neddrick98

Hi

I'm a 22-year-old Brit finishing a degree in languages (Spanish, Arabic and Portuguese) at a Russell league university in the UK. My boyfriend is a 24-year-old Mexican carpenter with over 6 years experience in the trade and a diploma.

He lives in Mexico, I live in England.

We are looking to move to NZ next Summer.

I've been looking at visas and jobs and everything and realise that my boyfriend has a good chance of getting work out there due to the recent earthquakes and his extensive experience in a useful trade. I, on the other hand, feel like finding a job is going to be quite hard, since although i'm educated and qualified, I have no trade!

What are other people's experiences in this kind of thing?

Finding a job before we go seems highly impossible, but I would really value the stability of knowing we have work to go to.

I understand that the Silver Fern job search visa would be an option for me: has anybody done this and been successful?

I would love to work in tourism/languages but would be happy with ANY job to get us going when we arrive.

Any advice on the next steps to take would be so appreciated!!

Eg. how much money would we need to earn (minimum) to rent a flat/house in one of the main cities? I know that wages are lower than UK wages: this doesn't bother me, as long as we can live an okay life out there. -- by "okay" I mean being able to pay rent, utilities, transport/car, food and go out once in a while. I'm not talking about not having a social life but nor am I talking about going out for £50 dinners every night!!

So far I have calculated that if we both earn around $30,000 NZ then we should be fine: does this sound like too much/little?

I feel slightly lost, to be honest, and as my boyfriend doesn't speak much English I'm the one doing all the research.

Which leads me to another point: how good does his English really need to be? From what I can tell, he needs to do an IELTS exam but if he fails we just pay anyway??

Sorry this is a bit rambling!!!

REALLY APPRECIATE GUIDANCE!!!

Thanks!

LeVigneron_32

I also am thinking of moving to NZ. A professional photographer, teacher, pharmacist and almost lawyer I could come in useful! One problem though. Any pension that I would be entitled to in UK disappears in NZ so I am informed. Is this true or just an urban myth?

neddrick98

Hey Levig

No idea - that's why i'm posting on this forum: more information!!
At least you've bumped my thread

ANY info please people!!!

Thanks

MrsFychan

you would have to apply separately as I believe you have to prove joint accounts/living costs etc for at least 12mths prior to application.
As you say your partner doesn't speak much English he will have to obtain a certain level on his English language requirement

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/NR/ex...0BFE0E4EA5.htm

also I think $30,000 is to low as I believe that a minimum income is required to gain visa but I'm afraid I'm not sure what it would be.

It's possibly that one of you might get a visa and the other won't so something you will really need to look into and think a lot about.

Catchafire

Based on this information, you have no chance. Sorry to be blunt.

A job earning $55,000 or more is the rule of thumb to score a work permit.

Your relationship is unlikely to meet the criteria which immigration requires to count as a relationship.

Your boyfriend does not speak English. How is he going to communicate at work, on a practical level, never mind the requirement for immigration?

Caz8NZ

I hate to be pessimistic but i think you are being quite unrealistic.

When you say you want to move here - do you mean forever? have you visited New Zealand before? Which visas are you considering trying to apply for? If you don't have a "trade" or experience that you are going to use to get a job - what research have you done on visas and job opportunities?

I'm trying very hard to not sound patronising here, but at 22 as a graduate just out of university, i'm not sure trying to find work for the first time in a foreign country is a good idea.

What makes you want to come to New Zealand and not find work in the UK?

I'm particularly drawn to your comment

Um - he needs to be able to speak english. Not sure where you get the information that if he fails the IELTS exam you can just pay to come anyway? I don't know the ins and outs of this but i don't think so.

As Catchafire says - if your boyfriend doesn't speak english he will not be able to communicate with his work colleagues.

Have you investigated working holiday visas for you both? I'm pretty sure mexicans can get them. or even a student visa for him - he can come and study english and work part time.

neddrick98

Hey
Apologies for the delayed reply!

Thanks for your responses, all opinions are valid and helpful.

Caz8nz:
Why did we choose NZ?
Essentially, it's the best prospect of living together and not living hand-to-mouth for two years. Mexico has low wages and would demand an actual career of me (rather than in the UK where one can do a degree and not end up with a profession). The UK would then seem the logical choice, but the only way he could get in would be 1) we marry (I am unwilling to marry simply for a visa) or 2) he studies (but the UK requires far too much money per month to support that visa and the costs of courses are high, meaning I wouldn't actually be able to afford it!). NZ has a skills shortage which he could possibly fill, as well as Job Search and Working Holiday visas and an amazing lifestyle.

Catchafire: "Your relationship is unlikely to meet the criteria which immigration requires to count as a relationship."
I assume you wrote this under the impression that we have never met/spent time together etc etc? We have been together for nearly 4 years now, during which I have spent 15 months in Mexico and he has spent 6 months in the UK, living together as a couple. For me, this is a valid relationship, though I am aware that different countries ask for different things - the UK asks for 2 years living together with bills in both names as proof which he didn't have, hence the Unmarried Partner Visa option was ruled out. I will investigate into NZ's definition.

In terms of English:
I am aware this is a huge obstacle, and in a practical sense he would need to be confident and have a moderate-high level of English to be able to work on a daily basis. We are currently addressing this area. However, the NZ website does state under the Skilled Migrant category that if you fail to meet the standard required of IELTS then "you pay for the level of course required depending on your current level of English. If you have no IELTS certificate, or a score below 3.5, you have to pay the full amount. But if you have had an IELTS test and your score was 3.5 or above, you will pay less.

If overall IELTS band score is... ... then you'll pay
4.5 or more but below 5 NZ$1,735
4 or more but below 4.5 NZ$3,420
3.5 or more but below 4 NZ$5,110
Below 3.5 NZ$6,795"

This would be, obviously, very costly, but an option should he fail to meet the required level.

At the time of posting the original thread, I hadn't investigated any other visas but I have since looked into the working holiday visa (an option, as both countries have this scheme) and the Silver Fern Job Search Visa (an option for me, possibly).
A student visa would be fine except for the cost of the course, which would be almost impossible to pay on top of the other costs involved, but again, this is an option I will be looking into.

Thanks for giving me a lot of food for thought about my ideas and plans! I have also been investigated immigration agencies (particularly with job search services): does anybody have experience with this?

Thanks again!

Sarah

Pom_Chch

What's the use in buying your way in with the IELTS test for him to arrive in NZ and be deemed unemployable due to him not being able to speak English? Perhaps you would be better off using the money to pay for him to learn English to a high standard first? If you deem yourself unemployable because you have no trade and your boyfriend turns up not being able to speak English it's a recipe for disaster. You will be in a country a long way away with no jobs, no entitlement to social security (ie benefits) and maybe not enough money to pay for the basics or a flight home should it not work out. With both of you out of work the money will soon run out.

I hope you work something out, but I think you need to think it through a little more and then see where you are at.