jseni01d

How strict is the NZIS with regard to documenting work experience?

When I calculate the points I could get at certain times over the next year or two (I'm 27 now), this issue always crops up. If I apply just before I turn 30, I'll have 7 years 10 months of documented work experience, agonisingly short of 8 years and a vital extra point. But add in the 3 months of English teaching I did in France, and I'd be eligible for the extra point, which could very well be the difference between success and failure (depending on the passmark at that time, of course). Unfortunately, I've long since lost contact with the family that employed me in France, so I can't prove that 3 months ever happened. Has anyone had a similar experience? Does the NZIS actually check with each employer (hard to imagine)? Does undocumented work experience get ignored?

John

newstartnz

NZIS are tasked to verify your work experience. This usually means a phone call to your workplace or referee. I am sure that they also use common sense, so if you are claiming 3 months experience with appropriate backup documentation but no way for them to check with a third party, if your documentation is believable enough they are likely to accept it.

By the way, you are aware no doubt of the NZIS rules of work relevancy:

'You can claim points for work experience if:

the claimed work experience has been lawfully obtained;and
it is relevant to the qualification(s)for which you have obtained points.
If you have obtained an offer of employment that is relevant to either your work experience or to the qualification(s) for which you have been awarded points,you can claim points for work experience that is not relevant to your qualification(s).

Work experience is considered relevant to a qualification where the NZIS is satisfied that the qualification was:

an important factor in the principal applicant being able to obtain work or continue or advance in the position or field of work in which they have experience;or
an important factor in a career path that has advanced progressively from the principal applicant ’s pre-qualification work experience. '

Maybe you could consider getting extra points through further study etc?

All the best

jseni01d

Thanks for the advice.

I think I'm probably OK for the relevance. My degree is in languages, specifically Japanese, and my work experience is all language-related - half teaching in Japan and half in translation. The 3 months (actually 9 months part-time) in question consisted of teaching English and basic Japanese to the son of a rich French family. I should probably try and locate them and get them to sign a letter saying I did the work in question.

John

newstartnz

John,

Thinking about it, all you need to do is find a relevant job in NZ! (OK, not so simple.)

Age 27 = 10 points
Degree = 10 points
Work experience 4 years = 2 points
Job offer = 8 points

Grand total 30, passmark is 28. You're in.

I guess you know about the work deferral visa, ie you apply for PR, fall a bit short of the passmark, get 6 months to go to NZ and get a job which gives you enough points for PR. Only problem for you (unless you have hidden points, eg spouse with a degree) is you need to have 23 points now (ie within 5 points of the passmark) to get the work deferral visa. You could get that point by showing assets of NZD100,000, tough at 27 but maybe a generous parent etc could help? You will never actually need to transfer that money because you won't ultimately need the point.

Alternatively, in January or April 2003 the passmark will definitely come down (says me) because at 28 points, the NZIS will fall short of its target immigration numbers, the high 28 points passmark only came in H2 2002 to manage down the high numbers applying for PR in H1 2002 when the passmark was 25.

All the best

jseni01d

A prediction of the passmark coming down! That's like music to my ears, well, eyes! The sharpness of the rise does suggest it was a kneejerk measure to allow them to catch up on the backlog and/or appear tough on immigration for the election. If that's the case, logically they'll reduce it to 27, then 26, once the number of applications comes under control. Of course, a repeat of Sept. 11, the release of the next Lord of the Rings movie, or any of a number of factors could see another surge.

My situation is almost as you described.

At the moment I have:
Age: 10
Qualifications: 10
Experience: 2 (will be 3 when I pass the 6 year mark in October)
Money: 2 (1 from my savings, 1 with help from my parents)

Having scoured the NZIS website, I think there are also 2 possible points to be judged by NZQA: one my wife's qualifications (a 2-year Japanese "degree" in early-childhood education, including the Japanese national qualification for kindergarten teaching) and the other my own degree, which might be worth 11 points (4 years, first-class honours). If both of those long shots came off, I would actually have 27 without a job offer.

Ah yes, the job offer. I'm a translator, currently full-time in Tokyo but hoping to go freelance if/when we go to NZ. This would allow me to continue working for the same company as now but from home. Unfortunately, getting a full-time job in NZ would pretty much prevent me from doing that, which is why I'm trying to squeeze every possible point out of the regulations.

John

newstartnz

Good luck with it! A couple of points: NZQA fee goes up to NZD350 on July 22, so if you are assessing both you and your wife, some savings to be made? Plus, you don't need to stay working with the full time employer ad infinitum - I'm not suggesting you dump them after day 1 but there's nothing wrong with giving a suitable notice period and going back to your freelancing. NZIS only require the job offer to be genuine, they don't check that you actually take up the job or require you to confirm you're still in the job after, say, 3 months. Japanese/ English translating ability may be rare enough at professional level for you to achieve a job offer before you even go to NZ.

All the best