Kaz n Joolz

Hi Gill

The honest answer, the whole PR thing seems really complicated and costly if done from over here what with medicals.......etc, we both keep toying with the idea of PR but then get scared off and think, we'll do it once we're there. :scared:

I know that's a really lame excuse and l keep promising to take another look at some of the PR info on this site but......

Do you have any info or links which break the 2 processes down into managable chunks and also compare the prices of PR vs Visa? Think what l really need is to finish this 5 week run of night shifts and rejoin the land of the living and start thinking clearly again!!!!

Karen

NZ Climber

I came here with a working holiday visa and turned it into PR, by way of a work visa (due to PR taking me 12 months and having to bridge the gap somehow!). It's cheaper to do it here (and way easier in terms of the time it takes to do the medical) I think, but not by much.

I had a bad experience with PR due to it being a transitional period for the immigration people but I stand by my comments on other threads about their general ineptitude.

Apparently, it's easy peasy now and as a nurse, you'll get be moved to the top of the pile really quickly. It could be as little as a month all told, although probably, it'll be a bit longer.

Make sure you sort out your police certificate just before you leave the UK though, it's only valid for 6 months and by the time i'd gone through all the buggering about, despite the fact that I hadn't even been in the UK to commit a crime for that 6 months, i had to get another one. Very annoying.

Personally, i'd just go for PR, it gives you two years without having to worry before you have to renew it and when you do, it's so easy as long as you've been working (and is then indefinite). It also makes it much more straightforward to get jobs. So, if you plan to be here for a decent amount of time, it's more cost-effective to get PR.

Kaz n Joolz

Hi NZ Climber

OK, guess l'll take another look at PR if it really is pretty straightforward? My partner's due in for a hysterectomy about Feb - as a planned op (with no ongoing complications once done) this shouldn't affect her medical should it?

Off to bury myself in a ton of PR paperwork!!! #

Karen

NZ Climber

No idea, i'm not a doctor. My partner had a pre-existing kidney condition for which she had an op twenty years ago and that wasn't an issue when she got her PR.

Boopy

Hi Karen

I'm going through the PR process and also a nurse. If you want to PM me, I will go through each step with you (well, the way we did it).

Boopy

Markk

Hi Karen,
Go for PR now if I were you. It appears daunting but is surprisingly easy once you are into it. The difficult bit is the waiting and hoping, but as a nurse I wouldn't have thought there would be any doubt you will get it!
We found this forum incredibly helpful with questions re the application process, so just ask way!
Mark

Billie

Do you mind me asking you how long it took to get permanent residency visa in total. Have submitted my ITA and everything else and am waiting- it seems to be taking ages!! Did you have a job offer before you got the visa.

Billie

How long did it take for you to get the decision to give you PR visa once you had submitted everything and ITA? It seems to be taking ages. Did you have a job offer?

cypherpunk

Hi everybody, Dave here, long-time lurker first-time poster.

Me and my wife are both Kiwis by birth but we've been in the UK so long (18 years) that NZ almost seems like a foreign country to us now, and the info on this forum about the experience of moving from the UK to NZ has been a big help.

We're probably moving back sometime next year if our house sale goes through.

RD1

Hi Billie,
I got the ITA back in Feb but it took longer than I thought to get all the things together for the NZQA report. Lodged the application in August and didn't hear a thing for about 8 weeks, then within 3 days I had a phone interview and the approval in principle letter. A week later got my passport back with the visa
the process is apparently much faster if you have a job offer, I didn't.

Good luck with your application, I'm sure it will come through for you soon. I was a nervous wreck waiting for mine but then it all happened so quickly.

Rich

Sega Mad

What an interesting position you are in!!

It must be strange to be looking at your home country after so long away. As you know nothing ever stays the same and your view of things change as well.

When I moved back here (UK) after growing up in Oz I only had memories of the UK as seen through the eyes of a middle class sheltered 11 yrear old. It seemed all so idyllic with its quaint rural vistas and jolly hockey sticks lifestyle ( as I saw it). What a horrible shock when I got back and all the money was sucked out of my pockets and I found myself struggling to get by. All my opportunities and hopes were dashed and I found that the Jolly old England of my youth had long since curled up its tootsies. I survived though and, have lurched from the good life to the bad a few times and now have my lovely family and want to go back to the antipodes. Now I have family it is a daunting prospect but it remains the focus of our desires. There is a fear that it may not live up to expectations but whatever it has to offer it will be another chapter in life's great story and whether for better or worse can only add to our experience in life. Addition is a positive action therefore whatever the NZ experience yields it will always be positive.

Good luck with your proposed move and I hope you find your Shangri-La

Regards

shazzafromnz

Hi
Shazza here.
I live in Whangarei in Northland New Zealand
I was born in the Uk and bred in New Zealand when my NZ parents returned from their Uk /European trip.. so am not an expat ...
I joined this forum as there were people on here asking about Whangarei..and nursing .Im a Nz reg nurse but have mainly worked for Gps and in community health areas..am currently not working as am full time mum to a busy 2 1/2 yr old and a 10 yr old..and Husband was commuting to Auckland during the week.
Have dual citizenship..Uk and NZ by descent.
Went over to the Uk for a yr in 1984/1985 lived near Bristol in a Village called Olveston and was not a nurse then, so had a fantastic time working in a fish and chip shop in Thornbury..called The Frying Machine...I loved my time in the uk but was quite homesick.
Also went over again in 2002 a flying trip to around England Parts of Scotland, parts of Ireland,a bit of Wales.Devon and Cornwall and then over to Germany and Paris.
I like both the Uk and New Zealand for different reasons
I enjoy reading the challenges and observations of others and try to offer comment when I think it will be helpful..we dont have high speed internet here in our area yet and it is a tedious process so i dont post much usually.
Cheers to everyone ..

Winnie

Hi everyone.

I'm relatively new on here and wish I'd found it earlier, it's been a god send for information and everyone is so freindly.

My name's Bev and have a partner (Dave) and 3 daughters, 18 and twins 16. Only one daughter coming with us, my eldest never wanted to come along, then one of the twins decided she wanted to stop at the last minute because of her boyfriend (fools at 16 hey?!!) Hopefully she'll change her mind again shortly and fly out to join us.
Got my PR and visa's in my hand on thursday .......yahoo!!! Flying on the 20th December, stopping in Thailand (Phuket) for a week on route and land in NZ on the 29th. Have a job as a learning disability nurse working on a forensic unit at the hospital in Porirua just outside Wellington, start on the 16th Jan so should give us chance to sort ourselves out.
House sale nearly completed, expect to sign contracts in about 2 weeks, running around headless now trying to sell everything in the house, or get them packed for shipping.
Am absolutely fed up with the UK and NZ appeals to us. I know there are downsides to NZ, not going with rose coloured specs, but honestly believe we will have a better life there and will work 100% to make it work. The only thing I'll miss are my daughters and friends.....oh and watching Manchester United and live acts (going to see Coldplay one last time day before we fly). Nothing else to miss here, and the CSA will get a large middle finger up to them when I go (but I won't get started on that! ).
Anyhow, looking forward to our move and will be visiting here regularly.

Karen, go for PR, it isn't as difficult as it looks, if I can do it anyone can (dizzy blonde!). If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask, I'll try my best to answer.

steven.bruce

What a awesome thread!!!!

I am Wendy, currently in North Yorkshire. Hopefully me and my gang (hubby, kids, dogs & cat) will be moving out in the middle of 2006, we are currently waiting for news of job offer, checking that email as soon as we walk through the door of a evening!!!!! Moving to Germany in April time then onto NZ fingers crossed..

Husband is military so a bit of a guess where in NZ we are going to be stationed, possibly CHCH or Palmerston North.

Can't wait to get to a country where so many people have some get up and go in the sporty type of way, much more healthy surroundings and lifestyle for my kids to grow up in.

This week is going to drag like mad until that email comes!!!!