[Guster]

Hi Guys

A question please...we are confused about using Consultants to help us. Has anyone had any good / bad experiences using them? Are there any benefits?
Any comments would be much appreciated!

Thanks
Guster :clap

[renew]

Hi Guys

A question please...we are confused about using Consultants to help us. Has anyone had any good / bad experiences using them? Are there any benefits?
Any comments would be much appreciated!

Thanks
Guster :clap


Hi And welcome to the forum.
I think that the majority of people on here will offer the same advice - dont use consultants do it yourself and save your money.
There are various stages but none is particularly difficult and if you do have a problem post it here and you are sure to find an answer.

Have you had a look at your points? Would you mind posting a few more details - what your qualifications are, do you have a job offer etc.
you can use the points indicator on the immigration website.
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/pointsindicator/
If you have over 140 points you will get an Invitation to apply automatically.
Between 100 and 140 you are likely to get accepted if you have work experience and/or qualification in an skill shortage area.
Below 100 you cannot submit however dont loose hope if you can secure a job offer then you get more points.



cheers

[Caroline and Dave]

Hi and welcome.
With the help of this forum you should be able to do without an agent.
We used an agent purely because we were a very difficult case but now we know the ins and outs we can advise others.
It is very expensive moving to New Zealand and on average agents charge £2500 plus so this money can be used for other purposes.
Everything you need to know can be found on this forum. We are here to help.
Look forward to hearing more from you

Kindest regards

Dave and Caroline

[speckythecky]

As has been said, unless your case has a very serious complication, don't waste your money.
We have done it so anyone can.
Welcome to the forum and make use of the wealth of experience on here.

[Belmont Babes]

Ditto

[Kerry and David]

Welcome to the forum.

Like you we are just starting out. We have met with a consultant, however he didn't really tell me anything that I hadn't already researched or read about on this site and didn't leave much of an impression on me (conversation started with, I only give people an hour of my time!)
So would agree with everyone else.
Good luck!

[Guster]

Hi All

Thanks for the warm welcome and all the offers of help.

I am a 47 year old IT Manager and Lynn my wife is a 45 year old Financial Controller.
The problem we seem to have when looking at the points, is that although I have 8 years experience as an IT Manager & over 20 years in various Electronic Engineering & IT positions, my qualifications (4 year EITB Apprenticeship plus C & G Radio Telecoms) do not seem to be recognised by the NZ Government and as such the points we get seem to vary from about 50 to 90.
Most of the advice we have had seems to say we need to go to NZ to find some interviews but this is obviously difficult to do for more than a few weeks, which we do plan to do in February again.

What's the general concensus? Thanks for all the help. :confused:
Barry & Lynn

[holland]

Hey,

we used agent...before we knew this forum existed...save you money!!

Welcome

J and G x

[tigerlily]

I've been hanging around this forum for a few years now. I've seen many many people complain that their agents did nothing and took their money. Very very few people seem to be happy that they used one. Just ask questions here!

[StevieD]

Guster - welcome to the forum, can't add any more than the others have said, if you have an ounce of knowledge, go it alone, don't even think of using "consultants".

Good luck

Steve

[marcia]

The whole process can seem really daunting at first, but just take it a step at a time. You would end up supplying all the information to a consultant anyway so best to save the money and DIY!

We also had a problem with loads of experience and no paper qualifications to boost the points, we went to the NZ expo in manchester (oct time!) met some employers there, and since we had already booked our reccy trip for the following January, they realised we were serious and arranged interviews. My Oh had an hour long interview in the pub (he's t-total - a coke man! The drink not the drug :D ) and they said they wanted him. we had to wait a while for the paperwork to come through from them, we put in our EOI and were picked out of the pool and fast tracked through.

So don't despair, where theres a will theres a way!

Welcome to the forum and Good luck!

[Familyofmonkeys]

Hi Guys

A question please...we are confused about using Consultants to help us. Has anyone had any good / bad experiences using them? Are there any benefits?
Any comments would be much appreciated!

Thanks
Guster :clap

As others have already said, it is just as easy to do the paperwork yourself, than to waste money on a consultant. You would still need to find all the same documents either way. If you have problems, ring up the immigration service...there are some nice helpful people (mostly) on the other end of the phone:)

[Timbo]

Hi Guster, and welcome aboard.
We used a consultant initially, but for one reason or another, it didnt work out. We actually ended up taking them to court to get a refund.
I can safely say, that in my opinion, you are likely to get more answers ( and honest ones at that) from this forum than from an agent. After all, no one here has a vested interest.
Good luck

[eternalkiwi]

Hi Barry,

Would roles relating to Project Management be of interest?
Another possible avenue is targeting Accredited Employers etc who need IT related managers.

Does your wife have any professional qualifications memberships relating to Accounting? As NZ has a desperate shortage for experienced Accountants this may be one avenue that may work faster.

Shawn

[Silverwing86]

Hi Barry and Lynn, welcome to the forum !

We are amongst the few that are happy that we went with an agent as our case turned out to be a tad complicated on the medical front and they were massively helpful and supportive when things got tough.

However, we worked with a NZ based company and small scale (husband and wife operation), which I think makes all the difference. We paid $ 2800 total, half up front and the other half only if and when PR was granted, so "No cure - No pay". We found this to be quite reasonable, especially in hindsight considering how much effort they have had to put in.

But, like most have said on here, if your case is a straightforward one there's no reason why you couldn't go it alone. There are many people here with lots of experience in these matters, and there always seems to be someone who knows the answer to any question posed. Also, I would have to agree that you can always contact INZ, they're usually very friendly and helpful.

Good luck with the process and enjoy the ride !

Silver