Moving to NZ on a WH Visa
 

Hello everyone,

My name is Sophie and I'm 26 years old, living in Peterborough, UK.

I am an Account Manager for a bank (retail) so aware I do not qualify for the skilled migrant / shortage skills lists.

I have a house in Peterborough which I would plan to rent out. I am just about to take a secondment with my current work so wouldn't be able to move until I'm 27 next year.

I was hoping you may have some guidance on how I can go about making myself as appealing as possible to NZ employers. Are there recruitment agencies that could assist?

I have some friends who live in Katikati who have invited me to stay with them when I first arrive, however the closest city is Auckland (a good 2 hour drive!). As such, I would be open to any area of NZ to look for work and wouldn't want to limit myself to one specific area.

I realise that it is easier to get a job once I'm actually in NZ, however if there's anything I can do in the meantime to help my cause I would appreciate the advice.

Thank you for your time.

Sophie

Re: Moving to NZ on a WH Visa
 

What's wrong with Peterborough ? I live in the south of Peterborough. I lived in NZ from Feb 2011 to Nov 2016.

Re: Moving to NZ on a WH Visa
 

Morning there.

You don't say what quals you have for this & I am not sure what the occupation actually is.

It won't be so much about you gaining a full time perm. job offer. It will be more about that the employer will be entitled and able to offer you the work & that the Dept of Labour and Immigration will accept there is no NZ resident/citizen that could take up the job.

To double check. Is your intention to emigrate to New Zealand, rather than live work in NZ for a couple of years please?

Re: Moving to NZ on a WH Visa
 

You stated a "WH" in your thread subject - I assume you are talking about a Working Holiday.

You are not "moving" to New Zealand on a Working Holiday Visa, you are going there for 12 months and will be returning to the UK after. This rules out a permanent job.

A WHV is not a backdoor to a permanent or long-term visa, or a "substitute" for a work visa. You must assume on this visa that you will be leaving New Zealand after 12 months.

The intention in giving this visa is that it's travel first, work second, which is why there are the restrictions in place. Consequently most people on WHVs end up doing backpacker-style jobs as they travel around the country.

Re: Moving to NZ on a WH Visa
 

A working holiday visa can be for up to 23 months , of which it is allowed to work for 12 months max in total.

There are those that come out on the WHV , find a permanent full-time job & uplift a temporary work permit.
From there they may or may not be able to apply for a residency visa.

It is, I suppose, a mis-use of the intentions behind a WHV but nevertheless it can be used in this way and has been used in this way.

Many that uplift a WHV are fresh out of Uni . They may have skill-sets and degrees that NZ are looking for but are unable to totally fill a gap from within NZ for a variety of reasons.

In this case for both employers and WHV holder it is a win win win. The employer gets someone young , fresh & able . The young person gets the chance to emigrate & remain. New Zealand gains a young person with degree level education , perhaps in an area where there is a shortfall.

So in a way it may seem like a back door but I feel that it is a deliberate backdoor policy to attract the young & educated.

For this young lady everything will hinge on where any job offer comes from. The best chance is that an NZIS accredited employer offers her employment and it will be at a salary range to allow her to apply for residency. Anything else and it's a very long shot.

Regardless she gets to come to NZ & try her best to legitimately remain if that is what she wishes . If job offers are not there or she finds NZ does not suit , then she can remain in NZ for a year or two and simply enjoy the overseas experience. At least she would return to the UK feeling she gave it all a good go.

Re: Moving to NZ on a WH Visa
 

What has that got to do with anything?

Re: Moving to NZ on a WH Visa
 

Er nope!
Tauranga is the nearest city to Kati via SH2. Would take around 40 mins depending on traffic.
Hamilton city is also closer to Kati than Auckland - maybe 1hr 20 mins.

Re: Moving to NZ on a WH Visa
 

You beat me to it EtoNZ. About 120000 people live in Tauranga which is just down the road from KK about 50kms away. If youre on a WHV and are here during the picking season then Katikati is ideal if you fancy some kiwifruit picking. A lot of WHV peeps in that area.

Re: Moving to NZ on a WH Visa
 

Hi, thanks for your response. I have a degree in Psychology and then a Level 3 certificate in Banking - quite the opposites! So I'm not skilled in any one thing, which I think might work against me in this situation.

I'm not 100% sure - I would love to live in New Zealand but I'm up for going for a couple of years to get a true feel for the place etc.

Re: Moving to NZ on a WH Visa
 

Population is a lot higher than that here now. It was just shy of 138 000 July last year so I'd expect at least 142 000 now maybe. There's a huge amount of new homes being built all over where fields used to be. Massive growth, traffic is worse, infrastructure not being touched even though infrastructure needed to be upgraded years ago. Rental market at breaking point. Just not enough properties for all these people moving here. Such a lot of people coming here from Auckland. Sell your Auckland house for Mega $'s, move to Tauranga......price everyone else out of the water and pay over the odds as you have the cash or the equity and hubby stays working in Auckland during the week and comes home at the weekend. Property prices here are ridiculous. Their value is growing higher and faster than Auckland and may one day soon take over.
So glad we found a section and built over a year ago.
All that said....Tauranga is awesome!