Phone Calls, Passports, and X-Rays, Oh My: An Immigration Update

(as of 10/10/18)

I have been asked from people on social media and through my parents how the work visa is coming along. Here's the scoop:

Since my first post about my work visa application, there have been some updates.

The window for visa replies is approximately 81 days. The good news is that it's not business days, it's 81 days, so I'll hopefully just have to wait another month or so (if it's the full amount of time).

But since I sent in my application, my immigration agent/adviser/whatever has called a few times.

Jordan, my agent/adviser/whatever, called a few weeks into my waiting game to ask some questions.

The first time I applied, while in America, I filled out the paperwork thinking I would get the visa, which was for 12 months. However, because I've now been here for 3 months, the rules have changed.

Photo by Erin Grigson

There is different paperwork (more paperwork) for people who will be in the country 12-24 months. While I supplied the original "evidence" I was told I needed by my first immigration agent/adviser/whatever, there's very specific paperwork (which costs more money) to submit.

Jordan told me I had 2 weeks to submit a chest x-ray, a general medical certificate, and a signed declaration from me.

A reminder: New Zealand has publicly funded healthcare. Because of this, the immigration office has to make sure applicants aren't going to get here and then take advantage of the healthcare system. I get that.

One of the problems with having to get this medical stuff taken care of is that you have to have your passport to even be seen by the doctor.

That was going to be an issue. I had to send my passport in with my visa application, so I didn't have it. (It was with Jordan, in Hamilton, which is on the North Island of New Zealand. I live on the South Island.)

Immediately after that first phone call, I spent hours calling doctors' offices, trying to get an appointment as soon as possible. (I was worried that I wouldn't get in soon enough to meet the 2-week deadline. My experience in America made me think that since it wasn't a medical emergency, just a paperwork one, that they wouldn't make it a priority.) However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the "panel doctors," or the doctors' offices approved by Immigration New Zealand specialize in "paperwork emergencies."

They could have even gotten me in the day I called... except that I didn't have my passport.

When I called Jordan back to ask how I was supposed to get all this medical paperwork taken care of without my passport, he apologized. He told me he had already couriered my passport back to me and that it would be there within 2-3 days. He had just forgotten to tell me when he first called.

Hallelujah!

And it did get there 3 days later.

I was able to get my x-ray done that day and the next day, I had my regular doctor appointment.

There were a few hiccups, but overall, it went well.

When filling out my medical paperwork, I found the Ethnicity question harder to answer than ever before.
I'm not sure if that's what they were looking for, but oh well.

The chest x-ray is to check for tuberculosis. The general medical certificate included all sorts of blood tests and such checking for diabetes, HIV, all the big health problems. The declaration is to say that it was me, I'm aware of who will receive my medical information, etc.

Sidebar: If something bad were to come of my tests or x-ray, it doesn't immediately disqualify me from getting a work visa. But it does throw a wrench in the mix.

The x-ray showed some interesting information, which may cause more difficulty for me down the road, whether immigration-wise or just medically. Either way, now we know.

I submitted all that information within the first week of my 2-week deadline.

Three weeks later, I received a call from Jordan. He said that the immigration medical people were just waiting on my medical declaration. He was calling to ask me to call the doctors' office I went to to check into that.

I called the office and when I told them what happened, they said tha that's been happening a lot and that they must have a computer glitch or something. They assured me that they would resubmit the paperwork (making sure to send the declaration page).

My question is if it's a computer glitch, how can you count on it sending the second time?

Hmmm...

A couple weeks went by and I hadn't heard from Jordan, so I called to just check and see if they had received that declaration. He was, as always, very helpful and checked and said they had received it and that the medical offices for Immigration New Zealand had emailed me on October 4th. I told him I had not received an email. He apologized and told me that it had been sent to the wrong email address. He forwarded it to me.

That email said I have to do some more stuff that I'm not quite sure of yet, so until I figure that out, this is the update.

Now we wait until the next call comes in.