chasandange

came over here in 05 and worked for a company in auckland, anyway to cut a long story short and more to the point,after applying for our second work visa,and also buying a house here,and shifting our gear over from the uk we thought we would see if we could apply for permenant residency,weel we wish we had never bothered,we got told that truck drivers was not on the CRITICAL LIST,i then found a company that would sponsor me i then found out that based on a 40 hour week i did not earn enough so that option went out of the window,i then contacted our local mp and she told me that now zealand wanted only proffesional people and truck driving IS NOT CLASSED AS PROFFESIONAL AND THAT ANY kiwi CAN DRIVE A TRUCK AND THAT IS WHY IT WONT GO on the list,so we have now decided that TRUCK DRIVING OVER HERE THEY JUST WANT TO USE YOU AND ABUSE YOU PAY THERE TAXES AND NOT GET ANYTHING FROM THEM AT THE END OF IT ALL,so if anyone is coming over from the uk to drive trucks just be wary and do your homework properly as there are quite a few of us HEADING BACK HOME DISSILLUSIOND,but apart from that we have had a ball

Kippers

Sorry to hear that.

Yea, it is difficult to get the $50,000 salary required for residency.

I think a few truckers have made it, but maybe that was when only $45,000 was needed.


Kip

phil01

Good post Chas and Ange...glad you have enjoyed your time here and it is really helpful to let people know how you have tried for residency, helps them get a clearer picture.

sananddave

HIYA - Been there and done that . We knew 99.9% that OH being a trucker would'nt get us to stay in NZ forever but we went over anyway last year to try and to follow our dream. We are getting on in life so it was quite a gamble at our age and alas found many obstacles - we contacted the Transport Minister, MP'S and various other people and agencies stating that as we were willing to make a commitment i.e working hard, paying taxes and contributing to the country was there any way we could get something in return i.e. some permanent stability with residency but there was no response so that route was'nt meant to be.We reluctantly came back to the UK, picked ourselves up and had a rethink now OH is completing City and Guilds in painting and decorating and we are going back to NZ next year for another try!!!!!!!!!!

BEVS

HHmm. You know, I've been around these boards for 5 years now, & I can't think of anyone that has gained PR through their heavy vehicle driving or HGV.

Any trucker out there that has, please stand up and shout out loud.

I think some of us have had this discussion before. It seems that as a trucker one can gain a temporary work permit easily because it is on the Immediate Shortage List. The Immediate Shortage List is there to make life easier for employers and NZIS when it comes to Approvals In Principle. It cuts down on the paperwork for them.

When it comes to WTR or PR then there are stumbling blocks because even if you worked for an acredited employer & have the potential to earn $50K, NZIS do not see it as skilled employment per 7.10 of their operations manual..

There are criteria surrounding the $50K and the upshot is that this level of pay has been set because it is seen by NZIS as a salary befitting a professional or skilled person. It is actually set at $5K under what is thought of as the 'going rate' from what I have read in the operations manual.

I had another look at the listing at 7.10 of the manual and Heavy Vehicle Driving does not seem to be included.

I'm sure the truckers will correct my understanding of this if I am wrong, but it seems to me that PR or Residence from Work cannot be gained via trucking at this time. One would have to perhaps be a manager of several truckers or similar. Neither does there seem to be any provision for what I would call extra talent or skill. i.e. a trucker that can do summat special. Not sure quite sure what.

A couple of months ago, I thought I heard a whisper that Heavy Vehicle Driver employers were trying to lobby government for a change of the Heavy Vehicle Drivers status from the Immediate Shortage list to the Long Term Shortage list. At the moment there are no plans to alter the status despite the continuing shortages.

Of course, that doesn't stop any trucker and family coming out to enjoy New Zealand under a temporary work permit. These work permits are renewable for years at a time, during which time there is always the hope that NZIS policy could change.

In the interests of good information for hopeful trucker migrants out there, after all that's what these boards are about aren't they - help , information and support - what do the truckers think about the possibility to gain NZ PR. We have now read of 2 that have gone home because they were not able to gain Residency.


edited........

Work to Residence is a policy where one may apply for a 30 month work permit and then hopes to Work towards Residency.
The work permits are temporary and are renewable .
The work permits issued under the WTR policy do not guarantee Residency .

phil01

Hi Bevs,

you are spot on...even if you earn the $50k a year working 40 hours or less Trucking of any nature is not classed as skilled for PR or WTR as per NZIS, anyone that believes differently should phone them and clarify the situation for themselves before selling up in the UK and coming over.

As you said Bevs it is a great few year break but don't kid yourselves that being out here with a house, money in the bank and a job will gain you residency it won't.

But if you can accept you are here temporary then go for it!

phil01

Good luck San and Dave.

Tooanfrom

Moral? Play just as dirty as the other side--if Prison Officers are let in, be one in the UK and then come here, join the Prison Service, then leave-sell icecreams. Get the paperwork to be a Painter/decorater -come in -then drive the truck!

Kippers

This from NZ4U who have (apparently) helped drivers with WTR:

At present we have out our planned October trip to the UK on hold as New Zealand Immigration have recently made a change to their Accredited employer policy that affects HGV drivers.

They have changed the minimum salary from $45,000 to $50,000 for a 40 hour week - this means you have to earn $50k for 40 hours per week with an accredited employer before you can apply for your Work to Residency Visa (WTR). This is the visa you work on for 2 years before applying for Permanent residency. The 3 year work visa that you apply for from the UK remains unchanged and you are still able to get this as long as you have a job offer in NZ. it is just when you get to NZ and want to work towards your permenant residency that you need to earn $50k for 40 hours with an accredited employer.

We do have employers who offer this salary and are accredited but most of them are Petrol Tanker companies and there are conditions applied to this - for example it may take you 2-3 years to get to the required salary with one of our employers.

We wanted to wait and see how this change affects our current drivers and the employers we have in NZ before we made another recruitment trip to the UK.

phil01

NZ4U are full of b******we paid up to them and they never got me a job.... months and months of waiting and I got nowt...after a long drawn out battle I got half of the money I paid back!

They have also p**** off many diesel mechanics whom they employed for intertruck by giving them duff information..fortunately intertruck has paid for NZ4U's incompetence and footed the bill for their mechanics residency costs! To add to that you will note they claimed to be part of investors in people which they now seem to be disassociated with.

I would say their hold on employing truckers is more due to the fact they have recently become very unpopular with employers in NZ...intertruck being part of a big organisation for petrol tankers being Kauriland...they have basically p*** off their major employer big time!

Anyone opting to go with them don't expect anything for your money!

Other than that...as most people seem to be saying...truckers aren't going to get residency unless you have another skill or your partner has a skill. Come here and enjoy the lifestyle but don't be misled into thinking anything will change to give you residency...Like I said in another post just ring NZIS and put your own minds straight before you jump in feet first.

I have still got a few mates coming out early next year...truckers...but they know it is just temporary so don't be put off just be weary of buying a property and going full force into NZ if you don't have residency first...the estate agents fees for selling it again are much more over here than in the UK.

Marika 38

Hi Phil, good post as always, it seems as if we have a battle ahead of us dosn't it, after being let down so badly by Chrysallis, we have to stay optomistic. But I think like you say, to hold off jumping on property market would be wise. We'll gather as much info as Poss from Immigration, just have to concentrate on getting this 2 yr Visa first,thats nott in the bag yet, and enjoying what we have here.

Can only keep sharing our experiences and things we have found out with each other, in the hope that it can help and inform others that are on their way here, thats what its all about isn't it.
Good to hear from Debbie the other day.
All the best, Marika

BEVS

Karma for that. if you get a definitive answer from NZIS gaining Permanent Residency for truckers, please do post it here

and good luck to San and Dan. Painting and decorating may be just on the immediate shortage list & not the LTSSL but it is recognised as skilled employment under Group 7 - trades.

kato33

Debbie of the Phil01 clan..............

As you know, we are well on our way of emigrating to NZ.
I do remember you telling me how to go about PR but for the life off me cannot remember a thing.

Would it be possible to PM us and give me your ideas again.

Nici

phil01

It's down to you Nici...depends on the job you get, must meet work to residence criteria $50k for 40 hours and the skill requirement as per section 7.10 (see Bevs post up a bit!)

Truckers can't get residency simple as that really so it will be dependant on your job offer...which is how we did it!