Pressure!! Got the job, do we wait til we get there before we apply for permits?
 

This has probably been asked before, so bear with me, but as some may know, me and the OH are upping sticks with the sproglets and making the move this year. I've already been offered a job and accepted it, and the OH is a teacher, so there shouldn't be any probs finding work for him. We put the house on the market this week, after deciding there was zero point putting it on before xmas. We have a 'D-Day' of around the beginning of March, which we're both feeling might be unrealistic, but we really couldn't have got the house up for sale any sooner.

We've started the process for getting work visas, and its all so complicated (and expensive - medicals for 2 adults and 2 kids under 4 = £960! :blink:) we're wondering if it might not be better to put that on hold until we get to NZ? Its all so stressful, we've never sold a house before, and with everything else (i.e. getting rid of 95% of our belongings, working full time and looking after 2 kiddies under 4!) we're thinking we'd rather wait til we get there, when we're unencumbered by houses, packing and getting rid of stuff, worrying about debts and getting us all to NZ. Plus we'd have more money, having sold the house.

Has anyone else done it like this? What would people suggest the pro's and cons are?

Re: Pressure!! Got the job, do we wait til we get there before we apply for permits?
 

Hi Wilekit,

congratulations on the job offer, excellant news! Any idea on where your heading in NZ? It's just that different immigration offices in different places have diferent lead times for processing applications, but all saying it shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks to get a work permit in the interim. We flew out last year on visitors visa's with an outbound ticket to Oz (something you'll have to think about as you can't enter NZ on a one way ticket without proper work visa's). I managed to get a job offer within two weeks, and three weeks later once the contract had come through I had my work visa from the Wellington Immigration office. Meds over here are a little bit cheaper about $500 for adults. I suppose one con is that you need to get your EOI in which takes time, than you have to wait to be selected, then it takes about a month for the ITA to turn up, the police checks take 40 days, med's about 1 week, so it's all about managing the process as well as selling your house. Stress, worry, stress, worry!!!!! Can you leave the UK without having sold the house? Can someone continue to sell it for you? Do you need the house sale money to finance your trip? It's certainly more than feasible to do everything once in NZ, and probably a lot less stressful, but maybe expensive as you can't start work before your visa comes through, so you may have to be prepared for a month or two with no income. If that's the case do what we did and tour around - Taupo is so fantastic!!

best wishes

Simon

Re: Pressure!! Got the job, do we wait til we get there before we apply for permits?
 

Just a suggestion...but we too are a family of 4.

Have medicals in 2 weeks in Maidenhead.

Costing us £600 but know it has gone up slightly since we booked... maybe about £650 now.

Anyway, for the cost of the petrol £40/£50 and a 2 hour drive? you could save yourself about £300:thumbsup:

http://www.bridge-clinic.com/immigrtn.htm


Tan

Re: Pressure!! Got the job, do we wait til we get there before we apply for permits?
 

The job offers in Auckland, and we've prob left it a bit late as they're expecting me to start in March prob-not sure exactly as when I was interviewed they said 'next spring', and after I'd accepted the job they said once I was allocated to an area, the manager from that area would email me with a view to setting up a phone discussion about start dates. That was last Oct and so far heard nowt! The OH keeps stressing that they changed their minds or something, but I got the thingy form employers give you for your work visa app in November, and the jobs with the dept of corrections, so I reckon they aren't a fly by night operation :lol: I'm hoping its just indicative of the typical Kiwi laid back attitude to things! :thumbup:

the thing is, we really do need to sell the house to finance the move - plus we just want shot of all the baggage here in the UK. So looking forward to just being unencumbered by mortgage, credit cards, overdraft...the list of people waiting for our hard earned every payday is endless! And we want to get there and be able to do a bit of touring with the kids, start our lives there as we mean to go on, i.e. by spending time together and making THAT the focus of our lives rather than paying the bills!

Is that £600 for 2 adult medicals, inc VAT?? Why is it so much cheaper in maidenhead?? Honestly, I almost had a heart attack when I added it up, we thought a few hundred at the most not a grand!! :curse:

Re: Pressure!! Got the job, do we wait til we get there before we apply for permits?
 

I suppose the other question is whether or not you could come over and your OH and kids come later once the house has sold. Is that aviable option?

Re: Pressure!! Got the job, do we wait til we get there before we apply for permits?
 

Well it is an alternative if the house doesn't sell quickly, and we have discussed it - its the absolute last resort, both the kids are v young (9 months and 3 years) and its a lot of responsibility to leave one person with. And I know this sounds a bit sad, but I don't think I could leave them for that long! :o

Selling the house must be a big issue for lots of people wanting to make the move, I'm sure we aren't alone! We might be lucky and get that perfect buyer, you never know :rofl:

Re: Pressure!! Got the job, do we wait til we get there before we apply for permits?
 

Try and stay clear of buy to let buyers, ourselves and one or two others on here have been screwed by our buyers who were buying to let and strangly enough all had the same cultural background (I won't expand on that any further).

Best of luck to you and I hope you get the buyer of your dreams!

Re: Pressure!! Got the job, do we wait til we get there before we apply for permits?
 

Costs for medical examinations are:

Adult (over 15 years old) - New Zealand
Includes full medical, HIV, Hep B, VRDL, LFT, FBC, Serum Creatinine and chest x-ray

£240.00

11- 15 year olds - Australia and New Zealand
Includes full medical and chest x-ray

£164.00

10 years old and under - Australia and New Zealand
Includes full medical only

£85.00

Link below takes you straight to price page

Tan

http://www.bridge-clinic.com/immigrtn.htm

Re: Pressure!! Got the job, do we wait til we get there before we apply for permits?
 

P.S. Right there with you - have children of 16 months and 1 month...two job offers with dates...plus a house to sell...although a slightly longer stretch till the deadline :unsure:

Tan

Re: Pressure!! Got the job, do we wait til we get there before we apply for permits?
 

the whole house thing is a big worry. we've set a price below which we can't go, and if we don't sell in time...well, we'll have to think of another option, renting maybe? I don't like the sound of buy to let buyers...we want a pair of nice 1st time family buyers, in a bidding war! *sigh*...if only we were that lucky! Its like juggling chainsaws or something, any that fall wrecks everything! :D

2 little 'uns under 2!? You're crazier than we are :rofl:

Re: Pressure!! Got the job, do we wait til we get there before we apply for permits?
 

There have been tears :( and not just by the kids :curse::wub: