applying for a job prior to visa?

[punkfish]

Before we complete our eoi I have been looking at the kind of jobs available in New Zealand. I know that you get 50 extra points if you have a job offer in New Zealand, but I have been seeing the following comment:

"You must be eligible to work in NZ to apply for this role"

at the end of quite a few job descriptions online and wasn't sure exactly what it meant. Is there a process you have to go through in order to be eligible or is it just that some companies are not interested in recruiting non New Zealand residents. Any clarification or guidance on this would be most appreciated.

Thanks TW

[ebianca]

Hi

I think it is put there 'cos some companies are reluctent to take people on and take the risk if they haven't got any visas.

You can't get a work permit without a job and you can't start a job without a work permit.

However if you have enough points for EOI without a job offer you can apply and get your visa first- if you manage dto get a job offer in the meantime you can just add it onto your application at a later date

[MotherBear]

I think it just means that you should be eligible to apply for one of the visas allowing you to work in NZ i.e. not be likely to be turned down through one of several reasons, like being of dubious character or have severe enough health problems that INZ would be likely to decline you etc..

[Cindy]

Oh MotherBear, I'm hoping my OH gets a job offer even though he hasn't been offered a visa yet. We'll be in Auckland in about a month and before we leave for NZ, we're planning to submit our EOI. If he is offered a job, will we be able make changes to his status on the existing EOI? Also, if we were to apply for a work visa as a safety precaution, how long does it normally take before he can start his job?

[ebianca]

Hey Cindy.

Only a month eh?Will be here before you know it.

You will be able to update your EOI with a job offer as and when you get one. As for a work permit you will need a job offer to apply for this but I beleive you can get a temporary permit (to cover while you wait for your PR) in a matter of weeks and apparently it is possible to go into Immigration and walk out with the permit in your hand.

We (well OH) are planning on getting a temporary Work permit while we wait for PR and are working on timescale of 2-4 weeks from job offer to starting work- obviously sometimes it can be less and sometimes more just depends how busy the office is i guess.

[zummerzet_lou]

Please note, this is my experience only!

We applied for our EOI in July 2007. As we had enough points without a job offer, we just submitted it.

Nearly 9 months later, we are now waiting for our case officer to actually start processing our ITA, and are hopeful of a decision on our residency application in approx 6 weeks time.

During this entire time, I have submitted my CV to several agencies, and direct to companies. In nearly every instance, they have dismissed my application immediately due to a lack of visa.

The few that haven't, who have considered my application, I have had a handful of telephone interviews and then been turned down, usually due to lack of visa despite offering to apply for a work permit for any interim period.

Of course, I have heard of many people who have successfully gotten a job prior to a successful outcome to their visa application, but I have struggled.

Lou

[punkfish]

Hi thanks for your reply. May I ask 2 things:

1. what type of job were you looking for?

2. How many points did you have on your eoi?

It would be great to here how you get on with your pr.....

Thanks

Tracey

[zummerzet_lou]

1) I'm after a permanent job, as a software engineer. I have over 12 years experience, and have had loads of interest in my skills. The trouble is, most employers are put off by the fact that I'm in the UK. Kinda understandable, but very fraustrating for me as, especially now our house is sold, I could start work within 2 to 3 months.

2) We had 140 points without a job offer

[punkfish]

Hi,

Thanks for that. Good luck with your job hunting and pr.



Tracey

[alan&moyra]

Certain skills can get a job offer prior to visa being issued e.g. nurses or doctors, I would have thought that if you can show you have an application in the pipe line then they may offer a job, but going by Lou's and also my experience before I came over most tend to dismiss you right away if you have no visa. On most job adverts they actually have a disclaimer at the bottom stating you must be eligible to live and work in Oz or NZ

I believe the reason nurses and doctors acn have this offer is due to the length of time it actually takes to process the paperwork whereas 'normal' jobs tend to be starting within the month........... so lets all become nurses !!!!!!!!!! lol