Water Lily

Hello all, in case you're not tired of reading introductions yet....

We're not "expats" just yet, but hoping to be soon! Submitted our EOI a couple of weeks ago, selected from the pool a few days later (yipppeee!), now we're waiting to see if they give us the go-ahead!! The wait is killing me!!! Yes, I know it can take 3 months to hear back from them (or so it says on the website, how long did it take for you??), so guess I'd better learn to be patient....

Been to NZ before, in fact we spent 6 months over there last year (as part of a long backpacking trip, long story), so we feel like we know the country fairly well already (though we appreciate it's one thing to be on holiday and a different thing to actually *live* there). Still, NZ will always hold a very dear place in our hearts as we got married there! Aaawwww...

Anyway, hope to "chat" to some of you soon.... is the forum addictive??

BEVS

Perhaps.

I'm bunging you some karma

Marjol

Hello Water Lily

Welcome to the Forum. It sounds like you got picked more or less at the same time as us, 12th March. We just had written confirmation today that our EOI has been forwarded to London Branch. 3 weeks to send from an Online EOI!!! Anyway like you say, you just learn to be patient.
As to whether this site is addictive, in short "YES". We find that we may not post regularly but we look and read everyday. Is that addictive or sad? Who knows.
Where are you in Wiltshire as we originally hail from Salisbury. Moved up the road to Dorset, more bricks for the money and a bit more country.

Best of luck with it all

Martin and Jo

saritabear

It took us 8 weeks to get our ITA in the post and that was over Christmas and New Year. Depends on how busy they are.....
Good luck.

Water Lily

Hi guys, we are just 2 weeks behind you, we got selected on 21st March. If you don't mind me asking (you can reply by PM if you want), what paperwork are they asking you to forward with your ITA? Just so that we can start getting everything ready and hopefully speed up the process

We are currently in Swindon, neither of us hails from here though, we just ended up here "by accident" when we returned from travelling last year. It's not the prettiest town in the country particularly but it's well communicated and we're surrounded by lovely countryside and within a short distance of plenty of interesting places, so we're fairly happy! Don't see us sticking around for much longer though... even if we don't go to NZ in the end!

Good luck with your application , keep us posted if you don't mind!

Water Lily

8 weeks!! I hope they're not as swamped now! Then again, it could well be that they were too busy organising secret Santas and recovering from office parties? . Hope you're application is going well....

By the way, is your name really Sarita? My husband's parents live in Bolton and he knows a Sarita there, wouldn't it be funny

Marjol

[QUOTE=Water Lily;6168415]Hi guys, we are just 2 weeks behind you, we got selected on 21st March. If you don't mind me asking (you can reply by PM if you want), what paperwork are they asking you to forward with your ITA? Just so that we can start getting everything ready and hopefully speed up the process

Hi there

My understanding about the ITA from all the postings on this forum is you have to provide proof for everything you have claimed in your EOI. I think you have to send originals and copies, I am sure somebody more senior will come along with exact details at some point It will include birth certificates to utility bills and everything in between. If you have claimed for qualifications they will almost certainly need NZQA Full assessment and mine took 6 months so you might want to get them sent off, or certainly give NZIS a ring to find out.
Keep posting all of your questions on here, the guidance is free unlike the emigration agents, and it comes from the people that have and are going through the process.
Let me know if your ITA arrives, it can be slow without a job offer. I don't have one yet but keep sending the CV's out and registering with the recruitment agencies. Went to the Expo in London, like most people, was a bit disappointed but made some good contacts in the engineering fields, so fingers crossed.

Martin and Jo

Persephone

Hello,

I replied to your post on another question.
Welcome to the forum and I'm afraid it is addictive, I'm thinking of starting a "BEforum anonymous" group for all those poor souls suffering sleepless nights and the urgent need to get to a computer at all hours

I don't want to depress you but I was selected on the 5th December and still no ITA . No job offer though. I received a letter after about 3 weeks saying I'd been selected and that was about all it said, I think this must be what Marjol was sent and not an ITA.

I went in last week to find out what was happening and my case officer is on holiday [how dare they have holidays ] and there is a long backlog as well. Apparently should be soon!
I really do hope that yours doesn't take this long- good luck
Sorry, sorry, sorry to tell you this I'm just getting as much done now as I can so I'm more or less prepared when it arrives

All the best
Sue

hjmilligan

Welcome to the forum,i dont post much niether but read up everyday and reply if i can help.
Good luck with all your plans

Helen

Water Lily

Hi guys, thanks again for your replies. I'm getting worried now, 4 months waiting for an ITA?? I thought I read somewhere it was up to 3 months? I'm depressed now (but grateful you warned me). I dread to think how slow they'll be at processing the ITA when you send it off then, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! And good luck to Marjol with their job applications too, do let us know if you receive an offer so we can raise a glass or two in celebration .

I think I'll go crazy if I have to wait that long for a reply . Guess it's probably useful for some of you guys who have to sort out a few other things like selling the house, etc, but we are pretty much free and ready to go at the drop of a hat... I'm not working at the moment, hubby is only on a week's notice at work, and we are renting as we sold our house 2 years ago and used the money to go travelling.

He doesn't seem in a hurry to go anywhere at all, but as far as I'm concerned time spent just waiting around is time wasted, I think I'm going through an early mid-life crisis, I thought it wouldn't happen for another few years!!

I'm so tempted to just pack our bags and buy a one way ticket (yes, I know we'd need an outbound ticket too) and just go on a tourist visa and try our luck there. If only I could get him excited on the idea too! I know you're going into winter at the moment but we could use that to try skiing, never done it before . As far as I'm concerned that shouldn't put us off doing the trip sooner rather than later... they say we're heading for a tropical summer of unsettled weather / torrential rain anyway!

Persephone

Thanks,

Sorry to worry you. I know how it feels, you get selected and it's and just want everything to move quickly and it's a bit of a shock when it doesn't.

My plan is to just go over and look for a job, the other half lives there so it's as easy as it can be for me really. I don't have a house or car to sell either so can just go. Maybe come back for a bit if I don't find a job and do some travelling or locum work here until the visa gets sorted. I'm very unsure and confused at the moment, not sure what I'll be doing when and I don't like that! Just wish I could transport myself a year into the future and see what's going to happen and the best way to deal with it all! I suppose we all do

I'm a great believer in things will always turn out well in the end

Sue

karonious

Well is it??
Welcome to forum life!!
Karen

nelsonchick

Hi waterlily (love the name btw have one tatooed on me!)
I felt exactly the same, and we did just that! brought a return ticket came in on a visiters visa, and hoped for the best!
I was so desperate to get here before xmas you see.

Looking back it was really silly and very risky! we shipped all our stuff and started getting our cats ready to come 6 weeks after us.
Thank god it all worked out ok, we got a job offer which sped up our visa, and within 2 months of arriving we were all sorted, but in hindsite we should have stayed put earnt some more great UK pounds!! and saved some more.
We didnt have a house to sell either and not much saved so we easily spent it all getting settled!

My advice just plod on saving lots and sit tight, you'll get there in the end and the time will fly by!

Have some karma to keep you sane!

Good luck
Vicky

Water Lily

Hi Sue, I totally understand how you feel, about not knowing what you'll be doing when, and just hanging around waiting for things to happen, it's so frustrating, I've been like that for 10 months now, just waiting for my husband to work out what he wants to do, and it's driving me crackers

I can't imagine how hard it must be to have your other half all the way over there, is he a Kiwi? Wouldn't that make things easier for you? Or maybe not, I guess you'd have to prove that you are in a "serious/committed/stable relationship" or something along those lines wouldn't you? Guess that can be tricky.

I wish you the best of luck with your plans, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, keep us posted!

Water Lily

Thanks Karen!! To be honest I'm trying very hard not to look every day as knowing me, I *WILL* get addicted for sure!! Looks like you've got a pretty friendly bunch out here