Kags1694

Myself & my family are looking at moving to New Zealand from UK
Where do we start?

Help !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Littletoe

Start here....http://www.immigration.govt.nz/ (for visa info) and have a look at this.... http://newzealandnow.info/

Then your'll need to book your medicals with an approved medical/x-ray centre (the first website will give you those details - expect to pay over £100 for the medicals and x-rays) and contact your local police force to find out about criminal record checks (which takes 40 days - £10). Make sure you save your pennies, its a long and expensive process! A residency visa will set you back at least £500 each. Again the first website will give pricing info.

Good luck!

the calders

Just started onthe road myself. First thing i would do is go to the new zealand immigration websiteand do the points indicator to see if you have a chance.

search this forum, there is lots of info to be had both about the good and bad points of NZ.

and research research research, before you even start the process you need to be sure it is what you want, as stated above its an expensive process.

good luck.....

p.s. race you there..

dreamfish

you need to work out what kind of visa you would like to apply for - for example applying under skilled migrant category.

Nerine

Let's go back a few steps first....have you been New Zealand? If not I'd say start with a holiday / fact finding trip first to see if you want to live here.

thebears

What is the reason for wanting a new life in NZ?

mazi

Ditto.

kiwi_child

A reccie can be helpful but only to a point. As myself and others (including mazi I think) have pointed out, there is a very big diff between being on hols and actually living in a place.

One piece of advice when reading through these forums: Look for facts and NOT opinions of a few disgruntled people or those who have only been here a couple of months and still think it's all marvellous. Opinons are just that. Personal experience can be worth considering if what has been said is a recurring theme from other posters.

mazi

V true

Nerine

Absolutely right so try not to see things through tourist eyes. There is NO substitute for living here but a visit is better than nothing.

Try to rent a house or a bach, rather than staying in hotels or motels. Have a look round some schools, make sure you get to talk to the teachers in your kids year groups and ask to look at examples of childrens work.

Get hold of the local papers (most of which are free) or the larger broadsheets (eg. NZ Herald up here in Auckland) and just read about everyday life, what's going on, the jobs that are advertised (many of which won't have rates of pay against them) Watch TV.

Look for property papers and go round some open homes in your price bracket to get a feel for what you can buy for your money. Don't forget to ask if there is any heating or insulation in the house and if the section is cross leased or freehold.

If you're thinking about working in one of the major cities try driving some of the commuter routes during the rush hour.

kiwi_child

Good advice. Also check out sites like www.seek.co.nz to see jobs and pay rates. Try chatting to locals, and expats too if you can as this can help get a feel for local scene.