working holiday visa with 2 dependant children

[Mentiad]

Hi,

Please help me,
I want to permanently move my family to New Zealand to live.

I am the only worker in the family and I wanted to know If I can obtain a working holiday visa to go to NZ on my own to start working and find a home before moving my wife and two baby daughters over at a later date.

1, can I get a working holiday visa as I have 2 dependant children although they wont be with me?
2, How long does the working holiday visa allow me to work?
3, If I start permanent employment under a working holiday visa can I easily convert it to a full residence/work permit as I will be there and working at the time?

Thanks
Derek Allinson,

[MotherBear]

? Derek,

Welcome to MovetoNZ.

Firstly, and most importantly, how old are you? ?Anyone wanting to apply for a WHV must be 30 years of age or under. ?(Note: the link I?ve provided applies to those people coming from the UK.)

If you qualify, then it is certainly possible to enter NZ on a WHV which can be valid for either 12 months or 23 months and entitles you to work for up to 12 months. ?With the 12-month visa you don?t need a medical and police certificates, but with the 23-month one you do.

A condition of the WHV is that you aren?t accompanied by children, but there?s nothing to stop your wife and children entering NZ on Visitor?s Visas which, if you are from the UK, are valid for 6 months, but can be extended to 9 months and, if necessary to 12 months. If you are able to get a WP, your wife and children can also apply under your umbrella.?

You can work temporarily on a WHV, but if you find a job that is more permanent, you would need to apply for a Work Permit as it?s illegal to work long term in NZ without one. ?Once you have a WP your wife can apply for her own permit and your children can get Student Permits. ?If your work type is of a suitable nature i.e. you are working with skills and experience that NZ really needs, you can then push forward and apply for Permanent Residency which means you and your family can stay in NZ indefinitely providing you comply with the conditions.

[Mentiad]

Hi Mother,

Yeah sorry me and my wife are both 28 and my girls are 2 years eldest and my new edition is only 1 month old.

We are all English but are actually living in Amsterdam, Netherlands where we have full legal residence. I guess I could go back to the UK before catching a flight to NZ but I dont think it will be a problem coming from Amsterdam do you?

[MotherBear]

I would think it's your passport and nationality that count, rather than which airport you're flying from. :)

If you're only 28 then I would hope you should be able to get a WHV easily.

Hi Derek,

As MB says, there wont be an issue with you living in Amsterdam. The only thing to note is that when you apply for a full work permit or residency, if you have lived in Amsterdam for longer that 12 months then you will need to provide a police report from both the Netherlands, and the UK.

[LilAmy]

Hi Derek,

Welcome to the forum.

My hubby, Stu and I are across on a 23 month WHV. I think MB has covered most things about this but we've just found out another thing about WHV.

If your employers knows that you are on a WHV and they still want you they can actually employ you as a permy member of staff. All Stus Recruitment agencies have been telling his this which we never knew! The good thing about that is that if you do go for residency and are on a permy contract its easier to get from what I hear.

Good luck with things! If you need any more info on WHV give me a shout a we looked at both the 12 month and 23 month one

[Mentiad]

Hey amy / taffy, thanks for your words

Whats the police report all about? I haven't lived in the UK for 15 months do I need one from there too?

Also, Amy you might know this, I read somewhere that if I get a WHV I can only do casual work... like in a bar or shop assistant, is this true or can I get a perminant job as a software system analyst which is my profession.

Thats exautually what I wanted to do then attempt an application of a full residence / work permit while I was there. I kinda figured it would be easier and get me there quicker.

[MotherBear]

Whats the police report all about? I haven't lived in the UK for 15 months do I need one from there too?

I've posted a link to the NZIS' site for the Skilled Migrant Category, but the same rules apply to several other types of visa/permit that lead to PR or if they permit you to remain in NZ for 23 months or over. If you click on 'are of good character' and then 'police certificates' that will explain the requirement.

I will have been out of the UK more than 10 years by the time my application for PR is submitted and I believe even I will have to get a certificate from the UK as well as all the other countries I've lived in during that time. I have to say I'm dreading it, as I'm sure the police authorities in several of these countries either won't understand the request or just won't bother themselves to comply with it. In the 'police certificate' link it does say your country of citizenship OR any country you've been living in for over 12 months during the last 10 years. Then in the other link it states country of citizenship AND any other country. Very ambiguous. ::)