JoeJK

Hey all,

I'm in the kind of initial research phase of looking to move to NZ in the future. Right now I'm in Canada on my second IEC WHV and I'm thinking about my future plans. I'll be leaving here in September, then my plan is to do an Australian WHV for one year, then head to NZ.

I was thinking previously about getting residency here but I didn't think of it until later in my time here so I didn't plan ahead for it and am not really well set up to get it now. With this in mind, I'm hoping I can arrive in NZ with the intention of residency from the start (obviously I acknowledge that I may decide I don't want to stay, but I want to give myself the option if possible), so I would like a bit of direction from anyone who can help. Right now my thoughts are to leave here and head home for a few months, then go to Australia and just get a job there to save up as much money as I can, then head straight to NZ from there. I've looked on the immigration website and I'm slightly confused by the different types of visas and am not sure which one I'm supposed to start with. Do I just apply for a WHV and if I get that one, then work towards residency from there or is there a different type of visa that you have to go for if you're looking at residency?

Also, I'll be 30 this year, so I was going to apply for 12 months in Australia and then the 23 month NZ visa both at the same time before I hit 31, then use that 12 months I have to activate the NZ visa to be in Australia working, but that's assuming that it works the same as Canada and you can still enter the country when you're over 30, as long as it was applied for and approved while you were still 30?

Work wise, I'm mainly a photographer (working as one in Whistler right now) but I have experience in a bunch of other jobs too (banking, admin, cooking mainly). I'll be focusing mainly on finding photography work in NZ but I would definitely look to do anything else if I could get residency out of it.

Thanks in advance!

Joe

Persephone

Hello,
I'll try and simplify things a little. Getting residency will depend on a few different factors and may not be possible before you arrive.

I'll keep this as a brief overview to try and make your options a bit clearer. The visas that get you residency are as follows:

1.Skilled Migrant Category[SMC]
This is points based with points gained being based on age, work experience, qualifications and job offer in the main. This is an application for residency. Your application [EOI] goes into a pool and there are fortnightly draws. You can submit an EOI if you have 100 points or more however this does not guarantee success. Currently [and for at least a year] the only EOIs being pulled from the pool are those with 140 or more AND those with 100 or more AND a job offer. Anything less than 140 without a job offer is not going to be successful and you'll waste your money. Your EOI is removed from the pool if not selected within 6 months.

2. Work to Residence[WTR]
You must have a job offer to apply for this. The two categories are LTSSL [Long term skills shortage list] and Talent [accredited employer]. The Skills shortage lists are here: Skill Shortage List Checker – Immigration New Zealand
Photographer is not on the LTSSL so you'd have to find an accredited employer [accredited by INZ] who will pay you a salary of >55,000.
With this visa you are issued a temporary work visa [for 30mths] and you can convert this to residency once you've worked in that job for two years.

3. Partnership
Just for completeness! To get residency via partnership you would have to have lived with a NZ citizen or resident for at least 12 months

Other Visas:
Essential Skills Work Visa - temporary only. Job offer needed to apply for this. Photographer [medical] is on the Immediate Skills shortage list which means an employer can offer you a job without having to prove no NZers can do that job. It only covers medical photographer though. There is no route to residency via this visa [like the WTR] but it can get you started and having a job can give you the necessary points to apply under the SMC and be successful!

Working Holiday Visa: may be the best option to get you in NZ. You can't do permanent work but actually being in NZ often opens more doors than applying from abroad.

Hope this helps
P

JoeJK

This helped clear things up a lot, thanks!

Joe