British Expats - Passmark NZ

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- Australia (https://britishexpats.com/forum/australia-54/)

- - Passmark NZ (https://britishexpats.com/forum/australia-54/passmark-nz-107154/)

I have only 23 points and was hoping to get a work visa. Being in the IT field, will it make a difference, Will i be able to get a work visa. I already have got my NZQA report, it says the Bsc i have is equivalent to a Bsc from a Nz Uni. Will it have any adv???

Quote:

Originally posted by viper:
I have only 23 points and was hoping to get a work visa. Being in the IT field, will it make a difference, Will i be able to get a work visa. I already have got my NZQA report, it says the Bsc i have is equivalent to a Bsc from a Nz Uni. Will it have any adv???

You need to be within 5 points of the passmark to get a work deferral visa, ie you are 1 point short. However, if you get a job offer, it's worth 8 points to you and you'll qualify for PR.

Quote:

Originally posted by pleasancefamily:

You need to be within 5 points of the passmark to get a work deferral visa, ie you are 1 point short. However, if you get a job offer, it's worth 8 points to you and you'll qualify for PR.

Thanks for your reply. Without a work visa, in this case, how can i get a job offer letter.

Thanks

Quote:

Originally posted by viper:

Thanks for your reply. Without a work visa, in this case, how can i get a job offer letter.

Thanks

That's a challenge. If you have skills in demand, you might get a job offer Before you have a work permit. An IT professional who is a poster on this forum (Ian Guy) got more than one job offer before going to NZ.

But you're right that for most people it will be tough to get a job offer without a work visa.

Quote:

Originally posted by pleasancefamily:

That's a challenge. If you have skills in demand, you might get a job offer Before you have a work permit. An IT professional who is a poster on this forum (Ian Guy) got more than one job offer before going to NZ.

But you're right that for most people it will be tough to get a job offer without a work visa.

Thanks you for the reply. I looked in the members directory. The only Ian whom i found was a person interested in going to Oz. Can U tell me a way of getting a job offer?. Have i got to contact a Job agent ???

Thanks again.

Quote:

Originally posted by viper:

Thanks you for the reply. I looked in the members directory. The only Ian whom i found was a person interested in going to Oz. Can U tell me a way of getting a job offer?. Have i got to contact a Job agent ???

Thanks again.

I think Ian's a usenet poster, not a member. You have to shout and he'll tell you his experience...IAN GUY! IAN GUY! TELL US HOW YOU GOT IT JOB OFFERS!!!

The kind of people who will be able to benefit from a job offer (8 points) with
only 21 points will be those already in New Zealand on a work permit or other
temporary status.

Jeremy

    >On Tue, 03 Sep 2002 03:56:01 +0000, viper <[email protected]> wrote:
    >Originally posted by pleasancefamily:
    >> You need to be within 5 points of the passmark to get a work deferral visa, ie you
    >> are 1 point short. However, if you get a job offer, it's worth 8 points to you and
    >> you'll qualify for PR.
    >Thanks for your reply. Without a work visa, in this case, how can i get a job
    >offer letter.
    >Thanks
    >--
    >Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Quote:

There are a number of online job web sites such as www.nzjobs.co.nz also the nz herald has job vacancies on line. I guess its a matter of applying for anything and everything and hoping they need someone with your skills. If you can secure an offer from an established company then you will qualify for residency. Good Luck.

Rich

I speak from experience (my own and that of friends who have visited NZ) that it is nearly impossible to get a job offer when you are outside NZ. What you Will find is that there are plenty of agencies/employers who are willing to offer you an interview in NZ, however as they haven't actually met you offering a job to a person they have never met is a little hard to justify. The exception to this seems to be large corporates who transfer staff to other locations (I work for a large accounting firm...there are an amazing number of poms in the firm who have transfered from the UK).

The best thing to do IMO is to speak to lots of recruitment agencies (who will probably offer you interviews) then come over, hit the ground running & search for a job when you get here. Once you're here it is a very simple process to apply for and obtain a work visa, once you've got a work visa you can then apply for residency. Another point worth noting here is that work experience in NZ actually gives you points towards your PR application - 1yr work experience = 1 point (you can claim a max of 2 points for NZ work exp). Once you've been here a year or so, the passmark will have hopefully stabilised then you could apply for PR. I've heard from a few sources that this approach goes down well with NZIS when it comes to PR applications (eg work permit/visa first, then PR).

You asked in your original post if working in IT gives you any advantage for PR applications. There is an IT specialists scheme which makes things easier for IT people who don't have a degree, you are awarded 10 points providing you have industry training (eg something like a CNE/MCSE qual) plus at least 3 years relevant experience (which incidentally cannot count towards the gen. skills work experience requirement). As you already have a BSc you don't have any advantage over other occuptations, although IT IS still listed on the NZ occupational shortages list, which is unlike Australia and the UK, both of which have removed IT jobs from their lists of skills in short supply.

Some IT job agencies in NZ:

www.candle.co.nz
www.dewinter.co.nz
www.nz.tmp.com
www.spherion.co.nz

www.nzherald.co.nz (job days are Mon & Weds)

Quote:

Originally posted by BritboyNZ:
As you already have a BSc you don't have any advantage over other occuptations, although IT IS still listed on the NZ occupational shortages list, which is unlike Australia and the UK, both of which have removed IT jobs from their lists of skills in short supply.

An additional advantage is that with IT on the occ shortages list, employers do not need to satisfy the requirement that no NZ'er could do the job before offering it to you.

hi again guys
im really confused now..looking at the new acs guidelines lookslike it will be very difficult for me to get through to OZ,does looking at NZ make more sense?i have 2 years IT exp and a 4 year engineering degree..will NZ be an easier and faster option?

Quote:

Originally posted by pleasancefamily:

An additional advantage is that with IT on the occ shortages list, employers do not need to satisfy the requirement that no NZ'er could do the job before offering it to you.

Quote:

Originally posted by rohit_tar:
hi again guys
im really confused now..looking at the new acs guidelines lookslike it will be very difficult for me to get through to OZ,does looking at NZ make more sense?i have 2 years IT exp and a 4 year engineering degree..will NZ be an easier and faster option?

I would not advise you to choose NZ just because it is an easier option - DYOR first.

But check out the www.immigration.govt.nz site first to see your points under gen skills. If you have the points, you can get immigration approval.

NZIS London - no appreciable delay (say, 3 months max). NZIS New Delhi - considerable delays, up to 2 years (pressure of demand).

NO WE DON'T WANT YOU. Don't come here because you cant get in to oz, this is such a
wonderful country we want people who want to be here and make every effort to fit it,
not people who come because they cant get in anywhere else.

Emily

"rohit_tar" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
    > hi again guys im really confused now..looking at the new acs guidelines lookslike
    > it will be very difficult for me to get through to OZ,does looking at NZ make more
    > sense?i have 2 years IT exp and a 4 year engineering degree..will NZ be an easier
    > and faster option?
    > Originally posted by pleasancefamily:
    > >
    > >
    > An additional advantage is that with IT on the occ shortages list, employers do
    > not need to satisfy the requirement that no NZ'er could do the job before offering
    > it to you.
    > --
    > rohit
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

With a pass mark of 29, at this point NZ is going to be harder for many people than
Australia.

Jeremy

    >On Thu, 5 Sep 2002 08:12:14 +1200, "Emmy & Phil" <[email protected]> wrote:

    >NO WE DON'T WANT YOU. Don't come here because you cant get in to oz, this is such a
    >wonderful country we want people who want to be here and make every effort to fit
    >it, not people who come because they cant get in anywhere else.
    >Emily
    >"rohit_tar" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
    >> hi again guys im really confused now..looking at the new acs guidelines lookslike
    >> it will be very difficult for me to get through to OZ,does looking at NZ make more
    >> sense?i have 2 years IT exp and a 4 year engineering degree..will NZ be an easier
    >> and faster option?

Quote:

Originally posted by Jaj:
With a pass mark of 29, at this point NZ is going to be harder for many people than
Australia.

Jeremy

Don't get me wrong - the Pleasances did a lot of research on the NZ or Aus question and NZ won for us! But a major drawback for Aus for us was the waiting time before PR approval. Not true for NZ! Life's too short when you're a fast-approaching middle-ager like me to put everything on hold for so long with a non-priority Aus application.

Quote:

Originally posted by pleasancefamily:

Don't get me wrong - the Pleasances did a lot of research on the NZ or Aus question and NZ won for us! But a major drawback for Aus for us was the waiting time before PR approval. Not true for NZ! Life's too short when you're a fast-approaching middle-ager like me to put everything on hold for so long with a non-priority Aus application.

And anyway, once you've been in NZ 3 years, you can apply for NZ Citizenship & then quietly sneak through the back door and live/work in Oz for as long as you like :-)

hell, that's a bit harsh ! wonderful country blah blah blah... if you want to
immigrate and meet the requirements the don't hesitate. It's not as hot in Aussie :-)

Michael

Emmy & Phil wrote:

    > NO WE DON'T WANT YOU. Don't come here because you cant get in to oz, this is such a
    > wonderful country we want people who want to be here and make every effort to fit
    > it, not people who come because they cant get in anywhere else.
    > Emily
    > "rohit_tar" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
    >>hi again guys im really confused now..looking at the new acs guidelines lookslike
    >>it will be very difficult for me to get through to OZ,does looking at NZ make more
    >>sense?i have 2 years IT exp and a 4 year engineering degree..will NZ be an easier
    >>and faster option?
    >>Originally posted by pleasancefamily:
    >>An additional advantage is that with IT on the occ shortages list, employers do
    >>not need to satisfy the requirement that no NZ'er could do the job before offering
    >>it to you.
    >>--
    >>rohit
    >>Posted via http://britishexpats.com

That particular circus (IT fast-track) with Australia ended in July. You're probably
not the only non-IT people to have been put off Australia while it was ongoing.

While Australia is not especially quick now, the problem is no longer being
exacerbated by a significant portion of the queue getting priority treatment. Nurses
do get priority, but there aren't enough of them in the system to make a major impact
on everyone else.

Ironically, Australia is now in the process of making it a lot harder for IT
people to migrate there. The red carpet's been pulled back in almost as quickly
as it was laid out.

Jeremy

    >On Thu, 05 Sep 2002 04:37:30 +0000, pleasancefamily
    ><[email protected]> wrote:
    >Originally posted by Jaj:
    >> With a pass mark of 29, at this point NZ is going to be harder for many people
    >> than Australia.
    >> Jeremy
    >Don't get me wrong - the Pleasances did a lot of research on the NZ or Aus question
    >and NZ won for us! But a major drawback for Aus for us was the waiting time before
    >PR approval. Not true for NZ! Life's too short when you're a fast-approaching
    >middle-ager like me to put everything on hold for so long with a non-priority Aus
    >application.
    >--
    >Posted via http://britishexpats.com

But no longer as a permanent resident.

NZ citizens arriving in Australia now cannot:
- access some welfare benefits
- sponsor non NZ citizen relatives for permanent (and many temporary) visas
- become Australian citizens

unless they apply for and get Australian PR like any other migrant.

http://www.nz-oz.gov.au

Jeremy

    >On Thu, 05 Sep 2002 07:13:35 +0000, BritboyNZ <[email protected]> wrote:
    >Originally posted by pleasancefamily:
    >> Don't get me wrong - the Pleasances did a lot of research on the NZ or Aus
    >> question and NZ won for us! But a major drawback for Aus for us was the waiting
    >> time before PR approval. Not true for NZ! Life's too short when you're a
    >> fast-approaching middle-ager like me to put everything on hold for so long with a
    >> non-priority Aus application.
    >And anyway, once you've been in NZ 3 years, you can apply for NZ Citizenship & then
    >quietly sneak through the back door and live/work in Oz for as long as you like :-)
    >--
    >Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Sharing is caring

IT guy from India...5 yrs exp.

Just got our PR thru general skills from NZIS in Christchurch. Real good feeling. Took us 7 months to get it.

This was our points sheet:
Age: 10
Education: 10
Work exp: 2
Spouse quali: 2
Total: 24 (at the time of applying)
Later added 8 for job offer

IELTS
mine: 7.5
Wife's: 6.5

I always wanted to move to NZ. When I was on the verge of applying in 2002 under general skills, the points structure broke
its sleep and the whole situation went beyond my control. I was on 24 points and the passmark went up to 30.

I have reletives in Wellington but not as close to sponsor me for PR. They advised me to come over...live with them and try my luck. I got a 6 months visit visa with their sponsorship, left my job and arrived in dec 2002. Left my wife and 6 months son back in India. I did not wnat to get all of us into the soup and my wife was already established in a good job with Citibank. In NZ I did not have to bother about expenses regarding food and living which was a big advantage. First hop Wellington. Fished around in vain for 4 miserable months....no jobs. Everyone said....u got great experience mate....!!! only if you had a WP or PR....hmmm. Caught in catch 22...spent long frustrating days thinking about my decision to come down. I quit a real good job in India with great salary and in which I travelled all around the world. However I kept on networking with people and job agencies. It made me know so many people....

March 2003....put in my general skills application in desperation for a Job Search work permit....I was on 24 points and the passmark was at 29 without signs of decreasing.

End March....a generous person (who I met through one of my friends) offered me work as independent contractor with his tiny company in Wellington.....Went through bit of a trouble for WP as short independent contracts do not straight away qualify for WP. Those are not by default treated as employment. I wrote them letter clarifying the details of the contract and argued that the contract was in nature equivalent to emplyment. Got my work permit for a year....I knew this was not what I was exactly looking for but gave me a headstart.....good on ya mate..I patted myself!!!

One of those days I was searching the net for job postings....and came across one that was posted 3 month earlier...in Feb!!!. It said people with visitor's visa are welcome to apply for a position in a hi-tech company in Christchurch. I just posted my CV without caring much.....In came the phone call from Hewlett-Packard NZ in Christchurch....I got interview call....!!!

May 13 2003....After 3 intensive interviews.....here I am working for HP NZ from July 2003 in a fantastic work environment. My salary is NZ$5500 p.m. Few months later we are shifting to a NZ$8 million building meant only for HP.

In between went back to India to meet my family after a long separation and bring them over with me . I've even missed my son's first birthday. He is now 19 months old. I have missed 6 very cute months of his growing up...This was my sacrifice for him. My wife immediately got a damn good job here in Christchurch (in 1 week) with Telstra....salary NZ$2500 p.m., she had spouse work permit based on mine.....I was jealous....kidding.

July.....included my and wife's offer of employment with my PR application. Please remember to include any information you think to be important. Maybe while applying or in between. For e.g my wife's job offer was not relevant to the rules of general skills PR. But I still sent them as that might have had an impact on my visa officer about our settlement outcomes here.

October 20...We were granted PR....!!!!

We are now living in Christchurch at a suburb called St. Albans quite near to the city centre. We just love this city. It is indeed the garden city of NZ. We love NZ and settling in south island's hub has given us the opportunity to experience the best of NZ's beauty. My son is in a pre-school and he loves it. We are planning to go back to studying for a while as my wife has an incomplete Phd and I have an incomplete MBA degree.

For those who just select countries as easier alternatives for migration....please do not do that. Moving is a big decision and you need to have a clear idea about what you wish to achieve. As I am from India, I know people there often make the
mistake of believing that life in a developed country is easy by default. I guess it is the opposite. While you definitely get a good lifestyle and environment, you need to shed yourself of the usual Indian habits....of having maid-servants or house helpers, chauffers and not doing your own work. Out here it is a different world mate.....You got to be self sufficient and an active 50% partner of your wife. So....please do your home work before you decide.

So all the best to you out there.....please don't lose hope...be focussed, keep trying and be ready for short-term sacrifice in exchange of long-term happiness.

I got a job in NZ before ariving here having never been to NZ in my life. I had some specialist skills in business & IT and so the agent pinpointed firms specifically. Did the initial teli-conference with ChCh then the rest of my interviews were in London.

Walked in to the NZ immigration in London with my papers and Job offer and walked out with a 2 yr work visa. Applied for PR once all the medicals, Police records, etc came back, from here in NZ.

Biggest problem you will find trying to do this is people taking you seriously. They will all want a date that you will be arriving for interviews. This is the best you can expect normally, most of the time you won't hear much from them unless you can offer them something specialised and they feel you are worth the time investment.

It's all a bit of a catch22 and it isn't going to get any easier!