Hi all!
I promised myself to share my experience when I get my passport back with the blue sticker and it arrived this morning!
This is for those who applied for Residence under Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) from overseas without job offer, whose application was deferred for 12 month and granted Job Search (formerly known as Work-to-Residence) visa valid for 9 months. I read in other threads that instructions should be explained in the letter that came from immigration, in my case, the instruction wasn't clear when it comes to what I really needed to do. It didn't say anything about the three-month in skilled employment, the list of requirements as evidence that I needed to submit nor when should I submit it. So I'm sharing what I learned and how I did it, this is by no means the ONLY way to do it but it's what got me my residency.
- Get Skilled Employment
This is self-explanatory, get a job that is related or in line with the skill you lodged in you residence application. I know some people are left with no choice but to get ANY job to get by, but remember that with this kind of visa, time is ticking (9 months), you knew what you were getting into early on, you can avoid to be in a situation that you will be forced to get any job to get by if you've prepared enough, make sure you have enough savings or friends who can help you out in this period until you land a job that will help you get residence. Working on a job not related to your skill will eat up time, valuable time that you could be spending on finding the right kind of job.
When you get a job offer in your line of work, please make sure that it is an on-going permanent position, some people encountered problems with employment contracts indicating "fixed term" or similar case (see this thread), you're best bet is to go for a permanent one, or have a contract that doesn't indicate any concept of fixed term and/or contractual employment. Make sure that the contract at the very least states Remuneration Details (Schedule 1) and Job Description (Schedule 2), it's better to make this adjustment sooner than later.
- Probation Period
I didn't know about the 3-month employment probationary period until I arrived in NZ, back in my home country it's usually 6 months. I learned from forums that I needed to be in the skilled employment for three months before my residence visa could be approved, it only made sense to me when I learned about the probation period. What I did was to complete the requirements (I'll list that next) and submit them on the third month of employment, I wasn't aware that alternatively, I could have sent the job offer earlier so immigration could start processing it.
The pro and con of submitting on the third month:
Pro - All requirements can be submitted at once, including the 3-month skilled employment, no questions from CO
Con - Wasted a week waiting for my files to come from Beijing (where I originally applied) to Auckland branch.
The pro and con of submitting earlier:
Pro - Files can be sent from original branch to you NZ branch while waiting to complete your 3 months employment
Con - You visa can't be approved until you complete your 3-month employment, you may need to send further proof from employer, only then processing can proceed.
- Requirements
These are the documents I sent, this list is non-exhaustive so if you have other docs that you think will help include them:
• Certified Copy of Passport (If you don't plan to send you passport immediately, I sent mine after they asked for it, some people includes their passport but it's up to you)
• Payslips for the Past Three Months
• Salary Direct Credit Bank Transactions
• Job Search Visa Approval Letter - photocopy and original
• Individual Employment Agreement - photocopy and original
o Schedule 1 – Remuneration – photocopy and original
o Schedule 2 – Job Description – photocopy and original
I also sent a cover letter (click attachment Cover Letter.txt) stating all documents included, feel free to use the format.
- Migrant Levy Fee
It's 310NZD for me, you might want to check Form and Fee Finder for the latest and accurate amount
- Timeline
13JUL - Sent Documents to Henderson Branch
17AUG - Received email from CO that he's handling my case
22AUG - Approved in Principle
23AUG - Sent Passport + Migrant Levy Fee Payment Form
13SEP - Received Passport with Residence Visa
Hope this helps!