So many questions!

[Maggiemoo]

Have been an avid reader of this site for quite a while now as we have been considering emigration for some months. So thought I would finally get round to seeking advice on all the things that I know you wonderful people will know about, so here goes!

We are a family of 4 (Me, Hubby and two daughters aged 19 months and 2 months) - Hubby is an IT specialist with many years experience in the IT industry - unfortunately he does not have academic qualifications in the sector, but does have all the industry recognised certification and qualifications. His skill set is one on the Skill shortage list and his work is in a future growth area. I also have an HND in public administration and 9 years experience in the Civil Service. Having gone through the points indicator on the NZIS system, we don't reach enough points to enable us to put in an EOI, but if HUbby had a job offer it would take us into the realms of being able to automatically apply for residence.

We did employ an immigration consultant at the end of last year to look into the best way of getting out to NZ, ie looking for jobs for hubby but he has done nothing so far apart from take a few hundred pounds from us, so he's now sacked and we are hoping to "go it alone" and work through the process with advice from people who really know the score - ie you lot and the NZIS. Hubby has signed up to loads of IT agencies and we are also heading along to a NZ recruitment expo in London in a couple of weeks, so we are trying to be as pro-active as we can about it all.

Having never actually visited NZ, we have booked an extended trip out there for June/July (going out 3 June, coming back 10 July) (fantastic deal with Air New Zealand - please tell me they are a fab airline??) - the real purposes of the trip are to find out whether we really like the country enough to make the permanent move, and hopefully secure work for hubby.Obviously we are all going to be going in at this stage just as tourists - am I right in thinking we can stay for up to 9 months as UK residents?

So first questions really are: (sorry if some of these questions are really dumb, but I just want to make sure we are doing all this right!)

1. Are we realistically going to be able to (hopefully) find work and apply for work permit/residency in the time we are out in NZ? We can extend our return date on our flight ticket.

2. What information/documentation do we need to provide to NZIS if hubby has job offer and then we apply for a work permit or residency? We are just getting our police checks done now, and will sort out medical checks before we go - how long are these valid for? Can they be done again in NZ if job offer is not forthcoming til later in the year? Are they necessary for work permit application as well?

3. Do NZ Immigration require proof of available finances for your stay as a tourist?

4. If hubby goes down the work permit route, what visas will myself and the children require?

5. If hubby gets a work permit, and we decide to ship all our stuff out am I right in thinking from another post on this forum that we will be taxed on our goods? On what basis do they tax you? - the value of the goods at 2nd hand or new? - might be a big consideration!! If we apply for residency is this tax no longer levied?

6. As I said before hubby is IT specialist and presumably the major hotspots for IT jobs are Auckland and Wellington - any others?

7. If hubby gets job offer while we are out there or before we go, we will presumably put in EOI immediately - given the time scale for processing of that EOI and (fingers crossed) completing all the ITA procedures, will hubby need a work permit in order to commence employment in the meantime?

Am sure there are loads more questions I need to be asking - so will no doubt be back to pester you all again really soon.

Thanks for listening to such a long and rambling post and I look forward to receiving your wisdom very soon.

Maggie

[nattydread]

hi maggiemoo,

i can't answer all of them but as to your questions about IT, yes..Auckland and Wellington are the hot spots, auckland being the hottest..
Christchurch has a few too though.
It all really depends on what his specialisations are (is)

My secialisation is a bit of a niche one and there;s not many of them of around in wellington but there are loads (well a few) in auckland.

best bets are www.it.seek.co.nz and the IT section at jobstuff.co.nz.

you should have a read through some of saraandian's posts.. they did the whole arrive on a tourist visa and not go back things.
As did Jodie I believe..

loads of people do it.. big question i guess is do you want to sell the house and cars and pack jobs in before you go ,,,

good luck anyway mate, enjoy the adventure!

[SteveyC]

Hi Maggie, welcome to the forum. That's quite a lost. All fairly straight froward but will require a bit of thought. At work now but will come back on later tonight and try and forge a response, if noone else helps before then.

Glad you like the forum, hopefully we can help you through the whole process, it's agood thing you're not forking out for any stupid forking immigration consultant anymore, often they're rubbish. Hope we can live up to your expectations.

[MotherBear]

Hi Maggiemoo,

Welcome. :006:

In no particular order:

If you enter NZ on a tourist visa you will be liable for GST on the value of your shipment, which is non-refundable and charged at 12.5% on the price actually paid for the items but with an allowance for length of ownership. You can read about it here . The conditions for avoiding paying the tax are that you must prove that you are entering NZ with the intention and legal authority to take up permanent residency. I believe this also includes a work permit as it can often precede the granting of PR. It talks here about when no restrictions apply but more or less says the same thing. I asked this sort of question here a while ago.

Check out what passengers have to say about Air NZ .

Yes, your hubby will need a work permit before he?s allowed to work in NZ.

Still working on the rest of your questions. :icon_biggrin:

[nattydread]

I've got flights booked with Air NZ for the 3rd April..

I'll be sure to update you.
I noticed that some of the reports on the AirlineQuality site were less than favourable..

[SteveyC]

I know some folks have answered but as I promised, here's my opinion/ advice anyway [smiley=023.gif] [smiley=icon_mrgreen.gif]

1.) At the very least you'll have some contacts in that time surely. If not then you'll have recruitment agencies predictions on employability although I would recommend trying to get an idea bu contacting them beforehand. After all it's IT so they should fairly up on E-CVs and Profiling etc, one would hope. Every case is different tho so nothings ever guarenteed is it I guess.

2.) Job offer, proof of being an accreddited employer or that the employer couldn't find a suitable Kiwi for the job along with all the other gubbings you partly mention Police Checks medicals etc. With regards how long they're valid for, I'm not entirle sure but 6 months rings a bell, maybe 3. You can do it from NZ should they expire tho, it'll just be a pain I imagine.

3.) Not on a Visitors Visa, it's just a holiday afterall, that's good for 6 months. On a working holiday visa you just need proof of means to afford travel home at end of stay I believe, but that can be a blank credit card statement as far as I know.

4.) Work permit/visa is ok to cover family also. Again WHV(see above) is slightly different and you would have to come on visitors visas valid for 6 month with the possibility of extending for 9 months.

5.) Hmmm not sure about valuation but I think it would be used value unless there only a month or so old. With PR you don't get taxed I don't think. Would imagine this would only apply after PR has been granted tho rather than just applied for.

6.) Well it's easy to think og 'hotspots' and AKL and WLGTN would certainly be hotspots. But Christchurch on the South Island, Hamilton, Dunedin are also big places. Christchurch being the 3rd city has 300,000 peeps in it which is similar to Leeds and certainly bigger than Colchester so there will be jobs, i wouldn't stress overly about heading for 1 of the 2 cities mentioned if you don't think they're right for you upon visiting. I guess it's always about giving yourself the best posssible chance tho.

7.) (phew nearly there [smiley=icon_biggrin.gif] ) Yes, if he definitely wants to start before PR is granted. There have been quite a few cases tho where the application has been fast tracked som you can start the job you've been offered quickly. Lots would depend on the Employers urgency and your ungency in pestering NZIS I'm sure. However Work Permit would be easily obtainable and much quicker if you did want to start work in the interim period, assuming again, that the position is skilled.

Hope this helps I appreciate some answers are vaguer than others but at the end of the day I'm still stuck in Herefordshire so I'm hardly a seasoned pro at upping sticks and starting a completely new life miles away from home [smiley=icon_lol.gif]
If anyone knows more on my answers I would be happy to be corrected but think I covered most points, and if nothing else gave you a bit of clarity and optimism.

Keep us informed and fire any questions you want. Don't worry about posting several different posts on different topics tho in the relevant eareas, sometimes it's easier to absorb one or two questions in one post rather than loads in one big one.

[MotherBear]

If you haven't already, have a read through this site (go into Application to Work in NZ and then Guide for Working in NZ on the right hand side). They tell you about the work to residence application and what you need for it. Takes a bit of picking through, but I think it?s all there.

You wouldn?t be able to apply for a visa on the same application as your husband, so must make your own application and this is what it tells you about here . This link isn't particularly helpful, but what it boils down to is that your husband can apply for his Work Visa/Permit which entitles you to apply for either a visitor's permit (which you should get automatically anyway when you enter NZ) or a work permit. There is something called an Open Work Permit which partners of Work Permit holders can apply for. This doesn't mean you have to work, but could if you wished. The children would apply for Student Visas.

If you go to NZ on a visitor's visa, you are entitled to stay for 6 months (being British), but this can be extended to 9 months and possibly even up to 12 months if it's deemed necessary.

[Maggiemoo]

Thanks everyone from your responses so far, its been really helpful - we have already spent hours trawling the internet for info on immigration and have found the NZIS site to be really good (if rather TOO packed with information at times!!) Somehow I feel more confident about going out there completely "cold" and hopefully it will all fall into place when we are there - useful to know we have 6 months stay in the country so we can spend the time getting to know whereabouts we want to be, and find out if we really can and want to make the move. We are not planning on selling our house here until we know we are really settled out there - but we have enough money to tide us over for a while in case work and residency is not forthcoming!

One point that came out of, I think, Mother Bear's response was that if hubby goes down the work permit route we will have to apply for student visas for the children - is this really the case despite both children being under 2 and having at least 4 years before they would be due to start school over there?

Thanks again for your responses.

Maggie x

[jadet]

No, the kids only need a visitor visa for now (given when you arrive at the airport, make sure even youngest has a passport), until they are ready to begin school, I believe.

I would suggest perhaps returning as planned, packing up and shipping then. As long as you have applied for PR I think you will be ok on the duty charges.

Not sure if someone has said already, but do send off his C.V. and ask for an interview before you arrive. Even if the company isn't advertising for anyone, but you still think it might be a good place to work, you could just ask for a chat about what the company does and how the climate is for that sort of work, etc, something less formal. You might sort of travel the country hitting different employers on the way. Though I agree it's Auckland and Welly where you'll find the IT jobs, from what I've seen on Seek and read in this and other forums.

Best of luck to you and your family.

[MotherBear]

One point that came out of, I think, Mother Bear's response was that if hubby goes down the work permit route we will have to apply for student visas for the children - is this really the case despite both children being under 2 and having at least 4 years before they would be due to start school over there?

Oops, sorry Maggie [smiley=icon_redface.gif] . Wasn't paying attention to the fact that the children were that young and also that you were only travelling in NZ initially. Trawling through the NZIS site looking for information always does my head in [smiley=Prankster.gif] . Thanks, Jadet, for putting me right.