Need advice please - managed queue - aarrgh!!!

[smith2182]

Hi Folks,

Had some news yesterday which I wasn't best pleased at. London House sent an email saying that although they have had our stuff for 2 months if will remain in managed queue for another 2 months beacuse of present workload (no job offers). To say I'm displeased is an understatement!!!

So even though we are not planning on moving to Welly until June 2012, I dug out the CV yesterday, did some intensive freshening up of said CV and applied for Midwifery post at C & C DHB with the hope that they would be able to keep the post open for me until then (that's saying I'm successful in getting shortlisted and at interview.)

Few problems ahead that I need just some advice from you lovely folks. I was awaiting to get a CO assigned until I put our house on the market but now I'm at a bit of a loss what to do. If we didn't have kids I would bang it on the market but if it does sell and we don't get visa - well it would be a case of show me the nearest cliff!!!!

The housing market is not great at the moment and I would consider this time of the year the latest you could put it on the market before Xmas. Just to mention - need to sell the house before we come out and it is not a first time buyers house.

Advice would be welcome.

Secondly for those who you have been sucessful in phone/ Skype interviews for healthcare posts - just out of interest what kind of questions did they ask? Were there any surprises? Trying to get a little prepared just in case my luck does change.

Anyhow, going now - is it too early to hit the gin?? It's nearly 10am??

Thanks again

Nicky

[Mamee & Co]

HI NIcky

It took them 4 months to get around to our ITA when we submitted a while back. The waiting is the killer, isn't it?

The house, well we decided not to put ours on the market until we were approved in principle...it then took almost 10 months to sell. We were nervous wrecks, thinking that we would have to rent/extend mortgage etc. to get ourselves out here. I know that others though have taken much longer...so it is a luck of the draw!

Someone else sold within a couple of weeks, but then the visa did not come through, due to health issues for one of the family.

The question is, at the end of the day, would you want everything to remain the same if you do not get your visa or will you look for a change anyway? We did not risk it as we knew there was a possibility of a refusal on health grounds, though it was unlikely we were told but it is a very personal decision, especially in today's housing market. However if there are no health issues and unlikely to be any other issues for your visa it is a step that you may be prepared to take. After all a bird in the hand and all that....

Good Luck with whatever you decide.

Mamee

[benandclare]

Clare had her interview by phone, lasted about an hour. First bit general chatting then into the business end of matters, no great surprises as I recall except they were intrigued why we wanted to move and how we might settle.

June 2012 is not far away so should be no problem a position being held for you

Good luck.

[Manks]

And breathe! I know, it's probably not doing anything for your liver or the grey hairs right now but the visa situation is something that has to play out - unless you do manage to get a job offer to expedite it (good luck BTW)

I can't comment on the healthcare jobs bit - I'm sure plenty can - but my very recent experience of the UK housing market is that it is very slow and could take you months to get an offer. Our house was more of a 2nd/3rd home, not FTB. It is on a lovely estate (if a big large) in the 14th best town to bring up kids in the UK (allegedly!). It has some excellent schools and the house is zoned for them and we obviously have no chain. It still took over four months to get an offer, despite being competitively priced. There was a lot of competition in the market which didn't help, and I also think our first choice of agent was a mistake.

I would be loathe to guess at how much time you'd need to estimate for selling a house right now. I don't think the market is getting any better. But if I were you, and I was planning to move next year, I'd get on with marketing the house now and cross the bridge of what to do when you get to it. But this is just my opinion and I don't have little 'uns to think about.

[MetalSoul]

Secondly for those who you have been sucessful in phone/ Skype interviews for healthcare posts - just out of interest what kind of questions did they ask? Were there any surprises? Trying to get a little prepared just in case my luck does change.

Anyhow, going now - is it too early to hit the gin?? It's nearly 10am??

Nicky

Hi Nicky, I had 2 phone interviews and was successful on my 2nd.
First one lasted 70 mins, second one 40 mins.

I can send you a list of questions I was given by my agency if that helps. I put my own answers in and had them in front of me during the call for reference.

I had some scenario questions put to me. Try to relate any questions to your current role ie: how you deal with things now.

Depending on your job/ location try to find out as much as you can about the patients you will be caring for. I researched lots of Maori subjects and threw a few Maori words into the conversation...which went down well as there were 2 Maori representatives on the panel of 4

I have a start date of Jan 2012 which is a rough guide not a definite.

Can't help with the house situation sorry, as we're in rented.

Hope all goes well for you

PS. Never too early for gin

[Walt]

Hi Nicky,

We got the same letter yesterday. It was very disappointing since we are waiting for the CO for almost two month. We cross fingers that it will be faster and the new timeframe will not be extended any more…
It is interesting, what could cause such a delay, since from the posts in this forum, it looks like two month waiting for CO was the maximum for the London Branch.

[JandM]

As has been said many times before, there is NO set timing for any process within INZ. There can't be. They have no control over how many people submit applications at the same time, and no one can tell what complexities there are within individual cases of the people who happen to be ahead of you in the queue, which the same COs have to deal with before it's your turn. Then, there can be varying conditions within any office, e.g. staff leaving, or being on sick leave, which lead to an increased workload for those who are there and available. The details given on any INZ branch's 'processing times' page are averages of what is happening there at any given moment, that's all - they NEVER promise a set time.

[Azkateaz]

I saw this thread just after I sent in my ITA and decided I should be prepared to wait longer than two months to get a case officer. That was confirmed yesterday when I received my acknowledgement letter indicating a case officer would be assigned within 4 months. Looks like 4 months is the current time expectation after lodgement without a job offer.