sunny side

Hi,

Myself and OH are travelling to NZ on a visit visa to see our family. We will also be looking for work, houses and schools for kids.

We have submitted our EOI but so far no news maybe because we don't have any jobs or offers and ofcourse below 140!!??

Just wanted to know how easy / difficult it is to convert visa while in Auckland.

Appreciate similar experiences of others in the recent past.

Thank you very much in advance.

Mari

happynz

Getting your visitor permit changed to a work permit is not a big drama if you get the proper paperwork together. This means you have to show evidence of your skills along with documentation from the employer showing that a reasonable effort was made to find a local Kiwi but a qualified local couldn't be found.

Spacecake799

Hi Mari,
You need to bring with you your police checks, medicals(or get them done here), proof of partnership, full birth certificates. You just need a job offer then. If your going to try for residency you will also need proof of work experience and anything else to proove what you have put in your EOI.
Carole

fairyjasmine

We came here (Feb 07) with a visitors visa because we didn't have time to sort out some of our paperwork before we fly over. Had no problem whatsoever converting the visa to working visa. Applied for working visa within a few days after we arrived, got the visa a few days after that. We are now in the process of applying for PR, our EOI has been selected so just waiting for ITA (hopefully)

The drawback of doing it this way is, it's more money down the drain. Spent roughly $500 for the 3 of us, to apply for work visa, then had to pay again for EOI and ITA etc. Our baby only got an extended dependent visitor visa (something like that)
where he can stay for as long as we are here, but not allowed to go to school,not a problem for us as he's only 14 months but might be a problem for us. And ohh we are not entitled for free hospital treatments either.

fairyjasmine

And ohh you won't need the police checks, medicals etc unless you are applying for work to residence or PR

sunny side

Thank you for the info.

We will take all the docs with us and apply for a work visa first and then PR once we settle in.

We are looking at Travel or Airline jobs in Auckland. Appreicate any feedback.

Thank you once again

Mari

Spacecake799

Sorry but your wrong there. If you arrive here as a visitor and then apply for a job and then put in an application for a work permit you will need medicals and police checks. my OH got a job offer which lasts a year then its up to them to extend it. As we had already been here a week that took us over a year with the job offer before we would have to return therefore you need medicals etc.
Carole

fairyjasmine

Urmm in that case I'm not sure then because we didn't have to submit anything other than the application form, our job offer letter + letter from the employer, our passports and fees off course. We went down this route instead of work to residence/PR because our police certificates weren't ready then, but needed the visa for work.