Working holiday to residence - success

[Elaine_NZ]

First, here's the timeline of our residence application process, it took 234 days between ITA submission and blue stickers in hand:

20/03/2013 EOI Submitted (140 points, in employment on work visa)
03/04/2013 EOI Selected
19/04/2013 ITA Received
29/04/2013 ITA Submitted (to CHC Branch)
Long wait, no updates
06/11/2013 CO assigned (at Henderson Branch) & requested further relationship evidence (proof we were STILL together since 6 months had passed since submission)
02/12/2013 Status update e-mail notification & online status change to APPROVED
07/12/2013 Passport and levy e-mail instructions
09/12/2013 Passports and payment mailed
17/12/2013 Status update e-mail notification & online immigration status updated to RESIDENT
19/12/2013 Passports returned with visa stickers

Luckily, both of our medicals were still in INZ's records, we also still had the relationship timeline from the previous visa application and our language skills were proven by current employment and studies (plus we included our 'expired' IELTS documents as a proof of our long-term English language competence, scoring 8.0 overall). My partner, the principal applicant, had to submit his academic record for NZQA assessment. This was in my opinion unnecessary, lengthy and expensive process (plus our qualification always gets degraded from BSc Hons to BSc which was luckily irrelevant in this instance). All thanks go to NZ's policy of excluding my home country from any exemptions (although our universities are like any other European ones and our road code is the same as anywhere else!). I was also worried that since INZ takes so much time to actually look at your SMC application, we'd need to reapply for police certificates (which would just be another annoying cost since our home country decided to no longer issue them in English (dark ages obviously getting popular there again...)).

I've been on quite a few visas INZ has to offer; visitor, TRSE, working holiday, student and now residence. Our first visit was back in 2008 as backpackers and while the scenery was breathtaking, living in a van for 4 months and picking fruit wasn't neither fun nor easy. Returned back home earlier than we planned, only to realise how different (in a good sense) it really was down here inspite the problems NZ society has. We were fortunate that right at that time, a WH agreement was signed , so we applied for that and left for NZ once again. We unsuccessfully looked for skilled employment for months and ended up enrolling at the university. Based on my student visa my partner then got a work visa. He then got a job extremely quickly, settled there and at that point we realised we were finally eligible to apply through SMC.

Applying through SMC was a long, expensive and thus nerve-wrecking process. But it was all worth it in the end. NZ is definitely not the greatest place in the world, but it enabled more opportunities for us to have a pleasant life than our home country did (I'd still be an unemployed burden to my parents back home). And I hear things had gotten worse since we left over 3 years ago... Here, I got the opportunity to start an academic career and now that I'm a resident I can HOPEFULLY finally land a permanent position AND within my field of expertise BEFORE I turn 30 (although I'm still VERY pesimistic in this regard since I can't exaggerate claiming being an expert in something I'm not like most people can ).

I do miss my family and the few true friends I have left behind (Skype and Facebook solve that issue rather well), European food (we order what we can from Auckland), European prices and efficient customer service, fast and good value postal services and snow in winter. On the other hand, I more or less enjoy the fact that people here are laid back, they mind their own business, aren't too abusive, don't care how you look and in my experience don't discriminate by ethnicity (being a European caucasian myself). I distance myself from the things I don't like here, I find "living in a bubble" has always worked for me.

We found a cute little insulated house with double glazed windows and have been happy since. I'm never living in a dump again (or in a van for that matter!). My partner has a secure job and I'll start searching for one shortly. Being without kids by choice, we have all the time for ourselves and our hobbies. We have great finance management skills and have more than enough money for a decent life (no costs with vehicles or mortgage, at least one annual overseas holiday). It doesn't get much better than this.

To sum up, although NZ isn't exactly the promised land, it IS a land of opportunities. Working holiday can lead to residence, but be warned the path is not easy, quick or cheap. One must have persistence, desire, patience and most of all - LUCK.
If you do get the opportunity to settle here - great, if not - don't despair, there is something greater waiting for you elsewhere.


Lessons learned:
- it's a bit futile trying to get skilled employment on a student or WH visa,
- familiarise yourself with the system and present your case with as many arguments you can (don't assume anything),
- don't rent/buy a house just because it's cheap, search until you find one that meets ALL your needs (it makes SO much difference),
- rethink getting a mortgage (is it really WORTH paying huge annual interest rates for a house (plus maintenance plus council fees) just to be able to say 'this is mine'?)
- NEVER pay the retail price on electronics or furniture - ask for a price match, wait for the sales (e.g. labour weekend) or import them (whichever is cheapest),
- if you bought a crappy/faulty item, return it AND don't buy essential (to be frequently in use) furniture at The Warehouse regardless how cheap it is,
- when purchasing a service, DON'T be surprised it wasn't exactly what it was promised it would be,
- get unlimited fibre broadband and treat yourself to some good TV shows and civilised sports,
- enjoy the aspects of NZ which are good and try not let the ones that don't work for you ruin your day,
- even though you THINK you're smarter than Kiwis, nobody else does (or cares),
- rant near people who understand your frustration (family, fellow migrants), otherwise you're just wasting your breath,
AND last but not least:
- Maccas sundae sucks (exclusively in NZ).

[JandM]

Thanks for sharing your whole story.

[rv1103]

Congratulations Elaine & thanks for the informative share!

[creepmouse]

Awesome! Thank you for your story
If you don't mind me asking, is the first date that you've listed the date you were granted your WHV?

[Elaine_NZ]

If you don't mind me asking, is the first date that you've listed the date you were granted your WHV?

No, apologies if it's a bit confusing, the timeline refers only to SMC application progress. I was granted my WH visa in May 2010 and arrived in NZ in September 2010 and after that I also spent 2.5 years on a student visa.

[jawnbc]

You had me until Maccas sundaes. But then again, everyone knows that you go for the cones at Maccas, not the sundaes.

Glad it's working so well for you. Where in Europe are you folks from?

[jawnbc]

You had me until Maccas sundaes. But then again, everyone knows that you go for the cones at Maccas, not the sundaes.

Glad it's working so well for you. Where in Europe are you folks from?

[Elaine_NZ]

You had me until Maccas sundaes. But then again, everyone knows that you go for the cones at Maccas, not the sundaes.

Glad it's working so well for you. Where in Europe are you folks from?

But isn't ice-cream the same in the cones as in sundaes? Well, I just go to BK for a sundae instead.

Yes, going all right so far, will see what future brings... We're from former Yugoslavia.