Hello from UK

[Imzi]

Hi,

I'm Imzi i am 27 and i'm a Community Development Worker in the UK and i wish to move to NZ (Auck, Well, Cchurch) in the next 18 months.

I hope you dont mind but i have many questions to ask such as:

Do you think theres a possibility I can get into Nz under skilled migration VISA or is work to residency is my best option. Are there any suitable website for my profession.

And

Secondly I would like to eventually bring my parents aged 50 and 53 and younger brother aged 23 over to Nz, what are their options. I am more concerned about my parents as my brother I believe would be able to migrate by submitting a seperate application. So how would my parents move over. The four of us would like to moved to Nz eventually.

Thanks for your time. I look forward to your response.
Kind Regards,
Imzi

[MotherBear]

Hi Imzi and welcome.

To be eligible to sponsor your parents you need to have held NZ residency for 3 years. There is also the 'centre of gravity' ruling which means that you can't sponsor your parents if you have more than one sibling back home. Currently there is at least a 2-year waiting list for sponsoring parents, which seems to have gone up over the last 6 months. The same 3-year residency ruling applies to your brother unless he could, as you say, get to NZ of his own accord i.e. apply for his own visa.

A sponsor must:

* be 17 years of age or over
* be in New Zealand
* be a New Zealand or Australian citizen or the holder of a current residence permit that is not subject to requirements under section 18A of the Immigration Act 1987
* have been a New Zealand or Australian citizen and/or the holder of a Residence Permit or a returning resident’s visa for at least three years immediately before the date their registration is received by the New Zealand Immigration Service
* in each of the three 12 month portions within that three-year period, have spent a total of 184 days or more in New Zealand
* meet the minimum income requirement (unless they obtained residence in New Zealand as a refugee, or they are aged 65 years or older).

A sponsor must undertake to ensure that financial support and accommodation is provided to you, if necessary, for at least your first 24 months as a resident in New Zealand. Sponsors who gained residence in New Zealand on the basis of their status as refugees are only obliged to accommodate you for the first 24 months of your residence (if necessary).

A sponsor aged 17 to 24 must satisfy us that they are able to meet the undertakings given on the sponsorship form.

Have you looked for your job title on the 2 skill shortage lists yet? If your job skill is needed in NZ it should appear on one of these lists. If your job is on the LTSSL you are able to apply for residency under the Skilled Migrant Category but if it only appears on the ISSL you would need to apply under the WTR visa. Alternatively, if your job doesn't appear on one of those list and you were able to get a job offer from an accredited employer you could still apply for the WTR visa.

[Imzi]

Dear Motherbear,
Thanks for your response

So realistically, I would have to be in NZ for 5 years before sponsoring my parents (2 years WTR + 3 as resident). If i was to sponsor them, how long would it take? If i was to get in under Skilled Migration, is it possible to get residency within 2 years?

Also could my parent retire in NZ as they are in their 50's? Or is the same process in place regarding sponsorship

In AUS i have read that to retire to need $1 million AUS dollars. Is a similar ruling in place in NZ?

Kind Regards
Imzi

[MotherBear]

Currently there is no retirement visa for NZ although the new government has talked about bringing one in. There would certainly be specific criteria that your parents would need to abide by, as mentioned in the link above. At the moment, the only way your parents could get in to stay long term would be if you sponsored them unless one of them has a particular skill that is needed in NZ and could apply independently for a visa.

If you are applying for a WTR visa under the SMC and if, at any time during the 2 years, you find you have sufficient points to submit an application for PR, I believe you are free to do so. That would cut your time down.