The Most Expensive Love Story I’ve Ever Told
After several years of applying for various visas, I’m now happily living in New Zealand, as a legal resident, with my Kiwi partner. I had to jump through many hoops to get here, and it cost a pretty penny – well, a lot of pretty pennies – but it’s been worth It.
To date, I’ve spent $9,204 NZD on visas alone. I still have another $315 to go when I apply for Permanent Residency in 2027, and $560 more if I decide to go for NZ citizenship in 2032. I knew it would be expensive, but it ended up being about $4,000 more than I’d expected, thanks to both an extra, unexpected medical exam and Immigration nearly doubling its fees – with very little warning – in October 2024. As of August 2025, though, I’m officially a legal resident of New Zealand. Huzzah!
The first time I applied for the Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa (PWV) in March 2024, the application fee was $860. But that was only the start. I needed an FBI background check ($30), had to drive to and from Auckland for a medical exam ($197 in petrol), then pay $527 for the exam, chest x-ray, and bloodwork.
Because of my medication history, Immigration also required a psychiatric evaluation ($600). And since I wasn’t allowed to work while waiting for my PWV, I had to budget for five months of no income while paying rent, bills, groceries, and all the usual expenses of being alive in the 21st century.
Three months after that first visa was approved in May 2024, Immigration quietly announced it would nearly double its fees that October. At the time, my partner and I hadn’t yet hit the 12-month mark of living together – a requirement for applying for the Resident Visa – so I could do nothing but watch the $2,750 I’d budgeted balloon to a jaw-dropping $5,360. I only found out about the change thanks to a chance conversation with another American at a concert; Immigration never sent a heads-up email.
In January 2025, on the day my partner and I had officially lived together for 12 months, I submitted my Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa application.
Because that decision wouldn’t come through until August and my original work visa expired in May, I had to reapply for another PWV – this time at the new price of $1,630 – just to bridge the gap.
I could have left New Zealand during that period, but an immigration lawyer strongly advised against it; since my visa was based entirely on the strength of our partnership, disappearing overseas wouldn’t have looked great.
My second PWV was approved in March 2025, and my residency came through in August. My Resident Visa is valid for two years, allowing me to live and work here and travel freely in and out of the country. In August 2027, I’ll be eligible to apply for Permanent Residency, which is the last step.
Of course, the costs of moving here didn’t end with the visas. I had to buy a car, get car insurance, and get a NZ driver’s licence.
The latter required driving to Hamilton (the closest location that does overseas conversions), spending about $200 in petrol, and paying $53 for the licence.
Medical costs added up, too. Because my original work visa was only valid for one year, I couldn’t register as a patient at the local medical centre. That meant $190 every time I walked through the door, plus about $25 per month per prescription.
These fees are the less glamorous parts of moving countries, but they show just how much effort it takes to build a new life from the ground up. Every dollar, every form, every bit of red tape has led me here: to a life and partnership I love. This is, without a doubt, the most expensive love story I’ve ever told – but also the best investment I’ve ever made.
Words by Hilary Emerson Lay
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