Farfields
7th June 2007, 10:35 PM
Hi all,
Here's the long story of our move from UK to NZ.:exit
I left UK in Oct 05 in order to study for an MBA full time at QUT in Brisbane. I had quit my job and sold house before the move. Getting an Oz visa for study was a piece of cake - had to be accepted on the course and pay first terms fees up front, then got medical and visa was issued within the month.
My GF is a nurse and got a job in Brisbane after a phone interview. Her visa took much longer due to the need to have qualifications and registration done. So she didn't get to Bris Vegas until Dec 05. We have had a fantastic time in Oz for the last year, but that's another story. :cool:
I tried to get a job in Oz, but had little luck with interviews. A job in NZ then poped up that suited me down to ground. I had a phone interview (actually Skype) with my new boss whilst he was visiting UK. We then visited Christchurch for a face-face intervew in Jan. GF also went to the local hospital for a chat and had a follow on phone interview the following week. We were both given job offers, which we accepted at end of Feb.
So in March we began the visa process. My job suggested applying for work visa, but also demanded PR within 3 months. Perhaps a little naively we decided to go straight for PR as it didn't seem worth the extra money to apply for a work visa that would only be used for a few weeks. With my engineering qualifications and job offer having the points for EOI was not a problem. However, medicals was another issue. My medical was OK, but NZ seem to want far more detail than Oz did (we had renewed our Oz visas in Dec 06 with no probs). GFs medical showed up a raised blood test that was spotted in NZ by the immigration panel doctor. They then demanded renewed tests and specialist opinion. If it had not been for this we could have had PR visas issued in April I suspect. As it was we have been delayed until end of May getting these tests done, and to top it all NZ immigration then issued the visas anyway without asking for the test results! Having the tests was probably a good thing to have done as we have been able to claim the costs on our Oz medical insurance and get the tests done much quicker than could have been possible on either UK or OZ public health service.
So, here we are first week of June and passports are just back from the NZ Sydney embassy with the blue stickers in our passports. :raebanana I forgot to mention, that whilst all this was going on the firm I will be working for in NZ have been employing me in the local sales office in Oz temporarily (I can work here on basis of relationship with GF and as she has work visa already). Now we are discussing the date of move to NZ - probably another 3 or 4 weeks in order to arrange shipping our few possesions out to NZ.
We would have liked a better time of year for moving. I hear that snow is forecast for NZ this week, and we think that 20C is chilly in Brisbane !!!
cheers to all, and see some of you in CHCH soon.:cheers
FF
Here's the long story of our move from UK to NZ.:exit
I left UK in Oct 05 in order to study for an MBA full time at QUT in Brisbane. I had quit my job and sold house before the move. Getting an Oz visa for study was a piece of cake - had to be accepted on the course and pay first terms fees up front, then got medical and visa was issued within the month.
My GF is a nurse and got a job in Brisbane after a phone interview. Her visa took much longer due to the need to have qualifications and registration done. So she didn't get to Bris Vegas until Dec 05. We have had a fantastic time in Oz for the last year, but that's another story. :cool:
I tried to get a job in Oz, but had little luck with interviews. A job in NZ then poped up that suited me down to ground. I had a phone interview (actually Skype) with my new boss whilst he was visiting UK. We then visited Christchurch for a face-face intervew in Jan. GF also went to the local hospital for a chat and had a follow on phone interview the following week. We were both given job offers, which we accepted at end of Feb.
So in March we began the visa process. My job suggested applying for work visa, but also demanded PR within 3 months. Perhaps a little naively we decided to go straight for PR as it didn't seem worth the extra money to apply for a work visa that would only be used for a few weeks. With my engineering qualifications and job offer having the points for EOI was not a problem. However, medicals was another issue. My medical was OK, but NZ seem to want far more detail than Oz did (we had renewed our Oz visas in Dec 06 with no probs). GFs medical showed up a raised blood test that was spotted in NZ by the immigration panel doctor. They then demanded renewed tests and specialist opinion. If it had not been for this we could have had PR visas issued in April I suspect. As it was we have been delayed until end of May getting these tests done, and to top it all NZ immigration then issued the visas anyway without asking for the test results! Having the tests was probably a good thing to have done as we have been able to claim the costs on our Oz medical insurance and get the tests done much quicker than could have been possible on either UK or OZ public health service.
So, here we are first week of June and passports are just back from the NZ Sydney embassy with the blue stickers in our passports. :raebanana I forgot to mention, that whilst all this was going on the firm I will be working for in NZ have been employing me in the local sales office in Oz temporarily (I can work here on basis of relationship with GF and as she has work visa already). Now we are discussing the date of move to NZ - probably another 3 or 4 weeks in order to arrange shipping our few possesions out to NZ.
We would have liked a better time of year for moving. I hear that snow is forecast for NZ this week, and we think that 20C is chilly in Brisbane !!!
cheers to all, and see some of you in CHCH soon.:cheers
FF