[Going2NZ]

We, my husband and I, have taken a "Plan A" or "Plan B" approach to moving to NZ and I was wondering if anyone could share similar experiences.

Plan A is that I find a job in Wellington or Christchurch as soon as possible and make the move by myself. Then my husband would sell the house, wrap things up stateside and join me. Meanwhile, I would get us set up on the NZ side of things - bank account, phone, house-hunting, etc. A couple of driving factors are: he is self-employed, handles our finances and his mother is going with us. I am the principal applicant, 20 years experience in a creative field that is listed on both the short- and long-term shortage list so I may be able to negotiate a deal that covers at least some of our moving expenses.

Plan B is we wrap things up, find temporary lodging locally (in USA) until I find a job. Then I quit my current job and we make the move as a family.

So, my questions are:

Many of the job listings state that you must be eligible to work in NZ. If we have been selected but haven't gotten to the ITA stage yet, will companies even be allowed to consider me?

Should I be fortunate enough to find a position, does this expedite or hinder the process for emigrating? I would hate to bring the process to a grinding halt.

Besides the obvious emotional issues of being separated for months, is there anything we haven't considered?

I would appreciate any insights.

Thanks!

[RoadRunner]

Hi Going2NZ,

What you have described as "Plan A" is exactly what my husband and I hope to do. My husband needs to stay here for a few more months to finish a job commitment whereas I am essentially unemployed (long story). So, like you, we thought it made a lot of sense for me to head over asap, start a job in Wellington, begin house hunting, etc., etc....

We are leaving (together) next Saturday for a short, 9-day trip (and I'll do some job-hunting while there). I have found that few companies/recruiters are willing to consider me (or short list me) since I am not in New Zealand and not legally able to work. One multinational said they would consider me but nothing much happened until I contacted them with actual travel dates. In fact, I now have 2 job interviews lined up - and that only happened once I announced specific travel dates.

As for the ITA process, my understanding is that having a job offer will bump you to the top of the priority list so things should get processed very quickly. (Plus you won't have to go through the phone interview if you have a job!)

Like you, we don't know if this is the best approach. Ideally, I'll get a job offer this trip. If I don't, then I will go over on my own once I have the PR stamp in my passport.

If I do get a job offer, what I don't know is whether I should come back to the US, submit the ITA from here, wait for it to come back, then go to Wellington to start my job. OR, fly back to Wellington almost immediately (entering the country on a tourist visa) and submit the entire packet in NZ?? If anyone has advice on that, I'd appreciate it. I would imagine the processing would be quicker in NZ but I don't know.

Anyway, sorry for rambling. Hope this helps and good luck.
RoadRunner

[heimatseeker]

Hi - just confirming what everyone says: It's very difficult finding a job, or even getting interviews, unless you are physically in New Zealand. On the other hand, once you *are* here, things often can happen very fast.

We also moved from the US and got here initially on a visitors visa. Started looking for jobs and got offers within a couple of weeks. Applied then for work permits, took the paperwork personally to NZIS and had it approved on the spot. Started working and filed EOI, were selected and got ITA within 3 days (will submit shortly).

Like Roadrunner says, once you have a job, things go very quickly. Since we are already working, there's no need to proof our ability to integrate into NZ society and culture :smile. Going through the extra step of getting work permits first turned out to be worth the extra fees (I think it was $90 NZD pp) and is saving us time and effort in the long run, since we could start work quickly without having to wait for residency. And now the ITA paperwork is simplified because we don't have to resubmit a lot of the things that we already provided for the work permits.

A couple things that helped us:
- Finding out what documents we would nee for work permits and residencey and making sure to have all paperwork ready or at least in motion before leaving the US, esp. the police clearances (don't do that *too* early though since it's only valid for 6 months).
- Doing as much research as possible on jobs, job market, places to live so that we had a good idea where we wanted to work once in NZ.
- Not worrying about medicals until the ITA. Didn't need them for 12-month work permits and once here, we could just go through our regular GPs. (I don't know how the changes coming in April would affect anything, though, so depending on your timing, you may be better off taking care of it now before the new requirements kick in...)


So, your "Plan A" does sound like a good way to go, aside from the hardship of being separated, that is :( .

cheers,
sibylle

P.S. Bit of good news:
New Zealand now has the lowest unemployment rate in the developed world (http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/dominionpost/0,2106,3185191a6000,00.html)

[Going2NZ]

RoadRunner & sibylle-

Its very encouraging to hear that we are on the same wavelength as others. It is such a long way to go (and a bit too pricey to bouncing back and forth) that we are trying to come up with the best plan for our circumstances.

It sounds like the best approach for us is to schedule a visit, set up as many interviews as possible and hope for the best. If nothing pops up in the way of an offer, move to Plan B.

sibylle, if you don't mind me asking, what part of NZ are you in and how does it compare to your former American lifestyle? I've read much about what is different, but are you happy with your choice? If this is too personal, tell me to mind my own business. If you'd rather PM me (especially to tell me to mind my own business!), please do.

RoadRunner, I think your "rambling" is very informative and helpful. We haven't told anyone what we have in mind (they'll think we're nuts) so your thoughts help a lot. I'd love to hear more about your trip when you get back particularly what you think about Wellington since I'm leaning towards the place myself. It sounds like we have similar approaches and we definitely are coming from similar places.

Susan

[heimatseeker]

Susan - glad this has been helpful. :smile

We moved from San Francisco to Wellington. Much has been written about how similar the two cities are, and that's true (cable car - check! bay - check! earthquakes - check! ;) ). What was most important for us was that there is a lively tech/IT scene (we're both working in that field) and that Wellington has a great and well-deserved reputation for arts, culture, and good food.

In many ways, day-to-day lifestyle isn't as different as you would think. It is quite noticeable though that NZ is a small and relatively isolated country. Sure, here in Wellington you can get almost everything, but when something's out of stock, it many be a while till the next shipment (i.e., ship) comes in. It's also clear that it's a small world and - at least in our field at work - everyone knows everyone else. Very helpful when you are starting out trying to make contacts, both professional and personal.

The pace in general is slower and more laid-back, and that's one of the best changes for us who came from a hectic, congested city. (Of course, we've had people from smaller towns tell us they couldn't live in Wellington because it's so hectic, so it's all a matter of perspective. :P ) The biggest difference we noticed is in the workplace - Kiwis take their work seriously, but they also take their play seriously. 40-hour work week means just that and not 60 hours. Getting 3 or 4 weeks of vacation/year is a huge change for those of us who are coming from the US. All in all, we're loving it!

Don't want to ramble on, but I've written a lot more about our experiences and how life compares to that in the US in a travelog I'm keeping for friends and family. If you're interested, click the www link in my sig.

Cheers, and best of luck with your plans!
sibylle

[wilson182]

Hi heimatseeker, I read your post with much interest. We too came over on "holiday" and hubby got a job. I have since got a job, and we have two year work permits. I was hoping that having the work permits would make things easier and quicker (and cheaper :angel :laugh :angel ), and now you have confirmed. We have attracted quite a bit of interest from NZIS, due to the fact that hubby has a job in an area of skills shortage, we were invited to attend a seminar and last week we received a booklet from them all about going for residency.

Must get on with that EOI
:nice1

[heimatseeker]

wilson182 - good on ya! :nice1 And yes, from all I can tell, you should be sailing through the residency process very fast. NZIS is quite keen to keep people like you in the country, as they have already made clear.

[RoadRunner]

Sibylle,
Thanks so much for your thoughts on Welly v. San Francisco. Very interesting! And I have enjoyed your travelog! :nice1

RoadRunner