trigod

We are entering NZ on working holiday visas and are looking to secure full time employment to aid our PR. Has anyone used this route and can they advise us on the do's and don'ts of this route?

Thanks

G

Beachcombers

Did not go down the WHV route, but regardless, if you want a "proper" job you will have to get a work visa valid usually for 2 yrs.

We manged to do this arriving on visitors visas and can offer the following advice.

Paperwork is key, get open references from your employers.

You will need some kind of proof of partnership for you and your OH, copies of bills to the same address, bank statements, photos etc.

Any qualifications you may have, bring the certificates with you.

All of this must be originals or certified copies, immigration will not process your application if you include photocopies, emails or faxes.

After a year you can apply for PR, being a year in skilled employment actually in NZ gives you points.

A WHV is designed to help support your holiday and restricts the time you can be employed by a single employer (six months, I think). But it does have the advantage of allowing you to get work immediately if you are trying to emigrate on a tight budget.

It's possible, we arrived in Auckland in 2004 with less then $ 500 NZD!

Good luck.

Apple12

We have friends who have just spent 4 months wandering around the NI before securing work here in ChCh, they are on WHVs.
One is an engineer, has scored very highly paid work in his field, on a 3 month contract but this is probably going to be renewed. He had around 4 weeks of door knocking and applying to get this work. His wife took a wee bit longer to find work, but now has a 12 month contract in her field.
They are happy remaining on their WHV for now as they plan to return to the UK once their 2 years are up, but they would be able to swap to a work permit if they decided to stay on in NZ instead.
The WHV has not stopped them getting temp work at all, in fact it has possibly opened doors to them as there are many kiwis that have done WHVs over in the UK in their youth, so it is well understood.
You may find that the WHV only allows you to get short term contracts in the beginning, but once you have these under your belt, and you are a known quantity, then you are more likely to secure the permanant contract that will set you up with a work permit.

Littletoe

Hello

I initially travelled around NZ on a WHV. I was limited to three months consecutive work with one employer at a time. It was quite frustrating. The only way I managed to work for longer was when I worked a season on a ski field and apparantly it was different then, not sure how. Anyway, I was able to temp with agencies, as long as they placed me with different employers after three months. During this time, I was offered permanent positions, with employers offering to help with visa situation, but at the time I wasn't interested. All employers expected to see paperwork and permanent jobs stated that they required citizens or residents for the job, neither of which the WHV defines you as. The only other consideration of course is that once it expires, you're not allowed to extend it or ask for a tourist visa to stick on the end. Now we are actually planning on living in NZ, this one year of work experience there has helped a lot. If you temp with company, it might happen that an employer offers you a permanent position, which is great. Otherwise its unlikely to apply for a permanent position and be successful because of the limitations of your visa. It might be worth mentioning your situation to agencies or employers (that you are looking to become a resident) as it might open other routes for you. One other tip, I was quite surprised at how professional temping actually is in Auckland. People actually making a living temping all the time. I think temp agencies are a bit more lax here. Over there, I had to be suited and booted, interviewed, sit computer tests and then usually interviewed again by the employer. A lot more formal than the UK. There are some great reputable agencies in NZ with good clients, so forming strong links with agencies may help you well.

Sorry this is a bit waffly, hope it helps somewhere!

Good luck!

Nikki

Littletoe

Is your story about your arrival and subsequent success in NZ in a thread anywhere, I would love to read it.

Apple12

Info from http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...idayscheme.htm

"When you’re here
you must not take up permanent employment (unless you apply for and are granted an ordinary Work Permit while you’re here)
you must not work for a period exceeding 12 months
you can enrol in one training or study course of up to three months duration during your visit."

Now you can have one year in the same job, as my friend has. You can only work for a maximum of one year within the visa, but this one year can be split between one employer or many.

trigod

Thanks peeps, slowly becoming alot clearer!

Beachcombers

Just for you Littletoe!

I left the UK (Sheffield) in Oct 2001, after selling my house and possessions, got a backpack and a one way ticket to Bangkok. I met Melissa on New Years day 2002 and after travelling together through Asia and Australia, I chose to follow her back to Sweden to see if we could make a go of things.

Melissa had been to NZ on a previous trip and I had never quite made it here, we started to draw up plans for another trip.

So after 18 months in Sweden and with the money we had saved we set off again, this time with the purpose of getting to NZ after travelling through Asia again (spent three months in the Philippines, amazing country!) we arrived in Auckland Feb 2004 on visitors permits (we had return tickets, if everything went pear shaped).

Having worked out we had about $ 490.00 (big freak out moment), which we reckoned would keep us going for a couple of week. We worked out a deal with a backpackers hosted and scored dorm beds for $10 each per night, food was pasta this and pasta that.

Sounds a bit scary, but it was good fun, we had faith in each other, we met people from South America who hooked Melissa with a waitressing job (cash in hand), whilst I set about getting a "proper" job.

In the UK, I had a successful career as a IT sales exec, and after blowing a fair bit of our budget on a suit from the Hallensteins sale, sorting out a CV, I put myself on the job market.

Four weeks later I had four different job offers and I settled for a sales rep position with a company based on the North Shore in Albany (Nearly impossible to get to from the CBD via public transport and I had four separate interviews). I made sure that my employer knew that I had to apply for a work permit etc.....

So then began our first encounter with immigration, queuing up at the crack of dawn at the offices on Queens St, filling out forms, requesting paperwork from the UK (bloody nightmare), it took four weeks to get all the correct paperwork and the forms filled in correctly. Another six AM vigil outside immigration, got in front of a immigration officer, who after some discussion with her supervisor, issued me with a 2 yr work permit on the spot!

Big celebration that night!

Next task was to upgrade our accommodation, two months in a backpackers was more than enough, so I persuaded my employer for a sub from my first paycheck, which was enough for a deposit for a fully furnished flat in Devonport. I was lucky that I had a company car with petrol included!

So we settled into a freezing cold villa for six months, Melissa found some retail work in Devonport and we did ok, although we did struggle towards the end of the month a bit. But I knew we were paying a lot of money ($ 350/week) for a fully furnished place.

So I went to the bank, got a loan, found a un-furnished apartment in Devonport, bought our own furniture and moved in. We had enough money left over to afford to go to Fiji and on 5th of Nov 2004 we got married on a beach!

Arriving back and over the next few months, we had our up's and downs. My job was not quite what I expected it to be, crap customer service and constant complaints from my customers. I was tied in for two years from the work permit and was reluctant to go through the whole process again.

Melissa worked in Sweden as a social worker, specializing in the care of teenagers who have "gone off the rails". How much do they need her skills here in NZ? And she was tired of working in retail, so we paid a lot money to get her papers translated and set to the NZQA. After six months of procrastinating the NZQA turned around and said her qualifications were of no use here in NZ.........

Living in Devonport was great, access to beaches, we had a killer view, but we knew we were starting to flounder in Auckland. I did not like my job and Mel had her confidence shaken by the NZQA. One of the positive aspects of my job, was the car. It gave us access to the North Island and we went away at every opportunity. So I knew my work permit would expire the following year (2006), we set about applying for residency. Just managed to scrape 110 points (our time in NZ helped) and I was well versed at immigration speak. So after again waiting months for paperwork to arrive from the UK, Sweden and Finland (Melissa is Finnish) we applied and were granted residency.

In June 2006, I spotted a job ad for a winery equipment company in NZ, looking for a sales rep based in Blenheim in Marlborough.

And here we are! We quit our jobs, sorted out some movers, packed Melissa's little 1988 Corolla and headed south!

Since we have got here, we have not looked back. I love my job (the reason I have time to write this, is all the winemakers are at a big expo in Wellington today), I travel all around the South Island, meeting winemakers and selling them equipment. Melissa works at one of Montana's vineyards, tending the vines, she is in her element. She also works part time for a local horse trekking company and helps to train ex trotting horses to be ridden.

Last month, we became the very proud owners of a three bed house in Renwick (thank you ANZ and 100% mortgages) and we have just recently done up the sleep out, which we are renting to a French winemaking couple who are working at a local winery.

Nearly three years here, been a bit of a journey, but we both feel that we have come home now and are looking forward to having some kids.

I do not miss the UK in any way, New Zealand for us is somewhere we have carved out the life that we wanted. I like to think we live a life less ordinary!

Pics of our adventures http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y85/Scuba_albany/

Thanks for your time!

P2L

Steve & Melissa

Keep buying the "Can Do" both of you.

You should be very proud of what you have acheived. A lot of people would have given up at the first hurdle.

Long may it last!

Kev & Sarah

Littletoe

Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me your story, I found it fascinating and inspiring. You guys just kept going even though you had your knockbacks and it sounds like the rewards have made it all very worth while. Its just the kind of motivation that I fancied hearing right now! Thanks so much, and I'm sure other people will enjoy reading your story. Good luck with your continued success,

Nikki x

urbanproject

Steve and Melissa,

Wow what a story and a great end to it, glad you were able to fall back on your feet again Sent you some karma, all the best for the future!

Jen

karonious

Brilliant diary of your time in NZ. I like the fact you haven't found it all to be a bed of roses and are able to put that across along with the happy present you seem to be enjoying. You ought to write a blog.
Karen B

p__sullivan

Thats what we did..way..way back in 2002

Turned up with all our permanent visa forms and stuff all filled in..no medicals, but the police check..

3 days later.. the wife was offered a full time permanent job.. we immediately submitted our full permanent applications after we got our medicals back.. and about 2 months later we had our passports stamped with residence stickers.

For us it was the easiest thing in the world.. the hard part being the bit where we had to fill out loads of forms and other bits of paperwork