Pamela: I stayed in New Zealand after my Working Holiday Visa

In October 2019, I traveled from Belgium to New Zealand on a working holiday visa with the plan to spend a year exploring the country. Or so I thought.

With the arrival of the pandemic in 2020, my one-year trip turned into a much longer adventure. I have actually already talked about it here, 3 years of working holiday visa in New Zealand, it’s life changing ! But when I was writing those words almost 2 years ago, I had no idea just how much these years of WHV would change my life. Because today, I am New Zealand resident (or Pammy-Belgiwi, if you ask my friends).

A 3 year long “WHV”

Going to New Zealand

So it all started in early 2019, or much earlier, depending on your perspective. A recent master’s graduate, I was already a travel lover. In 2012, at just 17, I spent a year in the United States as an exchange student. Having met my ex-partner there, I spent the next 5 years of my life living in between Belgium and Iowa. I also did a 6-month internship in the Bahamas, which only reinforced my desire to discover the world beyond what I had already had the chance to explore.

After graduating from my Master’s degree, the plan was simple: pursuing a PhD in Belgium or emigrating to the USA. When I was not granted the scholarship, it was time to prepare my big move to the USA. However, when the time came, “it didn’t feel right.” I felt, deep down, that it wasn’t the right choice. I was 24 and had a mad desire to continue doing what had already thrilled me for years: traveling. So, even though a WHV in New Zealand wasn’t really part of the original plan, it quickly became a bit of a no-brainer.

So a few months later, after saving up and spending one last summer in Belgium, I left for the other side of the world, where my (at that time, still) USian partner joined me.

Those first few months in New Zealand were incredible. I spent 1 months volunteering for a Maori family, got a dream job in Abel Tasman National Park, and moved into an amazing backpackers with an awesome atmosphere. We were living our best life ever !

Staying or leaving?

But then, a few months later, coco came along. Being in New Zealand, so far away from everything, gave us the false illusion that we were going to be spared by the plague that was affecting the rest of the world. Yet we too slowly began to see the consequences of the pandemic. It started at work with canceled bookings, at the backpackers with the refusal of new residents, and then with the loss of our jobs…

I can’t explain what I felt at that moment. A kind of emptiness perhaps, because I had no idea what was going to happen or how the situation was going to evolve. Being thousands of miles away from home during this global crisis felt very strange. It was almost unreal. Obviously, one question was on the minds of many travelers, working-holidayers or not: staying or leaving?

To be perfectly honest, as far as I’m concerned, the question barely crossed my mind. The pandemic arrived in February, just a few months into my New Zealand adventure. All I had done was work; I had not explored a thing. It was out of the question to leave without having explored this beautiful country. What’s more, leaving would have complicated my relationship since, despite our 8-year relationship, my USian boyfriend and I were not allowed to enter each other’s country.

So the decision was easily made, and it was with a total uncertainty that we went into lockdown (probably like the rest of the world). Fortunately, even though it was early fall, the weather was fine in New Zealand. As the weeks went by, the disease began to leave the country until we were once again allowed to live almost normally.

And then, in May 2020, I was finally starting my New Zealand road trip

Extensions and extensions

My partner and I criss-crossed the roads of New Zealand for 3 months. And how incredible it was to finally discover this country! What was even crazier was that we were practically alone everywhere. Mont Cook, Roy’s Peak, Tongariro… All these places loved by tourists were almost deserted.

After our amazing road trip, we decided to settle in Napier to work and finish our WHV. At the time, a petition was circulating on backpacker groups asking the government to grant us a WHV extension. The world was far from healed, and many were afraid of having to return home to these new living conditions. Still others simply did not know how to get back home. In my case, I did not want to say goodbye to my partner without knowing when I’d be able to see him again. But as the end of my WHV approached, the hope of an extension was fading, so I reluctantly booked my flight home.

But then, the government made an announcement only 10 days before my flight: all visas expiring between the 1st of October 2020 and the 31st of March 2021 were being extended until the 30th of June 2021. My visa was expiring on the 3rd of October. I was to be granted a 9-month extension! This new visa, the SSE visa, allowed me to work in the horticultural sector and gave me no travel rights, which didn’t matter during the pandemic anyway.

I cancelled my flight after this announcement and I kept on living my amazing WHV/SSE. We started working again and went on many more adventures before June 2021. This time though, I was not going to be tricked into buying my flight home. The situation in New Zealand was ideal, while the rest of the world was unfortunately still badly hit by the pandemic. So I didn’t book any flights and, once again, ten days before my visa was due to expire, the government announced a 6-month extension, until the 30th of December 2021. On top of that, the government also announced that SSE visas now had open work rights, allowing me to work in any field.

A partner visa… or not

After this second extension, we no longer wanted to leave our fate in the hands of chance. My partner decided to apply for an Essential Skills Work Visa (now called Accredited Employer Work Visa), sponsored by his employer. At the same time, I applied for a Partner of a Worker Work Visa so that I too could stay in the country.

So there we were, embarking on a new adventure, that of New Zealand immigration. In just a few months, I had to fit 9 years of relationship in a few pages. I had to justify our long-distance relationship, ask our loved ones to write letters attesting to our relationship, show the finances within our couple and make a photo album. It could have been fun, but it was actually a very stressful process. Having an immigration officer evaluate our relationship was very bizarre and intrusive.

My partner’s Essential Skills Visa was granted rather quickly after applying. Unfortunately, his wage was too low so I was not eligible for the Partner Visa and I kep my WHV/SSE visa.

Fortunately, the New Zealand government was once again quite generous. And this time it left no room for suspense. In October 2021, the government announced a third 6 month extension. My WHV/SSE was now valid until the 30th of June, 2022, I still had open work rights but no travel rights.

A work visa

Again, I did not want to gamble. There was also more and more talk about opening the borders. Remember, I was on a WHV/SSE visa which did not allow me to leave the country… and I was really missing my loved ones after almost 3 years abroad. So I decided to ask my employer (the one I was working for before the lockdown) to sponsor me.

Here I was again, immersed in immigration paperwork. This time though, with 3 visa applications done in the last few years, I was more than ready! For this visa, I mainly had to prove my experience within the company and that they could not find any New Zealanders to fill the role I was occupying.

A few months later, in May 2022, my 2 year Essential Skills Work Visa was approved. And then, at the beginning of June, I was on my way to Belgium, without telling my family, to surprise them.

The residency

In September 2021 (a few months earlier), the government made an unexpected announcement: a new residency pathway for people who were in New Zealand during the pandemic. Many backpackers were talking about it, many were hoping. As for me, I told myself that no government would ever allow me to become a resident just because I had stayed there during a global crisis. New Zealand had already given us so much. And yet… here it was, this residency announcement.

At first, believe it or not, I did not feel like I was eligible for this new residency visa. In fact, having lived in New Zealand during the pandemic was not the only requirement. That would have been a little too easy. There were other criteria, and I didn’t think I’d fit into them. That’s why I applied for the work visa I mentioned earlier. And then, in the course of a conversation with a friend, I realized that, yes, I too was eligible for that famous 2021 residency.

And so, in June 2022, I was back into the world of immigration for the fourth time. I don’t know if it was because I’d gained experience in terms of immigration or if the process was really simplified, but in barely two hours, I had submitted my residency application. What was crazy is that it was even easier than the WHV application!

After an incredible summer in Belgium (and a little trip in Bali), I was off again to New Zealand, this time with a sponsored work visa in my pocket and a residency application pending. I told myself that this residency would be my last try, my last chance. I knew, at that moment, that whatever happened, I was going to keep traveling. So I simply went back to my daily routine without thinking too much about it…

Until that beautiful summer’s day in January 2023… I was having a drink outside when my USian ex-partner tells me the big news,we were both New Zealand residents !

Permanent residency

But that’s not all! If you thought that residency was the last step and that you are finally done with paperwork, you were wrong. In fact, residency is just the first step on the road to permanent residency (and citizenship, if you want it). Residency allows you to stay in New Zealand for life, but you lose your travel rights after 2 years. If you wish to continue traveling, you must apply for permanent residency. And to do so, you must spend a certain amount of time in New Zealand.

And so, fifth time’s a charm? In January 2025, I will have to dive into the immigration world one again, and hopefully for the last time.

What’s next?

I haven’t told you everything yet. After so much effort, paperwork and time, you probably think I am now ready to move to New Zealand? Well, no! Because one of my dreams when I set off on my WHV in New Zealand was to follow it up with a trip to the Pacific Islands and a WHV in Australia. I am keeping that dream very close to my heart. And if all goes according to plan, I’ll be flying to the islands in August 2024 before heading to Australia in April 2025, after a brief stopover in New Zealand to finalize my permanent residency and, above all… to say goodbye.

You may wonder why bother with all this if I am not going to live in New Zealand? The answer is quite simple. New Zealand has been my host country, my home, for about 5 years. The traveler in me can’t stand still and wants to travel again, rediscover and explore. But you never know what tomorrow will bring, and to have the opportunity to return to New Zealand is simply incredible. Besides, we’re never safe from another unforeseen event, are we?