That's really everything that i brought. The clear folder containing liquids went into my handcarry along with other documents and my laptop. My checked in luggage only weighed 23 kg (i had a limit of 30 kg).
On a side note, i realised i'm quite OCD when it comes to packing.
