tiger mama

Hi guys, newbie here! I'm just taking the EOI points checker and have a query.

My partner (who will be the main applicant) has two level 8 qualifications: a BSc (Hons) degree and also his accounting qualification CIMA which does need to be approved by NZQA but is apparently recognised as equivalent to another BSc Hons.

I know it's 50 points for a Level 7/8 qualification - but does anyone know if that is PER qualification or just a one off for having 1 or more at that level? Because on the indicator it only gives you a yes or no option, no option to put in that he's got more than one, and as it stands we're getting below 140 points with that, but if he was able to get another 50 we'd be well over. Anybody any clues?

Also, where it says "Did you begin your study for level 3, 4, 5 or 6 recognised qualification on or before 24 July 2011?" - why is it only asking about the lower levels? Should he tick yes on this even though he only has the higher level ones or is it specifically only referring to those for some reason?

And lastly - I think I'm being really dumb here but can anyone put in simple terms what it means by a comparable labour market? For example, my OH has a physics degree and CIMA (as I said a post-grad accounting qualification equivalent to a degree) and has 8 years as either accountant or finance manager - so would it be a yes to this?

Thanks in advance if anyone can help!!
PS. We did this points checker 18 months ago or so when we first started saving and we were well in excess of 140pts - has it changed or become tougher since then or have we just been getting something wrong?!

PPS. If we didn't manage to scrape the 140 points, would he be able to apply for jobs on the provision he'll apply for a temp visa first (how long does that take? And how much extra would that cost?) and then apply for a Skilled Migrant Visa once the job offer was in place?

Persephone

Hello and welcome

I'll try and answer

You can only claim points for one qualification. So he would not be able to claim an extra 50 points. The points indicator is not that clear on this; hence your confusion .

As to the 24/6/11 qualification question: this is from memory but I seem to recall that the rules changed at that point for certain quals. You would tick no as he is at a higher level. Don't worry about it!

Comparable labour market: this mainly refers to the country that any work experience was gained in. There are exceptions if someone works for a multinational company or their profession is on the long term skills shortage list. So if his work experience is in any of the above countries or fits in with the exceptions then he can claim points for work experience.

The points system hasn't changed in the last 18months

At the moment those with less than 140pts and without a job offer are not being selected so a job offer may be necessary for success. Things can change. You can hunt for jobs and get a temp visa depending on circumstances whilst waiting for residency to be issued. Costs are on the NZIS website under fees. Is your husband's profession on any of the shortage lists?

I think that's answered your questions! Hope this explains things more clearly
P

M_and_M

Agree. I have two qualifications - one level 8 one level 9. I only got one set of points.

Costs etc that I have paid out so far are on my blog.

I applied for jobs before I even started any application for visas, and got a job offer straight away, meaning the visa application was relatively straight forward and the EOI was selected immediately. I then applied for a temp visa and am off next week to start my NZ job, meanwhile, the PR visa is still being processed.

tiger mama

Thanks guys, that's really helpful!

Yep, I was being dumb about the comparable labour market then! I was trying to overcomplicate it, I see what it means now, duh!

And thanks for clearing up the points question. On the upside then, does that mean he doesn't need to bother getting his CIMA qualification assessed by NZQA presumably? Unless his future employer wants him to of course, which I hope they won't as it's an international qualification and we've seen it listed on some job adverts. If so I guess the money we save on that can be spent on the temp visa - every cloud has a silver lining!

Sadly no he's not on the long term shortage list but he is on the immediate shortage which may help with actually finding a job I'm guessing. That's if we can get our act together and raise the cash before that changes anyway; we're not there yet.

Have you gone the temp visa route then too M_and_M or is your employer willing to wait for you to get the skilled migrant application done first? I've just followed your blog, looks great and the breakdown page is very helpful! Good luck with everything.

How are you finding Christchurch Persephone? If a job comes up there we are favouring that option, most of the jobs seem to be Auckland (which we would also quite like, but we've not got that much money right now until I go back to work full time when the kids are older and it seems our money will go a lot further down south!).

M_and_M

Hi there,

The job initially said they would wait but when they found out exactly what that meant they changed their mind. I have a temp visa and the PR visa is in at the moment.

We almost had to also do partnership visa as well but hubby is staying to sort house sale (its sold, just paperwork) and hopefully the PR visa will be back by then.

As for the blog, thanks it's still work in progress, we will add the useful links too when we get a chance.

M_and_M

Ps the cash will go a lot further down south but there's also cheaper places on north island too.

tiger mama

I think if we went North he would end up taking a job in Auckland. Is it too much to hope there may be some nice areas within an hour or so of the CBD to raise a family that don't swallow all your income in rent?

Great to hear you're all sorted - you make it sound easy! Hoping we can be at your stage before too many years have passed.

Also I have another question - you don't have to be married to all come under one skilled migrant visa do you? I didn't think so but I saw saw something that made me wonder. We are a family with children but living in sin as it were!!

ellenarosemary

Pretty sure you dont have to be married to come under one visa, but you will have to prove you are in a stable relationship, joint bills, photographs, child birth certificates with both names etc, mortgage statements etc etc etc, the more the merrier.

We have been married nearly 13 years and had to provide all this, and we have three children too!!

Persephone

You don't have to be married; if you are living together then you are classed as a de facto relationship. A marriage certificate is seen as little more than another bit of proof that you are in a relationship.

For a partner to be included in an SMC application then they must have lived together for at least 12 months and be able to prove it. It is the living together bit that NZIS want to see, they don't care whether you're married or not. So living in sin is perfectly acceptable

I am no longer living in Chch [temporarily, long story!] but would move back. I moved there before the earthquakes started and have been through it all so there is more of an emotional attachment to the city I suppose. It will be a little strange for someone moving there as there is no city centre now. There are smaller centres eg Riccarton, Merivale but no centre as such, it resembles a massive carpark at the moment
But the city is still there, you still do the same stuff, it's just spread out more. Parts of the city were pretty much untouched by the quakes and look like any other city in NZ.
The quakes have quietened down a lot and as time goes on it becomes much less likely there'll be any more big ones. I got to the point where they only bothered me if they were over mag 5 I learned more about earthquakes in the last 2.5 years than I ever wanted to

tiger mama

Thank you that's useful knowledge, we'll start hanging onto all our shared bills etc and digging out the old awful photos lol! :-)

I can't imagine going through it all Persephone. I have always been a bit phobic of earthquakes which I've joked about living in the UK but won't seem so funny in NZ somehow. It is such a shame to hear everything Christchurch has been through. My OH is currently looking at finance jobs in the rebuilding project, they are specifically seeking UK applicants, whether it'll happen or not I don't know. :/

Persephone

Get as much evidence of the two of you sharing a house as you can, the more information the better! Even if it is dodgy old photos-I always imagine them having a giggle at some of the stuff they must get sent

Hmm well the earthquakes will not class as my favourite bit about NZ! If you move to Chch you will feel one at some point [as indeed you will if you move almost anywhere in NZ] They are generally quite small now; mostly people stop to see if it will get any bigger, wait quietly for it to stop and then have a guess at the magnitude and how far away it was, there is very little panic

And generally any buildings that could fall down already have...

MrsFychan

we sent in honeymoon ticket bookings, wedding invites, family holiday bookings, party/wedding invites etc.

as for the quakes we were averaging one every 2 weeks when we came over in Jan 2012 but they were quite small. First one was very weird, husband had literally just walk out the house to go to work and there was a noise and table swaying side to side, larder door slammed shut. Daughter came out of her bedroom scared saying her pictures on her wall where moving.
But saying that my son has not felt one since he has been here although he has always been within the house when we have felt them. We at the stage of saying "we could do with a small one" in the belief frequent small ones are better than 1 big one.
Did have a Big'ish one in the June that even the Kiwi's where wondering if they needed to get out of their homes.
Another time I was sitting on one sofa and hubby and daughter was on another, they felt one I didn't. We check GeoNet to make sure it s a quake and not just the freight trains or trucks on SH1.