After six weeks of trying to get proof of her permanent residency, Immigration New Zealand sent through the needed documents.
But in the meantime, the woman, who declined to be named, lost out on a job offer, was unable to apply for a Jobseekers benefit and drained her savings.
She is now warning others to get their documents in order before they need them.
During the 1970s, the woman, who was born in England, moved with her family to New Zealand from Canada.
At the time, children were able to travel on their parents’ passports "as extra luggage", the woman said.
She has been a permanent resident ever since and has gone on to work, go to university, raise children and buy a house with no issues.
However, when she left her job this year and started applying for new ones, she hit an unexpected and time-consuming bump in the road.
"I needed to show proof of residency.
"I’ve been working for years and years and have never needed to do that, and it turns out I didn’t have proof of residency on hand."
No worries, she thought, and called Immigration New Zealand.
But it was a worry.
"I haven’t left the country since 1983 ..," she said.
"All my documents are probably sitting in a dusty box in a basement somewhere — turns out they could not just send some through."
In 2008, the woman had asked for a certificate proving her residency.
However, the letter never came and she never followed it up.
The letter was still in Immigration New Zealand’s system, but she was told it could not be reprinted as it was "on an old system", and the representative she spoke to "did not have the authority to print it off".
In the meantime, her job offer was rescinded as her potential employer could not wait any longer to fill the position.
Given she did not have a job she also needed the letter to apply for a Jobseekers benefit from Work and Income.
The woman filled out an online form to request her documents but the first application was "lost in the nether", and a second was sent a few weeks later with an expected wait time of 20 days for a response.
"I was waiting, waiting, waiting and I had no income. I went in to Work and Income because I just thought ‘bugger this, I can’t wait’."
"I was scrounging off my children, my brother, I mean, it’s embarrassing."
As she had been out of work and unable to apply for a benefit hersavings had dried up and she had to apply for hardship relief on her mortgage, power and other bills.
Putting a Ministry of Social Development Work and Income representative on the phone with Immigration New Zealand eventually solved the problem.
"I was really stressed ... she had a conversation with the immigration representative and we had a long, long conversation.
"We pushed and he talked to a manager and he said he can actually send me the letter — I could have had that letter six weeks ago.
"If I had that letter weeks ago I wouldn’t even need a benefit, that’s what I’m so pissed about."
Now, letter in hand, she was on a Jobseekers benefit while she looked for another job.
"The system has worked against me and now I’m costing them money," she said
"I’m getting this bloody letter laminated, I tell you."
Immigration New Zealand said it was unable to respond to Otago Daily Times’ questions by deadline.
