US Elections: American Family Gets Happy News from New Zealand Immigration on Election Day

An American family was overjoyed to receive final confirmation that they are allowed to move to New Zealand, and the news came just on the day of the most controversial election in American history.

The Shelton family in eastern North Carolina was watching election coverage when Dad decided to check his email.

In their inbox was the news they had been waiting for over a year: they are finally going to be able to move to New Zealand.

“Like a ray of hope in the midst of a violent storm, there it was: an email from INZ saying that our entry visa has been approved and that we can finally, after almost two years of being in the works, book quarantine hotels and plane tickets, “said Vallere Shelton, a North Carolina mother of six.

Vallere and her husband PG will be moving to New Zealand in the new year, along with their children, Ian, nearly 15, Zollie, 13, Ceirdwyn, 10, Eowyn, 8, Micah, 6, and Rohan, 3.

The family, who spent a year living in New Zealand in 2011/2012, started the process of returning to New Zealand in April last year, submitting job applications.

PG is a child and adolescent psychiatrist, a field of critical shortage, and signed a contract with Midcentral DHB in June last year, but several medical setbacks delayed the move, which was further affected by the pandemic.

With fond memories of their time in Whanganui in 2011, the American family is now looking forward to settling down in Palmerston North, after what has been a rollercoaster of a last year in the US.

“We’ve had residency visas approved for months, but Covid caused all sorts of additional red tape and it had been incredibly nerve-wracking to be in limbo – originally my husband’s start date was in August, so we’ve been through almost a half. December without knowing their employment situation, ”explained Varelle.

“These last few months have been very difficult. Very stressful, my husband and I got Covid-19 during the doctor visit to get our medical exams for the visitor visa and get permission to book MIQ, don’t worry! They tested positive on antibodies now, we have not been able to visit family as we intended to do before we left due to Covid. It has just been a lot, “he added.

When Covid-19 hit New Zealand and Immigration NZ was shut down during the shutdown, the family was going through the process of obtaining their residency visas in New Zealand.

“We have two children with endocrine problems, and one of them was singled out by a doctor, so we had to go through an appeals process, which was also quite long. Then Covid happened, and INZ closed and removed all of its staff from the US embassy. We were finally approved for our residency visas in July 2020, “explained Varelle.

“However, we couldn’t just send our passports to the Embassy to be seen, so to enter New Zealand, we had to apply for visitor visas with special exceptions. Again, my son was singled out for medical assistance and we had to get him another medical exam for him for the visitor visa. During that trip to the doctor, my husband and I contracted Covid. “

The virus was “pretty tough.”

“For me the worst part was a terrible headache and really intense fatigue. My husband also had higher fever and fatigue. We tried to stay in our room away from the children and luckily our older children kept the house running. We were sick for a full two weeks, and then gradually we regained our strength. Right at the end of our quarantine, our 3-year-old son fell ill. Fortunately, his only symptom was sleeping late and going to bed early. “

Even if they had not contracted the virus, Covid-19 had already altered their lives more than anyone would want.

Varelle’s husband moved to more telemedicine appointments, and whenever he had to see colleagues or patients, he had to wear full PPE and maintain social distancing.

The lockdowns also ruined the Sheltons’ plans to spend more time with family and friends in 2020, before moving to New Zealand. Suddenly, they couldn’t say the goodbyes that they thought they would have time to say.

“For me, as a stay-at-home mother, we are homebound. We cannot have playgroups or go to parks. Knowing that we were going to move abroad, we had planned to spend most of 2020 visiting family and friends, and that has not been possible. It has made it much more difficult for our family to know that we are leaving and not being able to spend time with us and the children as they want. They also know that they cannot just come visit us in New Zealand like the last time we were there, “Varelle said.

In addition, they know many people who have contracted the virus. “We have some extended family members who have had it, and several friends and acquaintances. Most have recovered, but there are some who are still dealing with persistent symptoms.”

New Zealand’s handling of the pandemic helped cement its decision to move.

According to Varelle, New Zealand has always had a good reputation where the family lives, but the country’s handling of the pandemic made people talk more about it. “I would say that most of the people around here hold NZ on a pedestal to control the pandemic,” he said.

Bush walks, hokey pokey and L&P

Fully recovered and with residency visas in hand, the countdown begins and the family awaits a new beginning in New Zealand.

Judging by the number of Google searches for “How to move to New Zealand” from US-based Internet users, the Sheltons aren’t the only ones hoping for a fresh start in the country.

Yesterday, Election Day in the US, Google showed an increase in searches for people who wanted to know more about it.

Shelton’s children have mixed feelings about the move. They are excited about New Zealand, but also say they must leave family and friends behind.

“We are thankful for the technology so they can still video chat with their loved ones at home. The pandemic has already given us a lot of practice with that,” said the mother.

As for the rest of his family and friends, most of them are “sad, but supportive.” “Almost all of our friends have expressed jealousy and are incredibly happy for us,” Vallere said.

They look forward to the “amazing green hills” of New Zealand, but also some scoops of hokey pokey ice cream and the taste of L&P.

“My older children, who have some vague memories of New Zealand, want to go back to Te Papa to see the giant squid and have told all the younger children how much fun it was to play at Kowhai Park in Whanganui. My husband and the We are both looking forward to all the outdoor activities NZ has to offer – spending time wandering as a family and exploring beautiful walks in the woods. He also misses teamwork at his work in New Zealand. “

2021 will definitely be a new beginning for the family, from North Carolina to Palmerston North.

“Congratulations New Zealand,” says Vallere. They have to pack quite a bit.