Any Help Welcomed.

[SteelCity]

I am a 25 year old man from the US. I am considering a possible move to New Zealand in December of 2009. I started college this past spring and should have earned an Associates Degree by December 2009. Prior to college i served and received an honorable discharge with the USMC Infantry.

I have been in contact with the RNZN for about two months and i am exploring the possibility of enlisting from overseas. While the Navy staff has been both helpful and encouraging, it has been hard to sustain a regular correspondence with them, sometimes taking up to 3 weeks to hear back from them. I know that they have many more important tasks to complete than to keep checking their emails for a response from someone on the other side of the globe, therefor i am grateful for any reply i do receive from them.

I am in the process of sending them my USMC Military record for a possible transfer of skills. However, since my skills are more applicable to the NZ Army(i have no desire to be a grunt again)and the overseas applicant process is selective, I doubt very much that i will be selected for transfer. The Navy website says to apply as a skilled migrant, I am hesitant to do this though, for if not selected for transfer i will not have a job offer when that time of the process arrives. Now that you have some of my background here are my questions.

-Although i realize that there are no guarantees of enlistment, even if i am denied a transfer i will still only be 26 and willing to enlist as an entry level recruit. Could i fly to New Zealand with enough money on hand to live for a month or so, walk into a Navy recruiting office express interest in enlistment and let them deal with the immigration process?

-If this is not a possibility( which i am almost certain it is not) what is the minimum immigration status i would need to obtain to be able to enlist?What type of Visa or status should i try to obtain beforehand?

-Will i receive any special treatment(speedy application process, Waived fees, etc.) if i express a desire to join the NZDF?

-Does it help me at all that my father is a British Citizen?

-Does it help or hurt me that i plan to do this alone with no wife, no kids?

-Is it worth contacting a law firm that advertises help with immigration?

While i know that it might be better to just wait for responses from the RNZN, i have to admit that i am very eager to learn if this is going to be a real possibility for me and want to do all i can to help with the process. Just trying to figure out the best place to start. Any Responses are welcomed and look forward to. Thanks.

[MotherBear]

Hi SteelCity and .

AHoney's husband is in the process of transferring from the RN in the UK to the RNZN so I don't know if they can be of assistance and give you some idea of how long it takes to receive communication from the NZ Navy. Here's a brief thread about it.

You don't need a job offer if you're applying as a skilled migrant. It looks like you would have to undergo the application process yourself rather than have the Navy do it for you. Without a job offer the only other ways you could get into NZ would be on a Visit Visa (which won't allow you to work) or a Working Holiday Visa (on which you could only work temporarily), but at least these would give you time to approach RNZN directly.

I can't see it would hurt your chances of applying if you don't have family with you. As for using immigration consultants, they cost a heap of money for doing something you would need to participate in doing yourself, like collating all the required documents and information. All they do basically is to collect it together and submit it for you. There are a few good consultancies, but a lot of bad ones that don't do the job properly, so you would need to choose very carefully. You could easily do it yourself, like the others on here, and that is why forums like this exist, to help see people through it .

[SteelCity]

....I appreciate the response and letting me know what you can about the process. I figured that it would be a bit of a waste to go to an Immigration advocate, but just thought that i would ask. I do hope that this can work out for me and i know i will most likely get most of my information by the RNZN themselves, but like i said before they are very busy and tend to let a few weeks go by before answering new questions that arise from me. Just eager to learn all i can about New Zealand and if i have a realistic chance. Thanks again.

[MotherBear]

Originally Posted by SteelCity

....they are very busy and tend to let a few weeks go by before answering new questions that arise from me.

Unfortunately kiwis aren't that well-known for their speedy responses. It's the kiwi way, the laid back lifestyle .