After deciding where to go (my partner and I bounced back and forth between New Zealand and Australia for a bit) we had to figure out how to get there. This means visas. This was my first dive into the world of visas and to be honest, the work travel visa for New Zealand is incredibly easy. I think it took us about 10 minutes to fill in the online form. For my non-diabetic, English (i.e. commonwealth) partner, that 10 minutes plus submitting an online payment was the end of it. No more than a week later he was approved to fly over.
Although short, the visa application did ask if I had a “chronic illness” or “medical condition” which, I of course filled in as Type 1 Diabetic. I received a very different response:
We are writing in relation to your application for a work visa under a working holiday scheme.
On your online application form you have disclosed health information. In order to proceed with your application, you are requested to provide a General Medical Certificate and Chest X-ray Certificate by 27 July 2017. This is necessary in establishing whether you meet the requirement to have an acceptable standard of health for temporary entry to New Zealand. For more information about this requirement refer to the relevant immigration instructions at A4.25.1 and WI2.1.1 and/or the Health Requirements for entry to New Zealand (INZ 1121) leaflet. Please email me NZER reference once you have completed medical assessment.
What you should do?
Please note the following:
* You may not be able to use a mobile device such as a smart phone or tablet to access some of the links in this e-mail and on our website. You will need to use a desktop or laptop computer to access these links.
* DO NOT send your passport. When your application is approved, you can view and print your visa details online.
* Check here to find out if you are in a country where eMedical is available.
* If you are currently in a country where eMedical is available, go to Section A.
* If you are not in a country where eMedical is available, go to Section B.
Section A: In a country where eMedical is available
If you are currently in a country where eMedical is available, the panel physician will electronically complete and send your medical information directly to Immigration New Zealand.
* Check our list of panel physicians** to find the nearest approved doctor and radiologist.
* Once you have completed your medical assessment, your panel physician will submit the results directly to Immigration New Zealand. Please do not email your NZER unless requested by your case officer.
* Due date for your medical information is 15 consecutive days from the date you submitted your application. It must be received by Immigration New Zealand within this period.
Section B: Not in a country where eMedical is available
(The United States is a country where eMedical is available so I followed Section: A)
IMPORTANT NOTES:
* Unless requested to do so, you do not need to provide a new Chest X-ray Certificate (INZ 1096) if one was previously provided to Immigration New Zealand and it was issued less than 36 months prior to your current application.
** Not all countries have panel physicians. For countries without panel physicians, a registered or board certified or licensed medical practitioner or physician may conduct the medical examination.
*** If you have received another e-mail which lists additional documents which you must also provide (for example, evidence of your qualifications and English language), you should send your paper-based General Medical Certificate (INZ 1007) and Chest X-ray Certificate (INZ 1096) to the address given in that e-mail. It is important that these certificates and all your additional documents are sent to the same address.
If for any reason you are unable to provide your General Medical Certificate and/or Chest X-ray Certificate within 15 days, we may consider an extension of the timeframe if you can provide a genuine and reasonable attempt to provide these certificates, such as a confirmation of an appointment with your physician. Please refer to our questions and answers to find out how you can contact us.
What happens if you do not send the information requested?
If your General Medical Certificate and Chest X-ray Certificate are not received within 15 consecutive days (unless we have granted you an extension) we will make a decision on your application based on the information you have already given us. We are unlikely to approve your application based on this information.
False or misleading information
Providing false or misleading information or withholding information may make you ineligible for a visa.
Need help?
You can check the questions and answers section on our website for the information you require, and/or visit our website and search our information database or submit a question. If you are in New Zealand, you can also phone the Immigration Contact Centre
That’s a lot to take in right! - This email was sent July 11th giving me exactly 15 days to complete the medical certificate with a “panel physician” from the provided list. At the time, I lived in Portland, Maine and the closest panel physicians were located in Needham and Brookline Massachusetts. *Note that the Needham office is not longer an available option*. After calling both offices and discussing price an available appointments I decided on Needham, exactly 2 hours and 2 minutes drive from Portland.
-Now if I decided not to drive to Massachusetts, the next closest panel physicians office was New York City, approximately a 5 hour and 10 minutes drive from Portland.
This next bit is going to sound sketchy and like everything in a Type 1 life, there is no sugar coating it. The medical appointment cost $600 upfront, in cash, no refunds. Remember this appointment does not mean the visa will be approved. If that’s not enough, they were going to test my a1C and compare it to their standard of 6.5… in 15 DAYS! We all know that is not enough time to change an a1C. The truth was coming out, good or bad.
Skipping ahead over taking the day off work, collecting a passport photo and my complete medical history to bring to the appointment, and fighting traffic into and out of the greater Boston area the day came and went. My a1C came in at 6.8 and exactly 35 days and 10 emails later I had my working holiday visa.
**If you’ve read through this and are thinking to yourself “what if I just check ‘no’ in the medical condition and chronic illness boxes” you are not alone. I wonder that often. But, honesty is always the best policy. This guide is not how you have to do things, it is what I did and how that has played out.
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