ITA on the way, now I have a few Qs

[PapaDocta]

First of all I would like to thank this forum for the valuable information and help they provide to kiwis wanna be :-D

I'll give a brief background about my process

1.* Applied for EOI on the 24th of January 2012 with a score of 130
2.* EOI got selected on the 25th of January
3.* Decision successful on 25th of February
4.* Waiting for ITA package to arrive although I haven't received any emails from them, I just checked the website and saw the result.

Now I have a few questions
1.* Should I start my medicals and police certificate now or wait till I get the ITA package?
2.* Will the ITA arrive via regular mail or express service such as FedEx or DHL?
3.* I'll be selling my house and expecting to get from US$300k to US$400k,* will be able to buy a small house and a small business such as a gas station or something similar with that amount?
4.* Should I pay for the house and small business in cash or should I apply for loan? I was thinking to place that money in a savings account and only pay a down payment for both the house and small business and benefit from the interest? Will I be able to apply for a loan as soon as I get there or is there a time limit?
5.* I'm looking for a safe and uncrowded area to live and read that southern part of the country is the best and cheapest too.
6. I applied for SMC, if I don't find a job within the time frame will my small business be considered as a replacement so I don't violate my SMC?

sorry for the long questions

[JandM]

Hello and welcome.

A medical certificate must be no older than three months when you submit it with your application, so be careful not to get it too soon. If you have any difficulty collecting other evidence, it could run out before you get to send your ITA back.

For a police certificate, it must be no older than six months. So there is a bit of a balancing act for this - in some countries, it can take a long while to get the certificate, so you need to allow for that, but also not let it run out before submission.

Under the Skilled Migrant Category, you get a Residence visa if successful. There is usually only a condition on the visa if part of the points that got you selected were due to a job offer, the condition being that you take up that job within three months of arrival, and stay in the job for at least three months - after that, you get Residence free and clear. You need to notice that the Skilled Migrant Category is based on the intention that the applicant will come in to be employed in their skill. Without a job offer, the last stage of the assessment process will be an interview with your Case Officer, for them to decide about your knowledge of the country and its systems and way of life, and your employability. They will want to know what you have already done about trying to find skilled work in NZ, who you have contacted, what you have discovered about where to approach or look for work, etc. etc.. And the intention of self-employment does not fulfil this requirement. Notice, when once you get a Residence visa, you can THEN do whatever you want - work at your skill, or some other kind of job, go and be a student, start your own business - or even be a dropout if you can afford it. But while you are getting the visa, you have to focus on how to get a job using the skilled qualifications you have put forward on your EOI.

[PapaDocta]

JandM,

thank you so much for the quick and full reply..

I submitted my EOI without a job offer and i have been looking for a job through online job sites and have applied but always locals get selected over me .. maybe this will be different if i were already in NZ..

again thank you so much

[JandM]

That is almost always the case.

The trouble is that many NZ employers are mistrustful of applicants from overseas, because so many turn out to be timewasters. People apply for a job without having researched the stringent NZ immigration laws, and so without realizing the amount of time and money it will take to obtain a visa. Or they apply without having discussed the matter with their family, who are then not in agreement to such a change in their lives. In either case, the employer, who thought he had made an appointment for someone to start in the near future, would end up with nobody to do the job, and having to start all over again.

For this reason, many NZ employers are reluctant to deal with anyone from overseas, unless and until they have come to NZ to be interviewed, and/or have got well on with the visa application process. Both scenarios demonstrate a commitment of time and money, and go some way to proving the candidate's serious intentions to making the move.

Quite a few members of the forum have managed to get job offers by making a recce trip, having contacted prospective employers or agents beforehand, telling them when they will be available for interview.