Cover Letter & Job Offer with Tourist Visa

[Hawksi]

Kia Ora,

I'm in NZ on a visitor visa and I will need a job offer to get a work visa.
The headline of my CV & Resume shows:

Visa: Visitor Visa (Applying for a Work and Permanent Resident Visa).

although can't do these applications right now.
In addition my resume includes a sentence like

If considered for this position I will require a job offer from you to process the work visa application.

Would you recommend to write it like this? I want to put my cards on the table, otherwise I need to reveal in the interview anyway.

Thank you so much for any hints!

[JandM]

I understand that you want to be honest, but I believe that that, as a first line, will get your application immediately thrown into the waste basket.

In my opinion, you need to set out early on all the good things about your qualifications and work experience which may make the employer think you are worth considering. It may help if they are already thinking, 'This looks good,' before they find that you don't yet have a work visa.

[Hawksi]

Hi JandM, thanks for your answer, that's a good point. So you recommend to remove the Visa status from the header (I actually meant the header of the page, not the headline) and just leave the second sentence (which is in the last paragraph of the cover letter).

[JandM]

Can someone who has applied for jobs while on a visitor's visa step in and comment here? Personal experience would be helpful.

[Esther.L]

Can someone who has applied for jobs while on a visitor's visa step in and comment here? Personal experience would be helpful.

Hey guys,

I have been applying for jobs on a visitor visa for the past few months.

I find that looking for proper jobs here are not easy at all. I was an external auditor for two years with an overseas professional qualification. I had no luck in securing any interviews after 2-3 months of job search on my own. During this period, I have also met up with two local recruiters. Even then, that didnt help with my job search. I guess this also depends on the location of where you're looking for jobs and Im currently in Christchurch. Job opportunities in this area seems to be quite limited.

I was lucky enough to have submitted one of the job applications through another recruiting agency who got in touch and got me two interviews almost immediately. Even though the interviews went well, I didnt end up getting the offer anyway as I didnt have a work visa at that time. My temporary partnership based work visa just came through last week and my job search is still ongoing as of now.

On a side note, I did not state in my CV that I didnt have a work visa and I believe stating that would kinda ruin any chances you might have. But be honest with your situation during interviews. I am also currently volunteering as I think some local references would be of some help. A well polished CV is also really important so dont be afraid to ask for feedback from recruiters.

All the best in your job search, Hawksi. Hope this helps.

[JandM]

Be careful about volunteering. INZ requires a person to have one of the same range of visas for work, for volunteering.

This from the INZ operational manual. http://www.immigration.govt.nz/opsmanual/

V2.1.1 Definition of 'lawful purpose' for visitors

For the purposes of applying the 'lawful purpose' test in the provision relating to bona fide applicants (see E5.1), visitors are considered to be coming to New Zealand for a lawful purpose if:
...
they are not intending to undertake employment (see W2.2.1)

W2.2.1 Definition of ‘work’

Work means any activity undertaken for gain or reward...

'Gain or reward' includes any payment or benefit that can be valued in terms of money, such as board and lodging, goods (e.g. food or clothing) and services (e.g. transport).

[esv143]

I came on visitor visa and applied for jobs.. i did not mention anything about my visa on cv...
Had 2 interviews but did not get job cz of visaa....
Got 3rd one...
In all the interviews, i told the emmployer about visa and job offer after proving that i am capable of thia position..

Keep trying brother...

[Esther.L]

I volunteered as a tutor assistant and had no reward of any kind. Wouldnt need a work visa for that right? 😰

[Hawksi]

Thanks a lot for your replies.
I haven't tried a recruitment agency yet because there are almost none which are covering my field of profession.
I am also trying unsolicited applications and accredited employers from the official list.

Thinking about to delete the sentence about the visa, maybe to reveal it during the interview is a smarter way because I can still try to show my suitability for the position.

Btw. I did quite a bit of volunteering when I had the work & holiday visa and point it out as referees on my CV.

Still it looks like that not many people are trying to get into the country on a visitor visa.

Another possibility for me would be the Silver Fern Visa for 2016, but a quota of 300 per year sounds like a gamble.

[JandM]

I volunteered as a tutor assistant and had no reward of any kind. Wouldnt need a work visa for that right? ��

It depends if you got 'gain or reward' for it. In most cases, INZ wouldn't give you any trouble on the point, but, as with all legal matters, it is possible that an official can nit-pick. For instance, 'Oh, you got free morning tea every day you attended. Aha, you had the right to park your car on the private grounds, and you didn't have to move it if you went to do your shopping round the corner. Those perks were gain or reward, so you should have had a work visa.' I know this sounds ridiculous, but there have been just a few cases where such tiny matters were used as grounds for refusal, which is why it is worth my saying to anyone thinking of volunteering that they should bear this in mind, and BE CAREFUL.