Need Advice on WHV/Skilled Migrant Visa

[dracon]

Hello to All,

I have a question on WHV/Skilled Migrant Visa. Both me and my husband are US citizens, we went to NZ for our honeymoon and loved the place very much. We want to move to NZ for 3+ years. I am a certified public accountant in US with 3 years of experience, and my husband has a business in IT from last 8 years. We were thinking of going to NZ on WHV and then apply for PR through the skilled migrant visa, we do not plan to work for any employer there, and plan to continue our business in US remotely - while in NZ. Can you please advice if the route that we are taking is the right way to gain entry in NZ or should we opt for applying for Skilled Migrant Visa at the first place. Do you think we will be accepted under Skilled Migrant visa even though we do not have any job offer in NZ or do not plan on working for any employer. We definitely want to live in NZ for atleast 3 years. I do not know how many points we will get under Skilled migrant category, the points system seems very confusing to me.
Also, both me and my husband are between ages 20-29. And I hold master's degree in Accountancy with CPA license and my husband hold's bachelor's degree in Marketing. Can his experience in IT be qualified under Absolute shortage skills and also future growth areas. Can someone helps us find out how many points we might be able to accumulate before we submit our EOI. Thank you!!!!
Please advice. Your help is greatly appreciated!

Shilpi

[MotherBear]

Hi Shilpi and welcome to MoveToNZ.

Firstly, I don't think you can go to NZ and start up your own business either on a Work Permit or WHV. You would either need to have PR to do this or, alternatively, you could apply for a Long Term Business Visa . You can check out what is required here .

If you still eventually want to apply as a skilled migrant you need a minimum of 100 points. Here are some links about how the points system works in case there's something here that might help explain things better because it can be quite complicated. If you still don't understand something, please ask on here and we'll try to talk you through it.

The points system
Points indicator
Points table .
Guide to applying for PR

I would mention that, to gain extra points, your husband would need to have a relevant qualification to go with his work experience in IT. To find out if you can apply for PR you can try to find your job titles on the Long Term Skill Shortage List as these are the particular skills that NZ is looking for.

[dracon]

Thank you MotherBear, I will look at the links you have provided and see if the points system does make sense to me. We are not planning on starting our business in New Zealand, our business will still be continuing in the US and my husband will be handling the accounts from NZ (if we ever get a chance to go to NZ). Our main purpose is to spend quality time with each other in NZ and be able to travel around NZ more often, while we are there, but our goal is to be there for atleast 3 + years for which we might need PR or some kind of permit to stay there, so I though skilled migrant visa would be perfect as my husband has 8+ years of experience in IT.

Thank you once again.

Shilpi

[dracon]

Hi MotherBear,

We are planning to travel most of our time in New Zealand.

We want to enter NZ by applying for Working Holiday Visa - but that is valid for only one year, we would like to be in New Zealand for minimum of 2 years.

Can we apply for skilled migrant visa from the US and if we get declined still go on Working holiday visa?

Can we enter NZ on Working holiday visa and later apply through skilled migrant visa?

I have calculated our points using the point system under Skilled Migrant Visa, Can you please take a look at it and also let us know what are our chances on getting Skilled migrant visa without a job offer in New Zealand.

As we have no job offer in New Zealand - the answer to all the questions under Skilled employment will be ---- NO

Qualifications:- Bachelor's in Marketing (4 year course study) - So we will get 50 points for recognized basic qualifications?

Work Experience - Business in software development for last 8 years - holds President position in the company - so we will get 25 points for work experience for 8 years.

Work Experience in identified future growth areas - Can we claim points on this category as New Zealand's identified future growth areas are information communications technology and my husband has experience in IT for 8 years.

Work experience in absolute skills shortage - We will get 15 points for work experience in absolute skills shortage for 6 or more years.

Current Age - 20- 29 so we will get 30 points.

My husband will be applying for me too - so yes for the first two questions under Partner category and

We will get 20 points for yes on if the partner has a recognized basic qualifications?

I hold bachelor's and master's degree in accounting as well as CPA license in USA.

Total Points claimed: 140 points. Is this correct analysis that I have done.

Can you please help me make sure that I am claiming points on each category correctly. Please advice.

Thank you - Your help is greatly appreciated.

Shilpi

[MotherBear]

Originally Posted by dracon

Our main purpose is to spend quality time with each other in NZ and be able to travel around NZ more often, while we are there, but our goal is to be there for atleast 3 + years for which we might need PR or some kind of permit to stay there, so I though skilled migrant visa would be perfect as my husband has 8+ years of experience in IT.

If you aren't intending to work in NZ I suspect this may be a problem with getting PR. The main purpose of this type of visa is to get people with certain skills into the country and working for the benefit of NZ. There is a lot of work involved in getting skilled migrants into the country, so I'm not sure that INZ would be too happy if the much needed skills aren't being put to use. I have been trying to find something in writing I can quote to you and so far this is what I've come up with.

6. Residence and Work to Residence visas and permits
If you meet our criteria, and we believe you will settle successfully and contribute to New Zealand, we will offer you a residence visa or permit.

If we think you have potential, but want to see how you settle, we will give you a work to residence visa or permit, which you can use to help obtain an offer of skilled employment in New Zealand for up to nine months. If you obtain skilled employment in this time you will have shown your ability to settle and contribute, and your residence application will be approved.

If you do not meet our residence policy criteria we will decline your application for residence.

From here .

Usually those who want to gain PR without working to benefit the country get in via the Active Investor Migrant Category and will aid NZ by investing money in it. An expensive way of doing it, but you get your money back at the end and it is an alternative way in.

I'll have to scratch my head and think of any other way you could get in and stay in for a few years. Perhaps someone else has some ideas?

[dracon]

Thank you for your quick response. Well we really want to go and live in New Zealand for few years. We are planning on going to New Zealand on Working Holiday Visa first, we don't want to work for any employer but are planning on using our expertise to do freelance work, would that help us gain visa through skilled migrant category.

Thank you once again for all your help

[MotherBear]

You can certainly go on a WHV but, as you know, it will only give you a year. For a longer stay you would either need a WP (but that would mean you'd have to work for someone) or PR. For PR you would need to see how many points you can get without a job offer. I believe, once you have PR without having gained points for a job offer, you can please yourself who you work for. If INZ gives you a Work to Residence visa instead of full PR, which can happen in some cases, you would need to get a job offer to qualify and you'd have to work for this company for 2 years, I think.

[dracon]

Hello MotherBear,

Just few additional questions:

If we apply for skilled migrant after we are in NZ on WHV, and we get PR instead of Work to Residence visa, then we don't need to work for a company or look for a job, we can do freelance work from home?

The points that I have calculated so far is as following :

Bachelor's in Marketing (4 year course study in US) - 50 points

8 years of work experience in Information Technology ? 25 points

work experience in IT (absolute skills shortage in NZ) -15 points

Age - (20- 29) - 30 points

Spouse has a recognized basic qualifications ( bachelor's and master's in accounting) - 20 points.

Total 140 points.

Is the above points calculation correct?

We have 140 points accumulated without a job offer. What are our chances of getting a PR than work to residence visa?

Can my husband get bonus points for identified future growth areas ( as he is in the profession of Information Technology) - I have not counted the 10 points for that. Can you please tell me?

Also, last question after we get approved on WHV, how long do we have till we can get into NZ? Does the 12 months start after we enter NZ or does it start after the application has been approved?

Thank you so much for your help and inside information on New Zealand Immigration. Till just a few days I was so lost, I am glad to have found this website and you. Thanks again.

[MotherBear]

I haven't had to deal with the points system myself as we're hoping to get into NZ another way (we'll be retired) so I'm not familiar with working out the points. Perhaps someone who has done this can help out.

I would say that, if you are claiming points for a qualification and work experience, the work experience must be in the same field as the qualification i.e. qual in IT and work experience in IT. Does either of you have a qualification in IT to go with your work experience? If you don't, that would knock your points down quite a lot and it could take a lot longer for your application to come through.

I understand (but can't find anything in writing to back this up) that once you have PR you aren't tied to an employer (unless INZ imposes restrictions on the PR). If you managed to get through to the interview stage where they ask questions before deciding whether to grant you PR, it could get tricky as they will ask about your job prospects and what you will do about finding work. This may or may not be an issue. It would be good if someone could provide some information on how this works.

Someone asked the other day about when a WHV would start to run. It appears that it begins on the day it is approved and not when you first enter the country.