Hi all!
We are a South African couple currently in the process of applying for PR. There is no better term to describe stress!
We have employed an agent, which I suppose makes things a bit easier, but the long wait for documents is draining me emotionally. I have caught myself wondering if it is all worth it (we have 2 dogs we are taking as well and the cost is enormous...
but we cannot leave them behind!).
We have a score of 125 without job offers and I worry that it is not enough. We have been applying for jobs nonstop but always with the same response: "You need to be in NZ." I am begining to hate that sentence!
Obviously an offer of employment would push our points up quite substantially, but getting the position is another story altogether!
Our main reason for wanting to leave SA is the crime. We want a safer life, and NZ proved to be the only place we
both want to live. Also, I have family in Hamilton and we have friends in Auckland - but Dunedin has captured our hearts and minds! It is also the only area in NZ we have had positive responses from regarding employment... (once we get there of course!)
We are thinking of coming over in February regardless of where we are in the PR process and trying to get work permits when we arrive - another nightmare!! It is a catch 22 situation: can't get a permit without employment, can't get employment without a permit. What do we do? Can someone offer any words of wisdom? Are there any SA's on this site? Is there anyone who went to NZ as a tourist and got a job while on a tourist visa? Please help! My head is spinning!!!
