The type of visa you need to apply for really depends on your personal situation and your plans when you reach New Zealand. The options can initially be bewildering but if you sit down and work your way through the process methodically, it’s really not so bad.

You can find out what your options are by going to the Government website www.immigration.govt.nz and going through the Find a Visa questionnaire.  For most Brits, it’s often either a Skilled Migrant visa or, if you have a partner or family who are NZ citizens or residents, you might be eligible for the Family category.

The exact process varies depending on the category of visa you’re applying for. I applied to come to New Zealand under the family category as my partner is an NZ citizen. As well as completing a lengthy form I had to provide evidence of my partner’s citizenship, my own birth certificate, police certificates for me and my partner saying that we didn’t have a criminal record in the UK and a medical certificate.

In addition, I had to provide proof of our relationship. I did this by sending in copies of joint bank accounts, rental agreements for our flat, photographs of us on holiday together and so on. With all my papers together I sent everything off to the New Zealand immigration office in London and within about four weeks I had my residence visa. It was really pretty smooth.

Of course, keep in mind that this process isn’t free. You have to pay for the visa service and this varies according to what category of visa you are applying for. When I applied for my family category visa back in 2008 I paid around £500. You also have to pay for the medical. I found a doctor on the list provided by New Zealand immigration at a hospital in West London. Be sure to check what payment types they accept. I was asked for cash (the fee was around £200 as I recall) and I had to go to the cash machine in the hospital foyer whilst wearing one of those hospital gowns. I suppose they thought if they let me get dressed I might do a runner!

In general the visa application for New Zealand is relatively easy to manage yourself. I found that the staff at Immigration NZ in London were really helpful and the website provides you with clear, easy to follow resources to help you get it right including checklists of what you need to include in your application. There are immigration services that will help you through the process (but again this adds a further cost) and unless your situation is particularly complex, personally I would say do it yourself.

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