Visa type
Fee Paying Student Visa
Issue Type
Turnaround
days
Background
[Applicant A] had previously tried to stay in Australia, where his case was refused both on review and at ministerial level, with Australian lawyers acting for him. He then decided to pursue study in New Zealand and came to us to prepare an offshore student visa application.
Our approach
We obtained copies of the earlier Australian decisions, with personal details removed, through his former Australian lawyers, and put them before New Zealand immigration with a clear explanatory narrative. The narrative set out what had happened in Australia, why, and how the New Zealand study pathway was different. Alongside this we provided his study purpose, funding, and evidence of his ties to Korea.
Outcome
The application was lodged with the overseas history fully disclosed and explained. Immigration New Zealand was satisfied and the student visa was granted.
Lessons
Where an applicant has been refused in another country, that history has to be put on the table, because non-disclosure is treated as a serious credibility problem. The best approach is to supply the earlier decisions, with sensitive details removed, together with a plain explanation of what happened and why this application is different. Staying quiet and hoping it will not surface is the wrong call and can sink the case entirely.