[Alan]

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to gain a work visa without yet having a job offer? I have been told by one person this is possible but by others that it is not, and wondered if anyone else knew.

[JandM]

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/work/worktoresidence/caniworkinnz/quickcheck/

It looks from this chart as though, if you mean a WTR visa or a temporary work visa, then yes, you need a job to get one. There is the other route of applying as a skilled migrant, though.

[IanW99]

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to gain a work visa without yet having a job offer? I have been told by one person this is possible but by others that it is not, and wondered if anyone else knew.

All visas are confusing and the rules around them are even more confusing.

I'm assuming you mean you want to apply for a work visa in which case yes you need a job.

However it can be possible to be granted a work visa without a job offer i.e. if your partner was granted a WTR then you would be able to apply for a general work visa to join them and under this condition then you wouldn't actually need a job.

Ian

[dilanium]

My husband is getting a work visa without a job because I'm going on a student visa into a program that ends in a qualification on the LTSSL.

[Alan]

Liz, what are the pre-requisites for that program and can you point me at any info concerning it? Thanks Alan

[JandM]

Liz, what are the pre-requisites for that program and can you point me at any info concerning it? Thanks Alan

http://www.studyingnewzealand.com/new-zealand-working-visa/

[Alan]

Cheers but as far as I can that is the general study category, what is being talked about here is study linked to a post that is required in NZ long term and is also part of a program.

Also I don't see anything that talks about spouses getting work visas.

Let me know if I'm wrong please?

[JandM]

Here is the paragraph from that link that specifically talks about students' partners being able to obtain an open work permit.

Partners of students studying in areas of absolute skill shortage and partners of all postgraduate students will be able to apply for an open work permit valid for the duration of the student’s course of study.

Liz has mentioned elsewhere that she has been accepted to study veterinary medicine at Massey University, but of course other university courses also entitle students to a student visa, bringing their other halves if they meet the criteria just mentioned.

[ers99w]

My boyfriend of 2 years and I are also planning on getting me an open work permit through this rule while he's down there getting his phd at U. auckland. he's been accepted, but the official hardcopy letter of acceptance hasn't made its way to us yet. When should we be applying for the permit for me? I assume I can't do anything until he applies for his student visa, and he needs his official acceptance letter to do that, correct?

He's planning on going down there June 1. I hope to follow in early July.

[Alan]

Thanks J and M and sorry for being dim!

[Alan]

One other silly question but one I can see NZIS getting hung up on, what is an area of absolute skills shortage? Is there a definition?

[JandM]

There is indeed a definition, which is updated from time to time as conditions in the country change. Here are a couple of sites I found, by Googling 'NZ areas of absolute skills shortage', which spell things out.

http://www.new-zealand-immigration.com/Self_assessment/Absolute_skills.php

http://glossary.immigration.govt.nz/Areaofabsoluteskillsshortage.htm

It sounds as though you may not yet have found this official NZ site, which has a search-engine of its own. There are HUGE amounts of information here which may be useful to you - it's a question of seeing where your own situation fits into the possible routes of entry they have mapped out.

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/

[Alan]

I have found the NZIS and also gone through the many options however absolute skills shortage wasn't found when I did a search on it, however I am guessing there is a link between STSS and LTSS occupations.