Residence Visa and Job Search Visa

[david258]

Hi All,


I read on immigration website:

All applicants who meet the health, character, English and selection point requirements, but do not have either skilled employment or a higher degree gained in New Zealand will be invited to apply for a ‘job search visa’ to enable them to find ongoing skilled employment in New Zealand.

I am planning to apply offshore without a job offer or degree in NZ. Does it mean that I am only applicable for Job Search Visa only?

Thanks.

[JandM]

You, like anyone who applies for residence under the Skilled Migrant Category without a skilled job offer in NZ or a NZ higher degree, can only, if successful, be offered an SMC JSV in the first place. What that brief statement does not say, however, is that someone offered the SMC JSV also has "deferred residence" - that is, their case has been checked through to the point that INZ knows they are eligible for Residence except for the lack of a skilled job. Having the right to live and work in NZ for nine months is a great advantage in getting a skilled job, because it is a well-known fact that NZ employers have a strong preference for looking an applicant in the eye when considering appointments. And once you get the skilled job, you can show the formal offer and contract to INZ, at which point the Residence which is waiting for you (and any partner and family included in your original application under SMC) can be issued.

[david258]

You always give lucid explanation, JandM. Thanks much.