Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 18

Thread: How much do they hassle essential skills one year work applications for medical issues?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    11

    Default How much do they hassle essential skills one year work applications for medical issues?

    Greetings. My husband and I are planning to return to NZ for one year in July - he is a child psychiatrist - they are much in demand in NZ. He worked for six months in AUckland in 2005 and the clinic wants him to return for a year. We submitted all of our visas paperwork with plenty of time to get everything approved for our departure in mid-July as his contract begins August 1. However, the medical assessor has asked for more information. My husband had a cardiac catheterization in 2007 with stents inserted, and he has borderline high glucose and associated borderline elevated levels. He submitted a normal stress test, and all medical reports were positive.

    The medical assessor asked for additional bloodtests - basically a repeat of the same ones he had already submitted. They aren't going to be any different than the first ones. The hospital that is going to employ him is trying to put pressure on the medical assessor to come through with a timely and hopefully positive outcome.

    I've read a lot of the threads, but I'm wondering if there is a difference in the MA approach to those coming on student visas, permanent immigration or - in our case - a year long stay in an essential skills work area. Does anyone know about this? He will not be covered by NZ health insurance because we will only be there for a year. His health is stable. They are desperate for him to come and work there. Will this make a diffeence?

    I'd appreciate any input on this. We've been "promised" a response next week, but I'm concerned they will just ask for more repeat information that won't be any different than what we have already submitted!

    I wish we had just applied for six months again and this wouldn't have happened!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Auckland
    Posts
    3,697

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Happy12054 View Post
    The medical assessor asked for additional bloodtests - basically a repeat of the same ones he had already submitted. They aren't going to be any different than the first ones. The hospital that is going to employ him is trying to put pressure on the medical assessor to come through with a timely and hopefully positive outcome.
    Hoping the MA response comes in your favor. I'm not sure if MA's details are made public, Case Officer acts are intermediate agent between applicants and MA so I wonder how the hospital (to-be employer) would know these details.

    For normal cases like ours, we spent about 5 months clearing out MA referral with each cycle of communication from MA taking about 3 weeks time.

    All the best and I guess someone with more accurate information will drop a line.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    37,822

    Default

    If your husband's tests show the same results as before, this is probably a good thing. It could be that the MA just wants to see that nothing is worsening over time.

    I agree with Sun777 that as far as we've ever heard, no outside body can 'get at' the MAs to influence them. COs can't hurry them, and neither applicants themselves nor people on their behalf are allowed to communicate with them.

    I'm not aware that the guidelines MAs work to have ever been made public, so can't say whether there's a difference in the way they regard people applying for the shorter-length visas.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    11

    Default

    Thanks for the info. I don't believe that anyone has influence over the MA in our case, but my question had more to do with whether they are more likely to approve an application who is clearly a temporary, one-year work visa vs. someone applying for a permanent stay. I probably mispoke to say there was "pressure" being put on the MA - rather I believe the employer is trying to ascertain when a decision might be made. Appreciate your thoughts.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    37,822

    Default

    This is nothing official, just me thinking aloud. It may be that MAs are told to look equally carefully at the one-year visa people, given that once in NZ, such a person could be offered an extension of the job and look to renew the visa and/or put in for Residence. The authorities can't take people's word for it that they aren't going to use the NZ national health service. Even if such a person starts out with private medical insurance and fully intends to go on with that, a scenario could arise in which they wouldn't be able to keep it up, and certain work conditions over a period of time automatically confer the right to use the public system.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Posts
    4,455

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by JandM View Post
    ...
    Even if such a person starts out with private medical insurance and fully intend to go on with that, a scenario could arise in which they wouldn't be able to keep it up, and certain work conditions over a period of time automatically confer the right to use the public system.
    I don't recall any work conditions giving you increased rights over time, do you have more information on this?

    Ian

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Manchester > Now Tauranga
    Posts
    4,393

    Default

    That was in the Herald last week - week before - in an article about illegals getting access to pre-natal services - people with work visas that sum to over a period of 2 years get access to public health.

    Was new to me too, but didn't have time to check it.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    37,822

    Default

    Ian, I wasn't thinking of increased rights over time. I was guessing that INZ know that, in many cases, a one-year work visa can be a first step towards a Residence application (when people change their mind about wanting to go 'home'). If requirements were less rigorous in the medical for a short visa than for the residence one, they would be laying themselves open to all kinds of protests and bad publicity when people were refused at the second medical, though their health hadn't changed since the first one.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Auckland, NZ
    Posts
    46

    Default

    I may need a temporary work visa to work for longer than six months but less than a year under the Essential Skills option.

    Good news - if you're going for 364 days it looks like you don't need to submit a full medical, just an X Ray certificate - check this page out:

    http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...ply/essential/

    The relevant bit is about half way down ("Submit evidence that you meet our health requirements").

    If you click on the pdf about the X Ray you will see that the radiologist has only two things to answer:

    Do you have TB?

    Have you ever had TB?


    And that's it.

    Nothing at all about the health conditions that hold up an application for full residency or a temporary working visa for more than 12 months.

    It looks like there's no need for the full medical for this visa - I'm checking with my emigration agent on Monday, but I expect to get out soon after doing my full medical and I'll let my agent in the UK get on with confirming PR for me down the line. The temporary visa costs about £115 (GBP) and is issued in about 10 days.

    Hope this helps!
    Last edited by Carnegie; 19th June 2011 at 05:39 AM.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    World
    Posts
    218

    Default

    As Carnegie says above there is no requirement for a full medical if its a 1 year work visa. So wonder why were you informed you needed one?

    And, I thought I read on the site that there are no limits to the number of renewals you could do? Is this true? Thanks.

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •