VISA dilemma
 

Hi all, apologies in advance for being so long winded. Our professions are both on the LTSS list and we would love to emigrate to NZ as soon as possible ideally with permanent residency, however...

My husband (Melvin,53) is a diesel mechanic with more than 30 years experience. He has part 1 of both his 620 & 380 qualification, & exam results for all but the final exam of part 2:(. This has never previously prevented him securing skilled employment in the UK, however, as we want to emigrate to New Zealand it presents a problem for us, in as much as without part 2 my husband, on paper, is technically semi skilled.

Myself (50) I qualified as a registered general nurse (BSc, Hons) in October last year (2010), and presently have six months acute care experience under my belt. In preparation for my application for NZ registration I sit the IELTS on 4th June.

Can anyone advise on whether I need to have my degree assessed for VISA application/nursing registration, and will my assessed level and IELTS give me extra points? Also bearing in mind the information above can anyone suggest what options are available to us regarding VISA type, and who would be the best VISA applicant? Hope these questions are allowed:confused:. We both hope to find employment and intend to carry on working in these professions in NZ.

Desperate to emigrate to NZ soon,
Sheila & Melv

Re: VISA dilemma
 

Hi beales,

Welcome to BE. I hope you enjoy your time with us. I've taken the liberty of moving your thread into our NZ Immigration for you and I'm sure that someone will be along soon to share experiences.

In the meantime take some time to look around the different parts of the site like our Wiki, photogallery, article section etc. And if you ever get stuck on anything please don't hesitate to give us a shout. The Moderators for the NZ forum are BEVS and Am Loolah and the Conceirges are MnB and Vitalstatistix

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Re: VISA dilemma
 

Hi Sue
Sorry I posted on the wrong site:o,. Was experimenting with my first ever post! Thanks for your help in redirecting it to the correct site:). Will check out the other sites you also recommend.

Kind Regards
Sheila

Re: VISA dilemma
 

Hi there and welcome to this cosy little NZ forum.

Let's start simply coz otherwise I might overheat.:D

Diesel Motor Mechanic is on the long term shortage list BUT your husband would need to meet the trade qualification requirement. As he didn't finalise the trade qualification it may be best that he isn't the main applicant.

Of course, you could submit the qualifications he does have to NZQA to see if it would meet the NZ standard required for the SMC application.
As it is, you may be able to claim bonus points for a basic trade qualification

You are a fully qualified nurse I take it, & that is also on the shortages list. Makes sense then , that you be main applicant.

An IELTS doesn't give extra points.

Please have a bash at the NZIS points indicator. It will show you how the points are awarded.

Visas -

If you are wanting to emigrate permanently to NZ and have enough points then you could apply under the skilled migrant route. If you do have the points then you can try for this with or without the main applicant having a job offer.

A job offer strengthens any application. Nurses are in demand here.

I believe that your qualifications will need to be assessed by the NZ Nursing Council for registration with them. This will ,in turn ,allow you to claim points for the skill

Re: VISA dilemma
 

Hi Bevs, thank you for your reply,

We would love to emigrate permanently and yes I am fully qualified. My problem is that I qualified in October last year and therefore can only claim 6 months post registration experience at the moment:(. (2 years post grad experience is needed)

I am due to sit the IELTS test on 4th June (earliest available date) so that I can apply for NZ registration. I'm still unsure if registration will give me enough points without securing a job offer though:unsure:. Do you know how many points are available for obtaining NZ registration?

Thanks
beales

Re: VISA dilemma
 

No points are available for occupational registration as it is a requirement of the job.
If you are the principal candidate and are applying as a nurse then you will need to secure registration in order to be able to claim points for a qual on the LTSSL.
You may need to look at finding a job offer to increase your points total since you won't be able to claim points for work experience.
Sorry for the short answer- have to go to work in 5 mins!

Re: VISA dilemma
 

Short but informative:thumbsup:, thanks Persephone.

Can you suggest where to begin the search for nursing vacancies (my experience is mostly in the acute medical field)? We are undecided on the area we would like to settle so are flexible regarding location.

Thanks again

Re: VISA dilemma
 

Hi there,
A lot of us contacted the DHB`s directly about vacancies. ;)

I got my job offer when I had just qualified and I didnt have the 2 years acute experience.
I started on the New Grad Prog when I arrived here, although that was Sept 09. ;)

Re: VISA dilemma
 

Hi RobDon, thank you for your reply:), and congratulations on your success:thumbsup:.

Did you secure your place on the New Grad Prog before you started the visa process, or vice versa?

I'm thinking I may have been qualified too long to join the New Grad Program as will be around 12 months post grad before we can emigrate (IELTS, registration EOI etc.):(.

Most job vacancies I've seen have stated 2 years post grad experience required. Do you recommend sending my CV off in hope to these or, just keep looking?

Thanks again

Re: VISA dilemma
 

I secured my job before we started the visa process. HR at the hospital sent me all the necessary paperwork for a work permit but we decided to go straight for PR as the process was quicker due to the job offer. :thumbup:

I was asked did I want to go on the New Grad Prog when I arrived to start work, that was around 12 months after I qualified. ;)

Have a look at our timeline below to give you some idea of the timescales involved. ;)