applying for a working visa while on holiday
 

hello,
friends who live in nz have informed me that the best and easiest way to
gain residency is to line up interviews, go over to nz with my wife and son on a visitor/holiday visa, hopefully get a job offer and apply for a work to residence-2 year visa (i.e. sell up, ship out belongings and don't return).

i work for bt and have 18 years experience in different fields (last 6 years as a planner). my job falls into the long term skill shortage but i do not have a recognised nz qualification in this field. bt do their own training in their own training centres. i have copies of all my training over the years and i have been informed that the skills i have learnt are highly sought after in nz at the moment.

can anyone please answer any of these questions:-

if i get a job offer will the fact that i do not have a recognised nz qualification stop me applying? (on the eoi i will have a total of 110 points if i get a job offer outside auckland)

if i am successful will i be able to get a mortgage, buy a car etc.. while on a temporary 2 year visa?

is it that easy i.e. get job offer, medical, give in police check details....
or is there anything else i need to be aware of?

many thanks paul & family.....

Re: applying for a working visa while on holiday
 

Hi Paul,
Yes its that easy, we came as visitors in November and now have work permits and are currently working on our ITA.
You need to phone around in NZ and check the job market and that you could get a job. You can sell up in UK but cant ship your stuff over until you have a work permit. You can get your medicals etc done here, you will need a return ticket to the UK.
Depending on your age you will probably have enough points to apply for residency once you have your job here. My husbands qualifications are'nt recognised but we had enough points with his job.
We have bought a car, kids are in school and were renting whilst looking to buy and we only have 1 yrs work visa.
To get work to residence you need a job offer for a guaranteed two years.
Hope this helps.
Carole:D

Re: applying for a working visa while on holiday
 

Agree with all the above. But be aware that long term loans i.e. a mortgage, would require a PR stamp.

We did it on a vistiors visa as well and it was pretty straight forward, but make sure you bring all your relevant paperwork with you, references, proof of partnership.....anything you feel might be required.

And make sure you "look" like visitors when you arrive or expect a grilling from immigration and a possible flight home.

Re: applying for a working visa while on holiday
 

Hiya Paul
we're hoping to do it this way aswell...We haven't been before so we want to get out there and see lots of different places,didn't want to get off plane and straight into a job.We want to sell our house before going don't want to be sorting things out from the other side of the world, we put the house on the market two weeks ago had one viewing so far.property market is a bit quiet at the mo so it'll just be a waiting game..we'll just have to hang on in there for as long as it takes.....
Good luck with your plans
Shell and Mark:thumbup:

Re: applying for a working visa while on holiday
 

thanks for the replies that's given me a lot more cofidence to go down this route.
other things that we have thought of are:-

does my wife need any recognised skills or need to obtain work under a skill shortage? or can she stay on my application?

is it better to post out all relative paperwork to our friends rather than taking a chance at customs?

if we can't get a mortgage until we get permanent residency, can we still buy a house with the money we are bringing over from our house sale?

what's the best way of moving our money over to nz?

i think that's enough to ask for now...thanks again... Paul & Family...

Re: applying for a working visa while on holiday
 

Hi Paul,
So long as you get a job offer and then a work permit, your wife applys after. All she needs is a letter from you saying why they should give her the permit, as long as her medical is ok then they'll grant her one for the same time as yours. The same goes for the children, you apply for study permits once you have your permit.
If you've got enough money to buy a house outright then i think thats ok.
Lots of people use HIFX to bring their money over, i think you can contact them from the UK.
As for your documents, you will need them straight away. Id keep them with you, ours were in a huge folder with all our exam results and everything. In the unlikely event that your stopped and searched admit your seeking interviews with a view to moving out here at a later date.
Good Luck.
Carole:D

Re: applying for a working visa while on holiday
 

thanks for the info, better get all the decorating finished! i'm getting my cv together ready to send out and hopefully get over there around august / september.

Re: applying for a working visa while on holiday
 

Cheers Carole
thats finalised that decision for us. i kept wondering should we bring documents with us or not.:thumbsup:
your a star
Eileen x

Re: applying for a working visa while on holiday
 

Getting nervous now the house is for sale and we are winging it also.
I think I feel a PM coming your way spacecake to allay my fears.

kato33

Good luck Paul

Re: applying for a working visa while on holiday
 

our house is now on the market. I keep asking if this route is a good idea and if other people have done it. all the response's has been positive. It's a gamble but from what I can gather there is plenty of employment for the right people with the right skills.

Re: applying for a working visa while on holiday
 

Hi Carole
was your husbands job in the long term skill shortage category or was he employed by an accredited employer?
I've just been checking through all the details again and discovered that my job is not in the long term skill shortage category but is in the immediate skill shortage category! Are they strict about this when applying for a work visa?
If I secure a job while in NZ can i apply for a SMC residency? as i will have enough points or do I have to return to the UK and go through the process?
Can you ship out your belongings on a work permit or do you have to wait for 2 years until you get PR?

sorry about all the questions but I'm panicking a bit since I discovered what category the telecom jobs are in.

Regards Paul.

Re: applying for a working visa while on holiday
 

Hi Paul

I presume you have already contacted telecoms companies by email. That's what we did and things happened relatively fast from there. We were put in touch with e-migration company as I didn't think I'd have time for all the complexity and form filling. Our consultant chap has kept us right with categories and points etc and has made the whole process stress free for us so far. You might be surprised at the replies you get from an email enquiry. We certainly were. Shirley & John

Re: applying for a working visa while on holiday
 

Hi Paul,
Ive just answered some of your questions elseware on the site. As far as i know Matthews job was not on the skills shortage list. He works in IT support. Just to make you feel even more hopeful, Matthews qualifications were not recognised at all, so no points gained there and he couldnt claim extra points for one of the 3 specialised areas (possibly cluster i dont recall) as he dosent work for an ICT company and hasnt for years as he supports law firms.
His firm was accredited but it makes no difference to your application.:thumbsup:
Carole

Re: applying for a working visa while on holiday
 

Thanks Carole,
can you apply for residency with a job offer and enough points straight away under the smc or do you need to get a work permit and apply later as you have done?

Regards Paul.

Re: applying for a working visa while on holiday
 

Hi Paul,
Yes if you've got enough points and a job offer put your EOI in straight away. If you have a date for the job to start it should be through by then. Start getting your paper work and police checks ready.
Carole