The ITA Chat forum

Hi,

Got questions, comments or just want to spout off about your ITA? Here's the place to do it! :icon_biggrin:

[selchie]

OK, here's one: We're nearly ready to send off our Application for Residence (AFR, or ITA? Whatever). How soon can we get our passports back? We may need ours as soon as November. Does NZIS just check them for ID veracity and return them quickly, or do they hang onto them until approval/rejection?

Yes, I should be contacting them and getting the answer directly, but this is so much more fun. Just need to find my NZIS contact info...it's here somewhere...

They will take certified copies of them and send them back pretty quickly afterwards normally. They will only need them to put the visas in after that :icon_biggrin:

[selchie]

Thanks. I was hoping they wouldn't glom onto it for ages. I suppose if we include a mention of our need in our cover letter, they might be even more punctual (trying not to follow the cynical expectation here).

[Suave]

Hi folks,

My first post...

EOI selected 12 Sept...... (135 points)
ITA awaited.

What's next?

I don't have a job offer yet. Haven't really begun looking for one yet. My idea was to first land in NZ and then look for a job. But I can't afford to be without one for more than a month once I get there. Certainly not for 3 months as suggested somewhere here. Or should I get there only after I get a job first? And how much (in NZ$) would I need to survive on for a month without a job.

Now, which region of NZ should I focus for a job search? I am looking for a teaching job or anything else suitable - any leads here would be very helpful and very much appreciated. (Am I right in assuming that teaching jobs are more easy to get?) I have a Ph. D in Zoology.

I plan to go on ahead first get a job and then have my wife and kids join me.

Another thing. I could not include my kids (son,7; daughter,4) in the application for residence in the online EOI application. For P7 "Will your children be included in your application for residence?" I had to say "NO" simply because there was no way I could get over P8 - (proof of identity) as I do not have my kids' passports ready yet.

Now, would there be a problem in the kids joining me, and if so, is there anything I could do to correct the situation.

Have more queries coming.

Not including your children in your initial EOI will mean you will now have to go through a whole sponsorship application, which can, and usually does, take up to 18 months and beyond, unless you are particularly lucky. Do you have their passport details yet?

[selchie]

In our EOI we did not claim any children (we don't have any), but when the ITA came, they included a form for adding children just in case we forgot to mention them. I suppose sometimes people may not have custody or some other hitch, and don't list dependents in the EOI. You really don't need to supply documentation until you submit your application. Thus you have at least four months to pull it all together.

We just submitted our application, and don't have jobs yet. It's preferable to have jobs waiting, but in our case we need to wait several months yet before we can go over. As the time gets nearer, we will begin a concerted effort to find work. I doubt we'll move kit and kaboodle until one of us has a job waiting, and the employed one may well be heading out before the household does.

It's tough to recommend a region for a job search without knowing what you might want. There are universities scattered throughout NZ (if that's where you're looking to teach), especially in the sizeable cities like Aucks, Welly, Chch, Dunedin, etc. You may even want to look into the Department of Conservation. I'm not sure if they have education programs, but they may have need for a zoologist. I recommend a web search for more info on schools, climate, lifestyle, etc.

Good luck.

[MotherBear]

Don't know if this link will provide any help for you, but it's worth a look.

And here's my old favourite link on areas to live around NZ. Click on the green place names for more info.

[Suave]

Hi!

Thanks for the support.

Haven't heard from the NZIS so far. I think I should have by now.

Should I go ahead and register with the Teachers Council? Had thought that I'd wait until I had got the ITA pack first.

Another thing.... The Teachers Council registration requires that qualifications be assessed by the NZQA. Would I have to have my qualifications assessed by NZQA even if it is listed in the NZQA List of Recognised Qualifications?? Or is the List for the purpose of EOI only.


Anxious Suave

[jamasc]

I dont know much about registering with the NZ Teachers Council but if its any thing like the Nursing Council it could take a long time, so it may be worth starting early.

You may have to contact your University for Transcripts of your course work and and the teachers council used in the UK to prove taht you are registered with them.