lillibethe

I am in new Zealand with my husband and daughter (from UK) and have been for nearly 3 years. We recently applied to renew our work visas and where told this was not going to happen - they believed work and income had people available for my husbands job. After much heartache they found that there wasn't anyone for the job and gave us a 6 month visa (finishing in January). This was to give my husbands boss time to train and find someone else.

Money is extremely tight and if we want to stay do we apply for residency $400 along with trying to renew our visas at $600 then if we are invited to apply another $1400 plus probably new health checks as in December the last ones will be 2 years old. at a cost of approx $1000.

I should add my husbands job is factory manager for an aluminium window company however he is a trained electrical engineer. I have been only able to get a job on an orchard which is good but doesn't pay - I have always worked in offices mainly accounts and ran our office for a business in the uk

This whole thing has made me feel so home sick. But to go home we will have nothing. But if we apply for all the above there will be no chance of going home - flight money!

Would it be better to try Aussie but still I believe you need a job offer for sponsorship first which I know is a struggle = and the old money thing keeps coming back to haunt us

Any advice would really be hugely appreciated
Thank you

Picnic

I don't want to sound harsh but it appears from your post that money is very tight in NZ so perhaps it isn't the best place to be?

Just concerned that if you are successful in applying for PR that you don't have anything to fall back on in a case of emergency, whereas in the UK you would have backup in the form of benefits and/or family?

Mummy in the foothills

In 6mths it sounds like your Dh will have no job at all? I'd save it all up and fly the family home. At least there you would have family support and a chance to get your careers back on track.

ble

I would say, go home to the UK also.

we are on what is considered a good wage here in NZ and money is still really tight. Not much in the pot for emergencies, and after the earthquake (and a redundancy hanging over our heads last year) this is a major worry.

If there are no guarantees taht you will get the visa that you apply for, I imagine (I don't know though - but it is a govt dept) that you don't get a refund if declined. Can you take that risk?

I know that they are making it very hard to employ someone who needs a visa over someone who is already has one (or is a kiwi).

lillibethe

Thank you for your thoughts Picnic.

Not harsh just honest!

My feelings are definately heading that way. I feel a long chat this evening with the other half and plans to be made.

Thanks again

lillibethe

Hi Mummy

Yes - seems to be the only way. Any ideas on how the job situation is in the uk?
It's such a heart rendering decision. Both countries have their good and bad qualities. My daughter would go home yesterday but my husband feels like he wants to fight to stay - I know that if I go home we'll be starting from scratch but that can be interesting in itself.

Life's what you make it and all that jazz!

Toon_Nut

I'm not giving you any advice to be honest, as it's ultimately you and your families call..........BUT......

Today's report;

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-..._Study_Reveals

Make your own mind up what you can and can't read into that.

Good luck.

Stormer999

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11394354

Bevm

You can look at the study here.
http://www.uswitch.com/news/money/uk...-index-890419/

Dunrovin would be able to read the tables better, but to me it looks as if in most respects, there's not much between France and the UK in the end. In any study that weights sunshine and the price of alcohol, the UK is going to rank lower than France and Spain! Sweden, which is generally thought to have a great standard of living is below average in this study.

Moreover, a lot of these things are under our own control. We can choose whether to drive low mileage car or not, whether to smoke or not, whether to eat decent food and take a daily walk in order to stay healthy. Whether to pay for pre-packaged food or cook from scratch. For sunshine -- it's a problem, but full spectrum lights and a cheap sunshine holiday will help if you can afford it.

So in whether to return or not, I don't think this is much use.

Bev

islandwoman120

Life is what you make of it, here (in the US) or anywhere at all. Every place has good and bad points. When I read the three links posted about the best/worst places in Europe, and the reasons for drawing the conclusions stated, I realize most of the line items do not relate to me, so in my opinion, the charts are pointless. I do not smoke or drink, so charges for those are irrelevant (to me), and after living in the US where there are no mandatory paid vacations given - any paid days off seem like a huge luxury. I know some of the posters live in the UK and want to leave, so they seem to delight in pointing out the worst about the country. Those of us wanting to return have our own reasons for doing so, and we are willing to forego some of the sunshine and relatively cheap living we have had in our present country of choice. What we are bringing back with us is a positive attitude. Post all the links you want, be as gloomy as you want, but you won't rain on my parade.

Lorac05

Well said

Wawa

Good post IW! This is a never ending cycle, families migrate, they settle in new lands, some quicker than others. Some not at all. Eventually, over time, many will return for a variety of reasons, family and economic being the most common. Not just Brits, this is a common affliction, adventure is a thirst that has to be quenched, no matter where we live. We are lucky we can explore the world, there are many that cant. While we are planning our return, others are planning their departure. The ones that are raining on our parade now could easily be on the MBTTUK in 3 years time. Yes, we will be taking back with us our positive attitude, valuable experience, fresh ideas, maturity, and most of us will look at our beautiful homeland through new eyes.

islandwoman120

Agreed. Thanks for posting - I fly out tomorrow. Will post later next week with my new eyes...

Wawa

I hope you have a great flight - I know you hate flying good luck and see you on the 50's and 60's!

sallysimmons

How true. I was with a bunch of Brits last week on my trip back and some were complaining about this or that, but a friend of mine who spent many years in Spain, kept telling them 'you guys have no idea what you have.' Since she has been back, she has spent most of her free weekends touring the country, going to places she had never been before. She said she still marvels that the country has so much to offer in such a small space. Her boyfriend is a Brit who never left, but he has become much more cheerful and upbeat since he met her - he now really enjoys seeing all these places. He used to be a real northern snob, looking down his nose at anything southern, but now he's traveling to Bristol, Kent, London etc and loving them all.

Islandwoman, I hope your flight was smooth and that you are getting settled in. Can't wait to hear your updates!