[lubbes]

:P Hello, all! :P

What a great site this is. I have a question, my wife and i are considering moving to NZ in fact, more than considering. My question is this: I am a 24 year old high-school grad with a wife and 3 children. I have no degree, and my work experience is in retail and retail management. I currently work in a T-mobile call center in oregon, and of course my profession is not listed on the needed skill list. So how do I get my family and myself to NZ at the same time? Is it possible? If I get a job offer can my family come? sorry to ramble on, but i have so many unanswered questions....thanks for all your help.

[Rimbo]

Hiya, Welcome :P
You'll find loads of info on this site and you'll probably need to give a bit more info for specific q's like yours.
I'm in the same position as you but i can swing it that my job is in a future growth area etc. IT Support, Systems Administrator etc.
I go to NZ at the end of Jan looking for work. Wife is staying at home.
Can you transfer your skills to NZ?
Have you any quals that can be assesed by NZQA?
Do you have enough points to submit EOI?
As you are below the age of 30, you may go on a working holiday visa.
I don't know how much research you have done, some of the above Q's may mean nothing to you. If you gain PR then yes, your family can come otherwise your on a holiday visa.
Try the NZIS web site.
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/work/workandlivepermanently/
Here you will find out all sorts of info and you can asses your points using various tools.
You can search this webiste also for answers to your Q's.

Good luck. :nice1

John

[lubbes]

Thanks so much for all your invaluable information. :) I am in the very early stages of planning. More in theory than in actuality right now. All the help I can get is appreciated, this whole process seems so complicated. made more so by the fact that my wife is a stay at home mom, so I don't know how I could afford a working holiday and support myself and her..... guess I had better start saving!!

[Annierobrigado]

hi lubbes

you can start off by visiting the nzis website, they have loads of info there that could help you plan your eventual move to nz. there's a page that can help you assess if you can gather enough points to be eligible for nz immigration. i think the cut off points is still at 100. fill in the pre-assessment page and you will see if you can get 100.

if you cant reach 100 yet, no worries. your work experience and skills will mean a lot eventually, so just go and gather whatever skills and experience you can. if you can study towards a degree, whether certificate. diploma or baccalaureate (b.s. degree), even while working, then that can add points too.

as soon as your wife can, maybe she can rack up some points too with skills and experience, or study. just remember, nz accepts migrants up to the age of 55. (or is that 56?) It's all in the website.
(word to the wise: avoid consulting an immigration expert as much as possible. anything they can do, you can do better on your own, with the help of the immigration website and this forum. you'll only fork out so much money. i've asked around, and they charge me two arms and a leg to do the things i could do myself like fill in the expression of interest, and to answer questions that friends from this forum have already answered based on their own experiences. )

hey, good luck, and keep watching this forum for topics that could interest you and help you in your planning. some of the forum people here took an average of one year to dream, think, plan, and finally get going on this road to nz!

annie :cheers

[lubbes]

thanks again i will appreciate the experience you all have to offer. :P

[cloudboy99]

Seems the whole state of Oregon is considering moving to NZ...

Lubbes, I'm guessing you are either in Salem or the newer Redmond call center (my old boss is a CTA at the Redmond one). The NZIS site can offer tons of information for you so I won't repeat the prior posts, however you might want to contact their marketing director, who happens to be in Portland, OR.

Terry Murphy
Marketing Director
New Zealand Immigration Service
Department of Labour
P O Box 146
3527 NE 15th Street
Portland, Oregon 97212

Toll free: 877-884-0697
Tel Local: 503-284-0697
Fax: 503-287-0621
Email: terry.murphy@dol.govt.nz

I'm out of Tigard (Portland Metro area) myself and have completed a few of the steps. Like many, I'm in the big long wait while my Expression of Interest (EOI) is being reviewed for accuracy and (hopefully) assigned to a case officer. Of course I'm slightly different from you as my wife and I are in our 20s, no kids, and both have BS degrees. I'll be glad to offer further help, just send me a PM

[mechidna]

I've actually spoken with Terry and he is very nice (and patient). He's a very good source of information.

mechidna

[lubbes]

wow! you can have no idea the wonderful feeling that I got when I found that I have a local resource and possibly someone I can talk to throughout the whole thing. Thanks so much folks, I am so glad I found all of you. :cheers

[mechidna]

He really is a very nice man. The trick is to actually be able to get a hold of him. He's pretty good about email responses, so if you can't get him on the phone, send him an email.

by the way, I just noticed that I have a plane now! :cool

mechidna

[Raeven]

Seems the whole state of Oregon is considering moving to NZ...

LOL, and here's me, just moving to Oregon from California... I was always a step or two behind...

Best of luck to all Oregonians moving to NZ -- I'll stay behind and mind the Oregon store!! :raebanana

Rae

[Wannaway]

We used the forum for lots of questions we needed answers to, more on the practical side, but we used a NZ specialist immigration consultant. We had to pay fees but I am sure the deal was 'no permanent residency, all fees refunded.' I will check with Lee later and post again if that was not the case but I'd stake money on it. His initial consultation was brilliant and made us realsie we could get in after all and told us what we would need to do. One word of warning - beware the NZQA assessing non NZ qualifications. We paid them noey to fasttrack our quals way back in June I think. We thought it would only take 6 weeks and we finally heard from them Dec 2004 :roll: , long after we had given up on them, found another route in and no longer needed them anyway! What a waste of money!! If you are relying on them for points don't expect a quick reply!!!

Nicky

[toots]

An easier way may be to get a job offer from an accredited employer.
The NZIS publishes a list of them, though some employers aren't listed.

Employment with one of these companies will enable you to apply for a 30 month work to residence visa under the talent stream. You will have to have the medicals and police checks done in order to apply. You must also have a job offer of $45K or above.

After 2 years on this visa you can apply for residency, or you can apply under the EOI at anytime as soon as you feel you have enough points.

Here's the link to the accredited employers list:
http://tinyurl.com/2756lv

Good luck. :hopeso

[Rimbo]

I have also pasted the list (pre December 13th) into Word format if you want it.

John