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Thread: My plan to move to NZ - Can you find any problems with it?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Hamilton , NZ
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    Lightbulb My plan to move to NZ - Can you find any problems with it?

    Hi everyone,

    for the last 3 months i have been reading a ton of the posts in this forum and they have helped a lot. Today I felt ready to really jump onto my NZ adventure and start asking questions.

    I am a Portuguese girl currently living in the UK and I have a degree in a Future Growth area (Product Design). My partner is a British citizen with a degree in a different Future Growth area (Photography). Together we have enough points for the Skilled Migrant category but neither of us has a job offer and from what I read, if you don't have a job offer, there's not much hope to get a visa in this category.

    My partner currently has a job in England so we have come up with the plan of me being the one focusing full time in finding a job in NZ and when that is guaranteed he will quit his current job.

    I have moved form Portugal to England before and I know how hard it is to look for jobs online and apply through emails and phone calls. You need to actually be in the place to be able to be taken seriously and get a good chance of getting the position.

    After reading many different posts and through visa options this is my plan:

    Because Portugal isn't on the list of countries with an agreement to get a Holiday and Work Visa, the only option I can see is for me to get a Visitors Visa and walk up to companies to try and get a job.

    If I do get an offer, hopefully I can apply from within NZ for a Skilled Migrant Visa and get my partner to come to NZ.

    If it doesn't work, I would have visited NZ for 3 months and got to know a beautiful country!
    If immigration asks I will claim that I am going there to see if I like the country and that in the future I may think about moving there.

    Problems I can see:
    - In Europe, many times you get a job that is not advertised for. I read that some people have problems with being granted a work visa because the job they got wasn't advertised for. Does that mean that if I walk up to a company and they get interested in my skills, they can't just hire me and I get a work visa?

    -If I do get a job, but my visitor visa is about to expire, and I have already started the process to get a work visa... Is it possible to extend the duration of my stay until I receive a decision from the work visa status?


    Can anyone relate to my story and are there any other tips you can give me?
    Do you know anyone in the Product Design business in NZ?
    Do you think this plan might work?

    Thank you

    Sara

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Hamilton , NZ
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    Things to add:
    We have enough points to apply for residency. We have 120 now, but once one of us secures a job in our trade we get 180.

    I will be thankful for any comment anyone has !

    Sara

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Hamilton , NZ
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    We have booked plane tickets!!
    We would still love to hear everyone's comments, critics and encouragement!

    Thank you

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Hamilton , NZ
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    no one ever answered back but I though I would update everyone anyway,
    we got plane tickets for 90 days in nz to travel and look around

    we made contacts for skilled employment and managed to get some interviews before our departure

    we organised all evidence that we may need to provide when submitting EoI (applying from NZ may be an option)

    and we also filled in all needed forms in case we need to apply right away if we get a job offer
    and that way we can tell the employer that and he would be put at ease that we are being honest about staying and that the process will be quick.

    we are happy that we satisfy all the legal requirements from this official link http://www.dol.govt.nz/immigration/k...base/item/1135
    to look and see in NZ with a visitor visa

    This is happening !! We fly in 2 days !!

    We are hoping to apply under the skilled migrant category

    thats all

    Good luck everyone

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    37,824

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    Hello. I don't know how I missed seeing this thread at the time - sorry to have left you without an answer.

    About your no 1 problem you could see. This can be a problem in NZ if the job a foreigner is being offered is an unskilled job, or one with a skill which is not in short supply in NZ. However, if you have qualifications and are offered a skilled job in line with them, which is on the shortage lists, the employer would not have had to advertise and prove there was no NZer available. Or else, if the employer is accredited, he has already applied to INZ to have the right to recruit foreign workers.

    About your no 2 problem you could see. This isn't a problem at all. If you have a job offer and you have applied for a work visa while your visitor visa was still valid, though it's about to expire, then you are entitled to an interim visa while the work visa is processed. http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...erimvisaqa.htm

    Have a wonderful trip, and good luck with your job hunt.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    UK - France - Wellington
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    Hello
    How exciting for you and such a good idea to come and meet employers, a great way to make things happen (fingers crossed ) Well done on getting some meetings lined up.
    Sorry, don't know about product design but I'm sure you've been checking out seek.co.nz to see what's out there!
    Have a great flight and good luck

  7. #7
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    Nov 2012
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    UK - France - Wellington
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    This job sounds interesting

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Hamilton , NZ
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    Thank you everyone for your support.
    I have actually been following Xero's job posting but decided they are not the kind of company I want to work for. Also, the fact that they post on seek and other websites with a very wide population of people searching for jobs, makes it harder to go and actually talk to them before applying for a job. They will want to deal with everything through email .

    Can maybe one of you answer one question I have about the timeline of the application ? I though I knew it well but reading the nz immigration website left me confused.
    We have prepared all the paper work necessary to prove claims on our EoI , and we have estimated that with the job offer our points will be 180 (meaning we will automatically be selected).
    So how long does it take between being selected from the pool and being asked to submit the documents?

    And how long would it take between the branch receiving the documents and revise them?

    was hoping to be able to give the employer a rough time on when I would be ready to start the job if approved.
    Do you think I could work in a "volunteer" sort of position (internship perhaps?) until the visa is approved or is that also considered "work"?

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    37,824

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    So how long does it take between being selected from the pool and being asked to submit the documents?

    And how long would it take between the branch receiving the documents and revise them?
    It's impossible to tell for certain. This varies depending on such matters as the number of applications submitted just before and with your own, the complexity of each individual case, and how quickly people respond to the CO's request for verification. If you Google "INZ (whichever branch) processing times" you will see their best guess, based on how things have recently been going on average. But such estimates are never a promise.

    Processing an application for Residence under Skilled Migrant can take quite a long time. For that reason, many/most people in the situation you hope to be in - in NZ with a job offer - will also apply, at the same time, for a temporary work visa of one of these kinds http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra.../requirements/. This can be processed much more quickly, and will let you start to work for the employer all the sooner. Meanwhile, the SMC application will tick away in the background, taking whatever time it takes, without delaying things.

    Do you think I could work in a "volunteer" sort of position (internship perhaps?) until the visa is approved or is that also considered "work"?
    If volunteering was for your future employer, it would VERY likely be considered as work, and could if found out get you refused any visa you had applied for, and ejected from the country. You're not the only person to have thought of the possibility of starting early, and the rules want to close the loophole. See here. http://www.dol.govt.nz/immigration/k...base/item/1350

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    UK - France - Wellington
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    As JandM says, everyone has a different experience, there really is no exact answer.
    For us we were pulled out of the pool but had to wait a month before we received the "congrats, you've been pulled out the pool, now we need..." email.
    Searching "timelines" on this site will give you an idea of how it was for others, it might be quicker or slower for you but at least you get some ideas.

    Back to the job hunting. I wouldn't rule out any company yet (especially one having such growth). I think the first challenge is to get a job for local experience, then you can hunt around for the job that fits your aspirations better.
    If they have a phone number to be honest I'd give them a call. People are so friendly here, call up, explain you're looking for a job as X and just you'd like more information about that position in their company. Even if you don't want to apply (timing not right or for other reasons) or even if they don't have a position today, get to know them and what the role really looks like here. Perhaps you could ask to meet someone currently doing that role for a coffee.
    Seriously NZ is small, whichever city you end up in people within the same fields know each other, so start getting to know them
    Hope it goes well

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