Temporary Work Visa - LTSSL ambiguity?

[abulia]

Hello everyone,

I'm currently in NZ on a Working Holiday Visa (I'm from Canada). I have been working with the Department of Conservation working on biodiversity restoration/monitoring/pest control projects.

My employers would like to offer me a contract beyond the end of my work visa in October. The LTSSL includes "Environmental Research Scientist",. According to ANZSCO this means someone who

"Studies and develops policies and plans for the control of factors which may produce pollution, imbalance in or degradation of the environment. "

This is a REALLY broad category, but I notice that it includes "ecologist" as a specialization, which is probably closest to what I actually do.

My questions are:

1. How strict are they with wording in ambiguous categories like this? I'm not sure they'll accept my Bachelor of Science either, since the title isn't exactly "environmental science" (it's "natural resources conservation").
2. Can I apply from here in NZ or do I have to return to Canada?
3. About how far in advance should I apply?

Thanks for any advice.

[JandM]

If you look at the 'tasks include' section under the heading Environmental Research Scientist, you can probably use those to put together a description of your responsibilities, which your employer will agree with and back up, which shows that you have to do something under most of those headings, working from ANZSCO's very general and vague terminology to the specifics of your practical job. When it comes to checking by a CO, that person needs to find a list showing a good match to ANZSCO - it doesn't have to be 100%, but as good as possible.

Job titles don't matter, because those can be anything that makes sense to the employer. It's the description of role, responsibilities, and level of qualification required that makes the difference.

Again, for your degree, the title on the certificate doesn't matter as much as the equivalence to the NZ degree set down as a requirement for the bonus points. You can get it assessed by NZQA for the IQA http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualificatio...ns-assessment/, and use the form at Appendix B here http://www.immigration.govt.nz/NR/rd...ifications.pdf to ask them specifically to look for the content that shows you meet the criteria for the LTSSL bonus points.

Yes, you can apply from within NZ.

Apply as soon as you can get your evidence together.