amanda2008

Hi anyone out there,

I am currently going through the skilled visa process, We have been told the job market is pretty slow at present, my husband is a builder, we are hoping to come out on a visitors visa mid January, we have had an agent looking for for work for him since mid september, we are looking to re-locate in the North Island area however we are not yet set on a destination possibly the Albany area. I have three children so we also looking for as much information on education private and state. Can anyone give me information on the following. Education facilites when only residing on a visitors visa and the costs of this ? also if anyone has used agency for re-location and has this been beneficial? House prices for rent possibly a three to four bedroomed place near amenities? car hire prices? and does anyone know if it would be of benefit for us to come over on a visitors visa to help look for work rather than rely upon an agency and be available for interview etc.. does anyone also know that if we do come over on a visitors visa can this be extended if my husband doesnt find work or will we have to leave and return if so how long before we can return into new zeland etc.. We are pretty new to all this the information we have been given is vague so we are looking to possibly link in with residents of new zeland for help with a variety of information. can anyone help with this please. The more information we can recieve the better and would be very grateful.

newkiwi

Hi
good luck with all the moving plans

In terms of getting a job, yes it is a lot easier being in new zealand for interviews. You have to be realistic though, it is not always easy to get a job offer if you do not have a work permit. From the way tyou describe it it sounds like your husban will need a general work permit, have you looked at the shortage occupation list to see if any of the occupations/ skill on the list apply to him (or you)
Look at the NZIS website
I think you can visit nz for 6 months on a visitors permit
It is a big risk to up sticks with the family and everything in the hope of finding a job whilst on a visitors permit. It may be hard on you and the family but hafve you considered hedging your rik by letting your husband go to NZ in advance, on his own, to get work. If say after 3 months he has not been able to find anything it will be a lot easier for him to come back to teh uk than all of the family.
look on trademe.co.nz for rental accommmodation
not sure about education stuff, i think you will pay higher internation student fees but i really dont know

feel free to ask specific questinos if you want more info, like i said nzis is a good place to start regarding info on all the visas and work permits etc

alanmacc

Just to add to what has already been said, you may well get an interview fora job but not having the rights to work here means you will not actually be offered a job with no work permit.

BEVS

Kia Ora and welcome to the little NZ BE forum.

I'm moving the thread into the main NZ forum from Immy as your post seems more general than immigration process specific. More folks will see it there.

amanda2008

Hi respondants
Thankyou for all information I have recieved, the agency I am with have stated that they will continue to seek work for my husband and in the meantime if we come out on a vistors visa and my husband is sucessful in finding a job they have stated that they will issue a temporary work permit, is this the case?? we are currently on the skilled visa process however we feel that it may be beneficial for him to be available for interviews direct, can anyone just give me their experiences either with or without agencys and any information on what the current work climate is, I have looked on trademe.com and there does seem to be work available!! any information people can give me on every aspect of this process I would be very grateful also does anyone have info on if home tution is available short term and the aproximate cost of these services.

BEVS

What the agency is suggesting is enormously risky, especially as NZ like the rest of the world is in a period of recession, and I would kick them into touch if it was me. More so , given the fact you have stated that the information you have been given is vague. Just my opinion mind.

When you say your husband is a builder , what do you mean by this?

Is he a carpenter or a brickie by trade or is he a project manager/building site foreman?

It is not strictly allowed for you to come into NZ on a visitors visa and then actively look for work. Several families have done this in the past and been successful but you should be aware that this is not really allowed as such.

Yes, if you took this risk, came in on visitors visas and then your husband found a job offer , you could simply apply for a temporary work permit to get him started in his job. You would be given an open work permit on the back of his application which means you could work at any job. You would apply for student permits/visas for your children at the same time. They are quite simple forms to do . Just go to the NZIS website and download the forms , or walk into an NZIS office collect the forms , fill them out and return them to the NZIS office. You would need to have brought with you the assortment of papers, certificates etc that NZIS require for the work permits and student visas.

It is extremely hard to get a job in construction or the trades when still in the UK. The NZ employer really wants to know when you are prepared to start. Not just that, they will want to know that you have the required skill level and qualifications for the job.

One of the ways you do that is by having your husbands trade or professional qualifications and work experience assessed by NZQA which you would add to your CV.
You will need to have had this done anyway for any Skilled Migrant Category application.

When you say you are on the SMC PR process, where are you in that process? Have you submitted an EOI ? If so, when and with how many points? I'm a little puzzled as to why you would be needing to take such a risk by coming to NZ on a visitors visa to look for a job , when you have already started the SMC PR process. Wouldn't it be better to wait until you are selected from the pool , receive and return your ITA and get your PR ? At least you would be legit, your husband and you could take any work and your kids would be free to start school.

SMC Skilled Migrant Category
PR Permanent Residency
EOI Expression of Interest
ITA Invitation to Apply.

I would echo NuKiwi and the advice they gave. If you don't wish to wait for the PR to come through ( my assumption is that you have started the PR process ) , for whatever reason, then have your husband come on his own to NZ to look for work. If he finds work , then he can apply for a temp. work permit. You and the kids could then follow. Go through the NZ yellow pages and blitz the construction recruitment employment agencies so that you have a chance for at least a few interviews lined up beforehand.

Link:-
Certified Builders Association


With regard to the other topics of schooling, car hire, rentals etc, perhaps start new threads for this, otherwise I can see some of the information and help you are hoping for will be lost in the mire. If you target the topics in the thread titles i.e. Schooling in NZ etc you will hopefully have people coming along to help with the specifics if they can.

MOSO

Regarding schools - as far as I understand it - if you don't have permanent residency you have to pay international fees even in state schools.

We were quoted $10250.00 per child per annum plus activity fees by a state school in Wellington - obviously private schools would be higher.

whitesand

Why don't you simply wait and come out on a permanent visa? If you are here permanently then I'm sure it will give any prospective employer more confidence to employ you if they felt you were staying.

As to educational facilities around Albany, the North Shore is particularly good for schools, both private and state, and Albany has good facilties for shopping and transport. House rentals start around $450 dollars a week for houses and around $300 for units. You need to get the North Shore Times (a free newspaper) which comes out three times a week to see what rentals are on offer. There are hundreds in there every week. Also, this paper gives you a feel for the local area.

Remember, that coming as a visitor does not give you an accurate picture of what is would be like to be here permanently. You really need to immerse yourself permanetly in the daily flow to get a true picture of what living here is like.

UKNZAUS

Hi

We brought our 3 children out 18 months ago on a visitors visa and was quite possibly the most nerve-wracking thing we have ever done! It worked for us and we're now permanent residents of nearly a year but it could have gone so horribly wrong. We were never going to get PR from the UK and that is why we did what we did. Would I do the same again...? No!

My son couldn't attend school until his student visa came through so he was off school for 5 weeks, they can attend schools for free on a student visa if a parent has a Work Permit and can provide evidence of it. There are no fees, but they do ask for donations and stationery is bought by you too.

If you're already going through the Skilled Migrant route, why don't you just wait for this to be finalised? Ours only took 3 months and we had Work Permits for 2 years so there really was no rush. Plus, seeing as you have applied offshore, if you come out and manage to gain PR then you have to leave NZ while it goes through - PR applied for offshore can't be granted when you're onshore.

I hope it works out for you whatever you decide to do.

Michelle

luvwelly

Not quite - you also don't have to pay international student fees if you have a valid work visa (Not the same as a holiday visa)...the longest they will issue a work visa for is 3 years.
NB Even in private schools, the international fees are much higher than the home student fees...if you have a work visa (child has a student visa) you are classed as a home student even if you do not have PR.
I agree with Bevs that your OH coming out alone would be far less risky or just wait for PR to arrive. If you come in on a holiday visa you have to have a return ticket on you I think.

luvwelly

International student fees would be higher than that at a private school but actual home student fees for private schools are not much more than that or even less, so it is the state schools who are 'overcharging' in this situation and I guess it is a deliberate policy to deter people from coming in without the proper paperwork in place.

Wooly_Cow

Luv is dead right (as usual ) - I've got 4 kids and enrolling them into state schools there is NO extra charge as I have a 3 year work visa...(I've now got PR but that's not important here). Do remember however every school asks for a contribution. This is usually dependant on the decile of the shool (the higher the decile the greater the contribution).

BEVS

andijs1203

I have moved your post into a thread all of it's own. HERE That way it won't be lost in this one.