Excited!!!

[benharris249]

Hi Everyone!

Me and my partner arrive in Auckland in October, one way flights booked!
We have a general idea about what we want to do, and how we will do it, but the rest we will just go with the flow!

Never been to NZ and actually wanted to move to Australia, never even though of NZ, then we started looking into it after going to an emigration conference, and within a few hours our minds were changed.
We arrive on Working Holiday Visas, i am an Analyst Programmer and my partner is a Manager of Customer Care in a local insurance company (If anyone wants to hire us!)
From a lot of advice we were given it seems like the best option, hopefully we will have jobs sorted before we arrive, but we have been told it should be a bit easier when we do get there.
My main question is have we forgotten anything???
Our visas have been accepted, flights booked (with a 2 week trip to Thailand on the way), we have not arranged accommodation yet but we are staying in a hotel for the first week definitely, and really accomodation depends whether or not we have jobs to go in to, if not then we will be travelling and generally enjoying NZ!

As far as i know i can apply for a work permit when i have a job offer, which lets me accept a permanent position, and if all goes well i have been advised to go for a Working to residency visa.

I do love my car and if all goes well i will be shipping that out there (after a few months of knowing we are safe out there) and I have all the information on that.

So its all there roughly, just didn't know if we are missing anything and if we are then would anyone kindly advise us?

Thanks

Ben

[ChrisMwn]

always go for SMC, if you are eligible (with a job as an A/P?) if you wait for WTR, then its a minimum of 2 years before you can even apply for residence

[lilie]

go for the residence now if you have enough point for SMC.
you'll have now all the paper in hand and if you need to ask more it is always easier to do it when you're in same country.
Residence can take a year, so check the points you can have regarding your job experience and qualification and gather documentation. then if you can afford it, do it now, it will be definitely less stressful than here, because you know you'll have time.
if you hold a WHV, you don't need to apply for a work permit now. keep your WHV until it ends, it will give you flexibility maybe to find the best job position you can, to make SMC residency easier.
NB: if you have an interview, maybe don't mention your first wish was Australia, but it's your call not mine

but that's only my thought.

good luck and

[benharris249]

Haha, yeah ill leave the Australia bit out. I have enough points for the SMC, but i think i would rather keep the money we have so we can travel and go with pot luck when we arrive. I know the EOI is over $500 in itself, not sure on how much the actual visa is. So use the WHV and then a work visa to extend our stay, and assuming we like NZ (im sure we will) we can then get the residency process going while we still have a while left on our work Visas. I will carry on looking into other options though, I am trying to find jobs before I arrive, so if this changes and we have jobs to walk into, then we could submit an application for the SMC, with a job offer we would have over 140 points which means we skip the EOI selection pool as far as i can tell. Whatever happens though, i'm quite excited to arrive and do lots of travelling!

[ChrisMwn]

you wont ever skip the selection pool, but with 100pts+ and a job offer you will be selected at next draw (every 2 weeks, 1.00pm on an Wednesday) its NZ1810 for the application fee, (plus $310 each for migrant levy at the end) on top of your $510 for EOI fee.

[lilie]

Get your point about saving money in the first place but you may want to consider the residency option while still under WHV, simple reason is most of employer dont want to go through the hassle of hiring someone for whom they will have to do the whole work visa process.
Keep in mind that:
with a work visa: YOUR Employer have to provide proof to INZ that he/she tried to hired a kiwi or even anyone who might hold a valid work visa (even a WHV or any other temporary work visa might do) before considering hiring you. This means, your employer have to offer you a job offer that fit INZ requirement for a work visa + go through different process of proof of recruitement that failed to find a suitable applicant to the job with a work visa, so that's why he/she is considering your application. The documents your employer have to provide, involve proof he has been looking for someone for sometime. if INZ is not satisfied with your employer research they will tell him, and find someone on the market (so NOT you) and trust me they will. it happens with a work mate.

with residency: the logic is different because you have to proove that you are qualified enough and experienced enough to settle down properly in NZ, which involves having a job offer in the first place under SMC preferably. Your employer just have to confirm you are good and suitable but he/she doesn't have to prove you are the best, or what so ever, just that you fit the job requirement. The residency application is axed on you (not your employer perspective) and your ability to have a nice and happy life in NZ.

So consider this, because, like you when my husband and I first came in NZ we though we had plenty of time to think of residency and it happened that we should have started the process right when we arrived and not 2 years (and 2 work visa ) after. Keep in mind that a work visa for you and your partner cost about $200 + translation and medical fees which can easily bring the total to roughly $500 per person ($1000 for a couple). which quiet pricey for a one year visa.. residency is a lifetime investment on the other side and will cost approximately $3500 for you both.

And even if you think you have plenty of points, INZ point system is more complicated that it first seems, you may ended with clearly less point that you first think. And the more point, the more documents, the longer the verification process by INZ... that's why it takes about a year.

You may want to enjoy and travel around the country when you arrive, but if your wish is to settle down here, you will have a life time to do so..

I don't want to paint a dark picture of it. But I would have really appreciated if someone had told me this when/before we arrived. It would have changed a lot of things for us. We are now still waiting for residency after 10 months, and because of this wait, our life projects are on hold since then. Trust me it is not healthy to live this situation for that long

Plus, when you have a work visa, you depend totally (and your partner too) on your job, which bring a lot more pressure on you, and a lot more advantage to your employer. Not every employer takes advantage of holding your permit to be in NZ, but let's be honest, all of my friends who hold a work visa linked to they employer, only wish to be free from it. Employers who agree to do the whole work visa process GENERALLY know the advantages and "power" it give them on their employees, unfortunately. I have never thought of that before I (and all my foreign friends) experience it.

I don't know how old you are, and I'm sure you will love this country as much as I do, because it is such a wonderful place to live and grow a family. So enjoy your arriving, first of all, but maybe keep that somewhere in mind so you won't struggle to stay here and won't wast time afterward

[wellywearer]

Very exciting for you
Sounds like you're thinking things through and being on this forum, asking questions and looking around is a great way to plug any knowledge gaps!
Some great advice on visas, I've a friend who regrets not doing the SMC sooner. Remember once you've done your 2 years on the SMC you have your permanent residency which gives you more options for the future - you'll know you can stay in NZ if you want, or go to another country and then come back again or not, but it'll be your choice at that stage.
Enjoy Thailand, sounds like a great plan

[JandM]

Just to add to lilie's comments about the work visa, and the employer having to prove they tried to recruit locally before hiring you. That goes, except if the job is on one of the Essential Skills in Demand lists, see here http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra.../requirements/. Or else the employer can already have approval to recruit from overseas, see here http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...entialwork.htm. INZ has a list of these accredited employers, here. http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...loyersList.htm

Entering 'ICT' here http://skillshortages.immigration.govt.nz/, I see several different mentions of 'analyst', so it looks as though you may well find you have a Skill in Demand.

[benharris249]

Lilie i'll definitely keep it in my mind, it all makes sense what you have said, so thanks. I'm 23, and i am pretty sure we will both love it, spent countless hours on google earth, we have already made lists of places we want to visit, its already 3 pages long!

I spent a few hours the other night on the forum looking at other people timelines, old visa questions, places to see etc so this forum has definitely helped. Hasn't helped with the excitement though, we just want to leave now!

An analyst programmer is on both the Skilled Occupation list and the Long Term list, so it seems like there are a fair few ways of going about it all, I think we will stick with our plan for the time being, sit down and go through all our options again, taking into account everything on here as well, but thanks everyone so far for your help and advice. I'm sure ill be on here quite a bit for the next few weeks!

[jawnbc]

Definitely go for SMC if you can swing the associated costs. Points systems can change, jobs on the skills shortage lists can be removed, etc.