Character Waiver Success

Emma* and James*, a couple from the United States, both had a long-standing dream of making New Zealand their home. While their love for the country was immediate, securing an Active Investor Plus Visa presented a challenge due to a past legal issue. With the guidance of NZIL, they successfully navigated these complexities, now happily settled in Wanaka.

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Why New Zealand?

For Emma and James, the idea of New Zealand came up on their very first date six years ago, where both expressed a mutual desire to visit. The opportunity arose two years ago when Emma's cousin moved to Tauranga, and so they came to visit him and his family here.

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"It was everything and more, exactly what we thought it would be and better," Emma recalls, radiating excitement. "We were so excited that we just wanted to move here. It’s such an easy country to fall in love with."

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Why NZIL?

The choice to partner with NZIL came with a strong recommendation. Emma's cousin and his family had successfully used NZIL for their own move to New Zealand.

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"My cousin used them when he, his wife, and their little boy moved here, so they came highly recommended," Emma explains.

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Their primary contact was Aaron Martin, NZIL's Principal Lawyer, whose professionalism and approachable demeanour left a lasting impression. "We worked with Aaron, he’s an absolute legend and amazing. We don’t even know where to start with thanking him because he made it happen."

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The Challenge

The path to residency was not without its hurdles. James had a past legal issue, having spent some time in jail back in the US. This became their main source of anxiety when considering the visa application.

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"The challenge was that my husband had spent some time in jail, and so the challenge was that we were worried that that would be a reason that they might reject the application," Emma recounts. "There was still the anxiety around that and wanting to put your best foot forward."

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This concern weighed heavily on them, as they desperately wanted to ensure their application was flawless and robust enough to overcome this sensitive point and be able to gain residency in New Zealand.

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The Solution

From their very first interaction, Aaron addressed their concerns with unwavering confidence and expertise.

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"From day one, Aaron was like, 'I wouldn’t worry about it,'" Emma shares. "He wrote up a whole character waiver, and it was just...he did an amazing job. We were reading through it, and we were like, 'wow,' we felt so reassured."

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Aaron's ability to calmly handle the situation and prepare a thorough character waiver provided immense peace of mind. Emma highlights the stark contrast in trust compared to their experiences in the US.

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"It was great to be able to put that trust in him; didn’t have to check if he’d done this, because he was quietly working on it in the background," she says. "Knew I could just trust him. Coming from the US, it can be hard to trust people there, especially lawyers and that sort of thing. It was a whole different feeling to just feel like we could just trust Aaron; he’s lived up to that tenfold. Cannot say enough positive things about him."

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After their first meeting with Aaron in November, the application was submitted in early April, and they received approval at the start of June. Emma and James had arrived in New Zealand on February 9th, and have settled in Wanaka, ready to embrace their new lives here.

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"Hello Aaron, I wanted to thank you for all your hard work. We have felt so much better since being approved. Really appreciate all the effort and attention to detail. I’m sure it all played a factor, and I don’t think we could have done it without you. What you wrote for the character waiver was so perfect. Thanks for all the emails, easing our mind as well. We look forward to spending the rest of our lives here; it’s been a dream come true. Hope you’re having a lovely day and thank you from the bottom of our hearts, so so much."

*Names changed due to anonymity