Becks101

Hi,
We've seen various immigration advisers about finding work in NZ and have been told that our best bet is to go over there and use the 6 months you can stay on a visitor visa to try to find work. If successful, we'll then apply for a work visa.
We're happy to do this, but when we spoke to the immigration people direct and mentioned this plan they were not keen. They pointed out that the primary purpose of a visitor visa is to visit, not to job hunt. We're not going to be spending all our time job hunting - we plan to enjoy ourselves as well as trying to find work so that we can stay longer. But now we're worried that if we turn up at the border with CVs and work references, they might think we're planning to actually do some work (which we wouldn't do) and not let us in. Does anyone have any advice on this?
Thanks vm - very confused...

Moses2013

If you're purpose is just a visit, then don't turn up with CV's, work references etc.. It's all done online these days and surely you can just scan your documents, save them and send to your email account. If you need a print just go to a copy shop????? As long as you've done all your homework, I don't see the problem.

PB65

Never understand why people turn up with physical copies CV, education certificates and even letters from prospective employers when easier as you say have everything online and print if required later. Nothing to stop anyone from using a visitor trip but could be your turn to be randomly selected for that extra scruitiny hassle can do without after a long trip. Easy to get too paranoid though if you watch some of these probably staged to a degree border control reality tv programs the staging generally to make a point.

MrsFychan

your immigration advisor should not be telling you to do this.
Although many do it is against the visas type to do it, it is purely a visitors visa and if anyone in authority thinks you are doing anything other than that there may be consequences.

As others have said do not take physical copies, have them saved on drop box so easily accessible. Do not tell customs/border control you are over to look for work - they will not let you enter on a visitors visa.

and get rid of your immigration advisor

jmh

I did have one job that required you to bring in the original qualification certificates. This was after I was offered the job, so perhaps you can leave them with someone who could post them to you if needed.

I've no idea about immigration things, but when I've watched those telly programmes referred to above, people seem to be getting a grilling for looking like they are wanting to work. Are they set up?

simonsi

The fastest way to be declined a visa is to be found to have abused/misused or overstayed a previous visa...

What kind of work are you expecting to find?

BEVS

I'm a bit astonished at this. No Immy Consult worth their licensed salt should be suggesting this at all.

Absolutely. That is the Immy rules , regs and policy. Why did you do this . They were never likely to be seen to go against their own policies & they should not.

Um. So you are planning to job hunt.

Look. People do come to NZ to do a reccy & then maybe , possibly , perhaps , on the off chance happen upon possible employers and explore those possibilities but it isn't strictly kosher at all .

Well yes. Even Immy officers need to be seen to be doing their jobs.

... and to be an echo....
Get rid of the Immy Advisor(s).


This is what I would suggest you look into doing as I am not sure that your OH is deemed to be a skilled sparky or not. No offence is meant but I am short on time here .

1 - You contact Tradiesdownunder . If your OH is able to gain the suitable course and NZ standard then you will be better fit to arrive to NZ. **

I have no idea of their credentials at all but it might pay to explore this before mooching about NZ hoping for some sort of job offer.

2 - Canstaff as per the above link are an accredited employment based recruitment service. You are better to liaise with them. However please exercise caution. **

** disclaimer.

If I subsequently see that there is some sort of link here somehow, I will pull the thread.

BEVS

I am also going to ask here, what age are you ?

PB65

I think the programs serve a purpose to show what people should not try to do when passing through customs/ immigration. They are all same theme with Australia/NZ/Canada/US/UK and maybe scripted by immigration/customs, dont bring in food without declaring, dont even hint anything about work unless you are a bona fide business traveller. I even saw one program once when poor chap was visiting girlfriend and he let slip was maybe going to help her parents do some decorating got a lot of hassle for that. Whether was a setup for program who knows but the recent example of the au pair in Queenstown visiting with an Australian family who paid for her trip then let slip she may babysit for one night whilst in NZ she was on first plane back to Australia. Guess is all matter of luck when arriving if you get that secondary grilling as result of your answers to immigration and they do a luggage search finding all documents. End of day lot of people do look sees with no problems so is very easy to get paranoid about it, even more so watching these reality TV programs could end up going no where . A 6 month tourism visit might raise a few questions anyway , funding for a start and who gets 6 months off from their main employment ?

Justcol

last time I passed through Sydney airport there was a sign at the entrance to the customs hall that said
"TV program Border Security are filming today, if you have no objections to tv crews being present, use the doors on the right"

I thought at the time, why would anyone, especially a smuggler go there, knowing they would probably be more thorough than usual

escapedtonz

Woh! Appalling advice there from Mr Immigration Advisor

Granted, the most effective way to find work here is to put yourself in front of the employer, but the actually method to do that just on a visitor visa is fraught with danger.
It is a risk and getting it wrong could result in you not being allowed to travel, being stopped at the border and being returned home or at worst being banned from returning for a few years as you have been found in breach of your visa conditions.
The visitor visa does not allow a person to seek work. It is not written in black and white. It is not something a visitor would normally do. It is written that a person on a visitor visa can attend "business consultations" whatever that means??? I take that to mean you can sit down in a planned meeting or even a planned interview with a potential employer but if you wish to do so that meeting has to be previously declared and approved by Immigration.

Many many people do bend the rules and use the Visitor Visa in this way in order to come to NZ and find work. Immigration NZ seem to turn a blind eye to it. They know it goes on, but allow it to happen, however the Immigration officers at the border don't turn a blind eye to it and if they come across a person who is blatantly looking for work - i.e. they have CV's, references, employers names in their bag etc then you are surely asking for trouble.

If you must bend the rules and use the visitor visa then make sure you don't have anything that would physically link you to finding work. DON'T carry any paperwork or tools of your trade etc.
In this day and age you don't need the paper hard copies. Upload all your documents to a Cloud like Dropbox or Google Drive etc and you can access the documents from anywhere in the world. Just visit an internet cafe to print them off for a small charge when you are here in NZ. Just be very sensible about it.