Work experience of EOI

[nickydwuk]

The EOI asks for work experience but you can only put down none or 2 years+. For this you get points. At the point of completing and submitting my EOI I will have 18 months experience but over 2 years when I move to NZ. Can I put 2 years experience or do I have to put none?

Any help greatly appreciated.

[MotherBear]

I would assume that all information that goes into the EOI would have to be current. Perhaps you could have scraped in if the timing had been a bit closer, but, unfortunately, 6 months is rather a long time. Bit daft not having anything in between the none and the 2 years, but maybe they have their reasons.

If you really need the extra points, I guess they'd have to come from something like a job offer. Anything that happens after the EOI goes in i.e. a change in circumstances like a job offer, can be forwarded to NZIS so your file can be amended and your points level upgraded.

[nickydwuk]

Also could I claim the experience I gained whilst doing my nurse training as 'experience'. This would put me well over the 2 years.

[MotherBear]

As I suspected, but couldn't find it written down until now, this first bit might explain why you can either have no work experience or 2+ years experience.

From the NZIS Operations Manual........

G4.1 Basic rules for work experience (26/07/99)

a. Principal applicants* must have at least 2 years' work experience to be approved in the General Skills category. Principal applicants* who do not obtain at least one point for work experience must be declined (subject to G4.1(b) below).
b. Principal applicants* are exempt from this requirement if they have completed a New Zealand qualification* (see G2.20.1) for which they have been awarded points or for which they were eligible to be awarded points but did not claim them, provided that they obtained the qualification without the assistance of NZODA funding.
c. Principal applicants* may be awarded one point for every 2 complete years' work experience, up to a maximum of 10 points.
Example: Five years of work experience would be awarded 2 points.
d. For principal applicants* to be awarded points for work experience, visa and immigration officers must be satisfied that their work experience is relevant to the qualification for which they obtain points (see G4.1.5 below). This requirement does not apply to principal applicants* who obtain 5 points for an offer of employment (see G4.15).

G4.1.1 What kind of work experience counts?
a. Work experience which was an integral part or course requirement of the qualification for which points are awarded will not be counted in calculating relevant work experience.
b. Research, study or training that is undertaken as part of paid employment may be assessed as work experience, provided that:
i. it is relevant to the qualification for which points were awarded, and
ii. it was not undertaken as part of the qualification for which points were awarded.
c. Relevant work experience may be aggregated.
d. Periods of parental leave, leave without pay, or unpaid study leave do not count towards relevant work experience.
e. Work experience does not include experience:
i. of such a low standard that it led to the principal applicant's* dismissal;
ii. gained before the age of 20 (except work experience gained after a qualification for which points are awarded);
iii. gained during compulsory military service or compulsory community service (except if the work experience is gained after the age of 20 and is relevant to the qualification for which points are awarded).

G4.1.5 Relevance to qualifications
a. Work experience must be accepted as relevant to a qualification if the visa or immigration officer is satisfied that the qualification was:
i. an important factor in the principal applicant* being able to obtain work or continue or advance in the position or field of work in which they have experience, or
ii. an important factor in a career path that has advanced progressively from the principal applicant's* pre-qualification work experience.
b. Officers should decide whether work experience is relevant to the qualification for which a principal applicant* has obtained points, by taking into account evidence about:
• whether the qualification was a requirement for employment;
• whether the employer considered that the qualification provided evidence of a level of education required to undertake the work;
• whether the knowledge acquired through the qualification is directly used in the employment;
• whether work experience involved the use of professional, technical or trade skills that were advanced through completing the qualification.

G4.1.10 Part-time work
a. Calculation of levels of work experience must be for complete weeks based on a 30-hour week.
b. Credit is given for 30-hour weeks only, even though a principal applicant* has worked more than 30 hours in any week.
Example: Fifty-two 60-hour weeks are equal to one year's work experience.
c. Credit for part-time work experience may be given on a proportional basis.
Example: Four years' work experience for 15 hours per week is equal to 2 years' work experience for a 30-hour week, and would therefore be awarded one point.

[nickydwuk]

Just as confused as before.

Originally Posted by MotherBear

From the NZIS Operations Manual........

G4.1 Basic rules for work experience (26/07/99)

a. Principal applicants* must have at least 2 years' work experience to be approved in the General Skills category. Principal applicants* who do not obtain at least one point for work experience must be declined (subject to G4.1(b) below).
b. Principal applicants* are exempt from this requirement if they have completed a New Zealand qualification* (see G2.20.1) for which they have been awarded points or for which they were eligible to be awarded points but did not claim them, provided that they obtained the qualification without the assistance of NZODA funding.

Does this mean that I although I am a nurse (LTSS) I will need to have 2 years experience otherwise my application will be denied?

[MotherBear]

It does make it sound like it, doesn't it? I think I read something quite a while ago about teachers having a similar problem - you need 2 year's work experience under your belt before applying for PR.

However, thinking back to when Nattydread and his wife, who's a midwife, immigrated, I'm sure she was newly qualified when they went. They'd waited until she'd finished her studies, so she wouldn't have had any experience. I'm not sure about Jacky (Nick and Jacky) either as she was also newly qualified.

I found this old thread and there's a post by Midder (another midwife) which states that she didn't have any UK experience at all, but just wasn't awarded points for it, not that she was barred from applying. Very odd.

Perhaps an email directly to NZIS might clear this up for you, Nicky, or maybe drop Nattydread or Nick a PM. They look in on us from time to time. It's an important issue which needs sorting.

[MotherBear]

I'm wondering whether, in the case of Mrs. Nattydread, particularly, as she was the principal applicant (Jacky's Nick had a job offer so she must have been the secondary applicant)), she was able to get PR because she had a job offer. There must be a way in as Mrs. ND was newly qualified, so perhaps getting a job offer, which should be pretty easy with NZ desperately wanting nurses, is the way in. Just clutching at straws, but can't see any other way she did it.

[MotherBear]

I'm still on the case .

Here's another bit about work experience from the NZIS Operations Manual. Jeez, there's stuff all over the place in there. It doesn't mention anything about the 2-year rule on here, but I doubt very much you'd be able to claim points for anything less than 2 years .

SM11.10 Requirements
See SM11.10 Effective 24/07/2006
See SM11.10 Effective 13/12/2004
See SM11.10 Effective 17/12/2003

Work experience is recognised and qualifies for points if:
a. it is relevant to the principal applicant's* current skilled employment in New Zealand or offer of skilled employment in New Zealand; or
b. a visa or immigration officer is satisfied that it is skilled work experience because it required, or enabled the principal applicant* to gain, considerable specialist, technical or management expertise; or
c. it is relevant to the principal applicant's* recognised qualification (see SM14).
d. Principal applicants who do not have current skilled employment or an offer of skilled employment in New Zealand (see SM7) will only qualify for points for work experience if:
i. the work experience meets the requirements for recognition set out above; and
ii. that work experience was gained in a labour market that is comparable to the New Zealand labour market.

SM11.10.1 Definition: Comparable labour market
a. Work experience is assessed as being in a comparable labour market if it was undertaken in one of the following countries by:
i. a citizen or permanent resident of that country; or
ii. a person who had the lawful authority to work in that country.

Australia Malaysia
Austria New Zealand
Belgium-Luxembourg Netherlands
Canada Norway
Cyprus Philippines
Denmark Portugal
Finland Republic of South Korea
France Singapore
Germany South Africa
Greece Spain
Iceland Switzerland
Israel United Kingdom
Italy United States
Japan

b. Work experience undertaken in a country not listed at (a) above will be assessed as being in a comparable labour market only if it was undertaken for a multinational commercial entity (including a wholly or majority owned subsidiary of such an entity that bears the same core name as the parent company) domiciled in one of the countries listed in (a) above.

SM11.10.5 Relevance of work experience to qualifications
Work experience is relevant to a principal applicant's* recognised qualification if a visa or immigration officer is satisfied that the qualification was:
a. an important factor in the principal applicant* being able to obtain work or continue or advance in the position or field of work in which they have experience; or
b. an important factor in a career path that has advanced progressively from the principal applicant's* pre-qualification work experience.

SM11.10.10 Relevance of work experience to an offer of skilled employment in New Zealand
Work experience is relevant to a principal applicant's* offer of skilled employment in New Zealand if an employer considers, and a visa or immigration officer is satisfied that:
a. the work experience is directly applicable to the employment offered; and
b. the offer of employment could not reasonably have been made if the principal applicant* did not have that work experience.

[nickydwuk]

Just as I thought - still none the wiser.

I am planning to get a job offer to go with my EOI as I only have 80 points without job and with no experience. I was just hoping I could claim the work experience and submit EOI with 100 points without getting a job first and just updating it when I got one. Seems I have to go with plan A.