Hi,

I hope someone out there can help us.

The story is this. I met my girlfriend in New Zealand in 2007, she is an NZ national, and I am British. I was on a training course out there and during the next 18 months i was going back and forth between the UK and NZ until i finally settled back in the UK at the end of 2008. In June 2009 she came to visit me in the UK for a month and when she was here she stayed with me in my flat. She also opened a bank account registered at my address. So we can prove on paper that relationship goes back to at least june 2009.

Anyway she went back to NZ after her visit and then moved over here to live with me in october 2009. We have been living together since then in London and she is on a working holiday type visa, also known as the youth mobility scheme i think. It expires in October. So we know she has to go back to NZ before then to apply for any further visas, and we want to get a de facto visa for her, as we're not quite ready for marriage yet.

Thing is I've read we have to prove that we've been LIVING together for more than two years, not just in a relationship. Which is difficult because her current working VISA is only two years, so she'll have to leave before two years is up. We didn't live together in NZ, as i was in training accomodation. Will the bank statements from her visit to the UK in 2009 be enough to satisfy that requirement?

Hope thats all clear without being too long winded.

I'll be grateful for any help.

Thanks.

 

Thanks for the advice, we can't really afford a solicitor, so it would be very much a last resort.

I suppose if we did go down that route it would have to be a solicitor in New Zealand as that will be where she will be applying from.

Anyone have any idea how long it takes to apply and details of what's involved? My girlfriend has a good job in London and she will lose it if she ends up staying over there longer than planned.

We are a genuine case and i don't understand how they can expect us to meet the requirements if she is legally not allowed to stay to live with me long enough to qualify.

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