Family of 3 with SMC and job offer. Short on time. Help!
 

Hello. I've been browsing this forum for a few weeks but this is my first post here. We are a family of three applying for NZ residency under the Skilled Migrant Category. My partner is the principal applicant with a job offer of Electrical Engineer in Christchurch. We're on a tight timescale and I'm not sure what to do next.

Job offer accepted 30/03/2015
EOI submitted 03/04/2015
EOI selected on 15/04/2014 with 245 points.
No news yet - 05/05/2015
Job due to start 1 July but they would wait until 1 Aug at the absolute latest.

We have all docs, including police certificates ready, except our medical certs which we have booked for 14/05.

However, we're biting our nails now because July is so close.
So, we're considering pausing our residency app so my partner can apply for an essential skills work visa. NZ immigration currently says 95% chance of approval in 25 days. My question is, should he? Myself and our son (under 2yrs) would go out on visitor visas and continue our application for residence once in NZ.
Is there any reason why we should not do this?
What would happen to the EOI we have already submitted? Could this information be transferred to the Chch branch?
Should my son and I wait until we get to NZ to have our medicals if we are not going to lodge an application for residency from the UK?

I would much rather be in NZ as resident from the get go but time is ticking....

Many thanks in advance for your help!

Re: Family of 3 with SMC and job offer. Short on time. Help!
 

You'd be very very very lucky to go from EOI to approval on your current time scales, particularly if you haven't submitted an ITA yet.

I'd advise that your husband goes ahead and applies for the Essential Skills visa, they usually are very very quick - mine was granted in under 4 days, the 25 days is just to allow for complicated cases and high volume in my experience. Check with Immigration but afaik the residency application won't pause, you'll just have to fill out the ITA and wait for the queue to rumble on through until you're allocated.

I'd also check if you and your son can accompany your partner on a visitor visa if you do intend to stay. You may fall foul as a visitor visa means you MUST have a return flight booked out of NZ otherwise legally the airline cannot let you board your flight in the UK. I'm not sure but I do think there is some way to 'attach' a partner and child to a work visa but again please check the immigration website. Worst case scenario you may have to let your partner go ahead to secure a job and scout around for housing.

Re: Family of 3 with SMC and job offer. Short on time. Help!
 

Family Stream

This might be of some use to you :)

Re: Family of 3 with SMC and job offer. Short on time. Help!
 

Thank you! I had a feeling that the visitor visa could catch us out. I will have a look at the Family Stream info and let you know how we get on.

Re: Family of 3 with SMC and job offer. Short on time. Help!
 

Myself and the kids came over on visitors visa, OH was on a temp work visa as he had to start the job before the ITA was approved. But we did intend to go back to UK after the 6mths holiday visa limit for a family celebration so the return tickets where no problem.
ITA took us just over 3mths, that was with a husband already working in NZ on the temp work visa. once it was approved in the UK we had it transferred to NZ for the stamps to be added to our passports.