[beater]

Hi

Have been following this forum for a while now, but this is our post here.
My wife and I and our two young (5 and 6 yo) children have decided to bite the bullet and make the big move. Our EOI was submitted on May 19 and selected on May 22 with 115 points and no job offer. Still biting nails while waiting for ITA and checking the NZIS website almost every day to see if our status have changed. Seeing that the average waiting time is about two months, I hope we will know what our future holds soon. If all goes according to plan we would like to be in NZ by about January so our children can start the school year in their new country.

South Africa and especially Cape Town is not a bad place to live if you have a good job and some money. However there are just too many worrying trends that make us feel uncomfortable about the future of our children here. That is why we chose NZ. It is at least a place where people still respect each other rights to live a long life, and where the politics of the country does not entrench on your daily life. It was a difficult decision to make as we have a lot of family that we will need to leave behind and then there are all the other associated risks like "Will I be able to find a good job there" and "Will we be able to survive in a country where the cost of living is so much more expensive than what we are used to". All and all, I think it is just a leap of faith one has to take, and thank God my wife agrees with me about this decision. Actually she was the one that convinced me, and not the other way round.

Having never been to NZ, we do not have any particular choices of where to live, but so far Christhurch looks the most attractive. But if I search to web for jobs in my field, it looks like it is more likely we'll end up in Auckland. It all depends on where I get a good job, and I'm sure you can enjoy it anywhere out there.

Anyway, I wish all of you fellow nail biters lots of good luck and hopefully we will meet you some day in NZ! :nice1

[Mrs Pony]

welcome! good luck! enjoy the wait! :)

[Roper]

Hello From DBN in SA. We are a little different - older couple with older childern. I (wife) have a job offer in an area of long term short skills... in CHRISTCHURCH too! We visited in Feb and really liked CC the best...in summer.... not sure what winter will bring! I have yet to submit my completed EOI with 195 points... just having so many up and down thoughts.. Wish we could see the future but you are so right - things look bleak and it is so very sad. What line of work are you in?

[beater]

Hey, I'm also no youngster as 46... I only have small children. :) I'm an electronics engineer and software developer. Unfortunately we could not claim points for my wife as her qualifications are not recognised and we could not claim language points as well because English is not our first language. In any case, I think it is actually beneficial to submit your EOI with low point count, as it means less things to proof in the ITA submission. I have 25 years working experience, but I only claimed points for 3 of them because I did not want to go though all the shlep of profing all that historical data.

But if you (or your wife in this case) have a job offer things should be smooth sailing for you and make things much easier than for other plebs like me. You should not let this opportunity go by and regret it later.

I think the one thing that made it difficult for me is that I'm currently in a job in SA that I'm happy with and earning a decent salary. I have been looking at comparative salaries in NZ, and frankly I find it bit scary to think that I will probably earn the same salary there what I currently earn here, but the living cost is about twice as high. But then schools and universities are better and cheaper, so its a bit of give and take. Anyway, I have no illusions that some sacrifices will be needed to make this happen and at this point in my life I'm not concerned about making loads of money. I just want to have peace and stability in my life and see that my children are happy. And I think in a few years time I will really kick myself if I did not grab this opportunity now while I still have a chance.

[slider]

Hello, and welcome to the forum :)

[Roper]

Hi there... I am the wife...Haha!!! Hubby does not write much on here...

I know I will regret it if I do not make the move but I am so afraid we will struggle too much finacially. Hubby is 61 so unlikely to work fulltime.. I am 46y as well so snap!

I have worked for same company for 23yrs so vey easy to prove the EOI. I got my qualification recoginsed by the NZ Board so that is all good.

Cost of living is definitely what is worrying us most now. We have two salaries here... and good prov funds - for now - and medical aid... and a maid...hee hee....

Just so much uncertainty and we are sure things here will get worse... hence the presence on here. My son (first marriage) will probably go with us and he can go to varsity and benefit. Step daughter and daughter do not want to leave.... unfortunately.

Get your unabridged birth certificates if not done already. We have ours and it takes a while.

Keep in touch.

[Nick88]

How long does it take for a police clearance to come through in SA?

[Leanne]

Hello and welcome to the forum.
:)

[Steadybears]

Took us 6 weeks for Police Clearance - that was not the problem - but the Home Affairs and getting the anabridge birth certificate was to have taken 10 weeks and eventually took about 15 weeks with alot of calls - reminding them we were waiting - so thats the most time consuming and frustrating.... oh and for our PR to arrive.

Good luck - you wont be sorry

[Red Devil]

Hello and welcome to the forum... buckle-up for the rollercoaster ride of your life :exit

Best of luck with your plans and keep us posted with developments :nice1

[JandM]

Welcome, and hello.:)

[Bergita]

Hello, and welcome. We left Cape Town 7 months ago and South Africa 6 months ago. It's worth it, particularly when you have children so young. Go for it and good luck!

[Bruckner]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Emily

[andrew whittle]

Hi Beater

We also live in the Mother City, could not agree more with what you wrote. But for the sake of our kids futures (and for mine and my wife) we are also going to take the leap of faith. Enjoy the waiting game and start getting your paper work in order.

Cheers
Andrew.

[kzn2nz]

To all the Safricans on here - the future stressed us too. However, when we arrived in NZ, we suddenly realised that EVERY DAY in SA is stressful. There is a low-grade paranoia that you develope, which is unnatural and relaxing does not come easy.

We stay in Whangarei. Let me assure you Durbanites that it is colder than what you are used to, even up north. It is similar to CT weather, wet winter and all.

As far as being able to afford a life here, yes. Will you find a good job? Yes, but maybe not first time around. You will find a job, though. People are hiring all the time, and the miimum wage makes it just liveable, but most qualified people step into a somewhat better job straight away.

JUST GET HERE is about the best advice we could give you, followed by bring your household goods along. R6.00 - $1.00 is EINA if you have to replace all your stuff in one short space of time.

[Kiwi-In-Texas]

Hello and welcome.




Suzanne.

[jent]

HI Beater

We are a simialr age as well and in Cape Town. Leaving foe the same reasons. If you haven't already been to home affairs, go to Paarl. They are great by most standards. Don't despair, are you going to the job expo in Jhb. I think it is really important to go on the 19/20 JUly. They are recruiting in your field apparently.

Hope to see you there!

[andrewp]

Wow - it's amazing to read how all us Saffers suffer the same problems. We (Me, my OH and 2 small boys - 3 and 1 yo) plan to move in Jan 09. I am also an Electronic Engineer in my early 40's hoping I'll find work in Auckland. We are lucky in that my wife's Mom and Sister live in Auckland, so we will arrive to a support group, which I believe does help quite a bit.

We are looking forward to being able to go for walks without worrying about our safety and also that our kids will have some sort of future. To all those that are still trying to decide, good luck with your decision.

[beater]

Thank you everybody for the good wishes. It is fanatastic to realise there are so many other South African families right now in exactly the same boat as us.

To Jent... thanks, we actually went to Malmesbury Home Affairs and likewise it was a very pleasant experience with friendly staff. We were in and out in about 45 minutes to get our birth certificates, marriage certificates and passports. The guy who helped us couldn't have been more friendly... if more officials were like him I would probably think twice about emigrating. I can therefore also strongly recommend Malmesbury Home Affairs.