How much did your entire immigration move cost?

[Seabottom]

I'm asking this 'cause I want to make sure I have enough money for a change in my life and to make sure I'm stranded at any one point in this process.

Basically, I want to know the total cost from the moment you started filling out VISA's until you got a steady income by working in New Zealand, if anyone would be so kind and share it with me

At the time of writing I've got 39.000 DKK equivalent to 8.700 NZD. I've been doing some calculations including everything I can possibly think of and it seems that this amount is a bare minimum.

Prices in NZD
Flight: 1500
WH VISA: 290
W2R VISA: 360
Shipping firm: 500
EWRB license: 577
Car rental/purchase: 500 a month
House rental/purchase: 1000 a month
Total: 4800 the first month

Min. required at entry to NZ: 4200


What are your experiences regarding money issues with immigration?
I do plan on getting a temp job to get some extra 4500 NZD or something just to be safe.

[PJ87]

Hey Seabottom,

So far on the visa alone (Residence visa - including medicals, migrant levy, police certificate etc.) I must have spent nearly $2500 NZD. We bought our flights last week which were another $1200 each.

A couple of extra little things you may need to factor in is some sort of travel insurance and if you decide to take on the lease of a house/apartment, you may need around $2k for a deposit/bond and first month's rent plus money to furnish the place if it's not already got stuff in that you can use.

The numbers get a bit scary when you add it all up!!

[mikeandcaroline]

Yes, the numbers do get scary, I gave up keeping a check of how much this move was costing us quite a while ago. Whilst I had accounted for the main costs in my budget it is all the little incidentals that kind of add up - paying a solicitor for certifying the relevant documents, cost of driving around to get medicals etc done, postage for sending parcels of paperwork, ink and paper for printer for all the printing and copying you have to do etc.

Our main costs so far for an Essential Skills Work Visa have been (per person)

medical inc xrays and blood tests - 400gbp each
UK police cert - 80gbp each (I think)
visa application fees - 135gbp each (I think) plus the processing fee of 24gbp each plus return of documents fee 7gbp (approx)
flights - 1100 gbp each
removals for 20ft container plus a small car including insurance - 5500gbp


Now we are here
car hire - 329nzd per week - small cheaper car
furnished accommodation - 595nzd per week - small 2 bed apartment holiday let all inclusive of bills including internet and phone

Not included yet is the costs to get our effects and car into the country which will be a few thousand dollars I expect.

We are now looking at renting unfurnished for when our container arrives and this will have upfront costs of around 4-6 weeks rental value which for us will be around 3500nzd.

Anything is possible and you live according to your means, but the more money you have available the less pressure you will be under when you first arrive.

Good luck with the plan for your new life

[Seabottom]

I guess my suspicions were spot on. I'm going to save up at least 15k NZD before I do anything. Getting stranded without money is the worst possible thing that could happen and I don't want that.
The reason for that I listed two visa's is because I figured, as soon as I arrive, I could get a month or two of temporary work in any no-skill job just to make some money and to have something to do while I wait for the EWRB to give me a license to work as an electrician.

I'd still like to hear other people's situation though

[G-Mo]

Our move total cost, as per your specs "from the moment you started filling out VISA's until you got a steady income by working in New Zealand", was about $55k.

[Seabottom]

Our move total cost, as per your specs "from the moment you started filling out VISA's until you got a steady income by working in New Zealand", was about $55k.

Omg 55k? I suppose that you are more than two persons then? I dunno, if you are two adults and two children then that'd be 55/4=13750$ per person roughly.
Still.... that's a big-ass load of money you spent, and remember, I'm only one person. Just me, no one else is coming with me.

[Beachcombers]

Jeez! Crazy money. We did it on the cheap. Arrived on visitors visas with $500 to our name. My wife got a cash paying job and I looked for work. Stayed in a hostel for two months. Lived on about $100/week. Got a job, got a work visa. Can't remember how much a work visa cost but it was no more than a couple hundred bucks.

Once I was in full time work we were off and running. Applied for residency after two years in the country.

Slow and steady wins the race.

[FrenchGuy]

Hi,
we'll move to NZ from France in few months/weeks with a PR under SMC.

Our costs so far have been (for 2 persons):

EOI 334,42€ => ~550NZD
NZQA fast track 779,96€ => ~1300NZD
Passeports 172€ (2*86€) => ~280NZD
Radiologist 100€ (2*50€) => ~160NZD
Panel doctor 100€ (2*50€) => ~160NZD
Medical analysis 164,16 (2*82,08€) => ~270NZD
Translation 858,73€ => ~1400NZD
Translation 153,85€ => ~250NZD
ITA 1426,46€ => ~2300NZD
Translation 178,56€ => ~300NZD

Total 4268,14€ => ~7000NZD

We still have to pay for :
- migrant levy : 2 * 310€ => ~1000NZD
- flights : 2 * 1000€ => ~3300NZD
- 10m³ ? container : ~2500/3000€ => ~4000/4900NZD

We expect a final total of ~15000/16000NZD

[G-Mo]

Jeez! Crazy money. We did it on the cheap. Arrived on visitors visas with $500 to our name. My wife got a cash paying job and I looked for work. ...

Slow and steady wins the race.

Ah yes , the illegal route. I'd be carrful about admitting that in a public forum...

[Beachcombers]

Ah yes , the illegal route. I'd be carrful about admitting that in a public forum...

Oh please, it was five weeks before we got a work visa. Hardly public enemy number 1.