[Billy]

My ITA has been submitted nearly 2 weeks now, and I'm getting increasingly irrational about what the immigration folks might decide.

I've not heard of anyone being rejected after submitting the ITA, but that doesn't help me much.

My NZQA assessment came out at level 6, but maybe they'll decide my quals and experience are not what they're looking for after all.

I've got relatives in NZ, and I've also been round both islands; but how much weight do they put in these kind of things?

I've got some answers ready for the likely questions (thanks to forum contributors), but are they trying to catch us out in some way?

Calming my nerves with wine; my liver is going to be thankful when this process is complete!

Thanks for reading my desperate drivel :hopeso

Cheers
Billy

[Timbo]

Just remeber Billy. Just because you are paranoid, it doesnt meant they are out to get you. :mrgreen:
Dont worry mate, it will come good, just you wait and see. I really dont think it is likely that they are trying to catch people out with interviews. They just want to be sure folk know what they are getting into.

[MB]

Billy - yep, Timbo's right about the interview. They're not trying to catch you out at interview, just making sure that you have done some homework and know what you're getting into (in terms of wages, weather, lifestyle, etc.)

As far as your papers go, it's surely good that NZQA have assessed your qual at a level 6 (after all, it's NZQA we're talking about; not some private agent you've hired to give your qual an inflated, favorable rating!!)

Yes, in truth, there is a chance that some other piece of paper will catch their eye so that they ask you for clarification. Not particularly likely, but possible. But if that's nagging at you, it might be good to bite the mental bullet and ask yourself whether you unconsciously 'know' what that might be... (e.g., an employer letter that was not on headed paper? Something more than slightly imperfect about your medical? Or whatever...) That way, you can put your energy now into lining up some back-up documentation in case they do query it...e.g., a new headed letter from that employer, etc.

But chances are it's just their workload and/or Easter holidays that are behind the waiting. And, after all, you are inside the usual waiting period. :nice1

Cheers,
Matt.

[nickbraddock]

Billy,
do what I did, email them with a question, any question, at least then you get some sort of contact from them, even ask wthem what your position is. If you have a case worker as pleasant as mine, I'm sure that won't be a problem
Cheers
Nick

[Danpoll]

Billy,

save your paranoia you will need it when you your papers are being processed, when emails take time to be replied too. also when you come to sell your house you will need some extra paranoia for the estate agents and buyers.


So dont use it all up too early,


Dan

[Billy]

Thanks for all the reassurances. I know I should have nothing to worry about. I've been with the same company my whole career (sad B****r!) so my references are rock solid.

I've already established contact with my case officer. It's always difficult to tell via email when you dont know a person if they welcome your inconsequential questions or if they are being interrupted unnecessarily.

I think the key point I was trying to find for myself, but failed, and which MB said above, is that the interview is to make sure you are going in with your eyes open, and are prepared for what to expect.

Cheers
Billy

[paulwardle]

Hi Billy,
I know exactly how you feel, the paranoia is unbearable. We've jsut received PR & felt exactly like you do now, looking back, you will wonder why.
Everyone you know is saying 'you'll be fine, dont worry', i'll put a tenner on the fact that you're dying to shout 'you dont have to live with this 24/7'.
The worry about missing docs etc is valid, but we had some missing ( in hindsight, big glaring holes of missing stuff), but he sent us a letter, asked us for it, we got it & that was that, they won't reject you if you miss something out, they'll ask for it by a certain date (they gave us a month i think).
As far as your having been before & having relatives there, i do think this will carry weight, have read a lot on this & other forums of people saying 'went for interview', but we didnt even have one, & wonder if its due to the fact that we spent a year there in 2003, after all i think it says somewhere that a contributing factor is how they think you may settle there, so i'm certain your knowledge will help with this.
I'm sure you'll be fine, but no words i or anyone else can give you on this site or anywhere else in life will help you until you get the letter. We were wondering if we'd know by the size of the envelope, we hadn't paid the migrant levy in advance & so didn't want an envelope that clearly had our passports in it, so if you haven't paid the levy a small A5 sized envelope is best !!!!

Good luck, you'll get it.....

[Billy]

Cheers Paul.

Interested that you didn't have an interview - did you get in on the skilled migrant category? I understood, perhaps mistakenly, that they were telephone-interviewing everyone?

Regards
Billy

[paulwardle]

Yes we got in on skilled migrant category, but no interviews, no nothing.
We'd spoken to out C.O here & there, the odd email, but that was only ever regarding where we were up to & was always inititiated by us. I must admit, the amount of people saying they've had some sort of interview on these forums has surprised me, but no, nothing at all. I figure the fact that we have IRD numbers, an NZ bank account & worked & lived there for just under a year in 2003 & have a job offer helped us with that side of things.
Still didnt stop us freaking out though every time post came through the door. In hindsight it seems daft now to have worried.

[ToadFish]

We heard that NZIS are interviewing everyone without job offers, in fact I think our letter with the ITA said that now I come to think of it.

I would expect the Easter break to be putting the pressure on - often people take more than the long weekend on leave and that puts the workload up on the others not to mention the increase in apps following the health insurance date change malarky.

Fingers crossed for you
Ruth

[Simon & Emily]

Just to muddy the waters further, I'm sure that somewhere in the acres of paperwork I've waded through I read that they would 'usually' interview applicants without a job offer, but not always.

This is an interesting question for those of us in the situation of applying without a job - have any of those lucky people already granted PR been done so without an interview of any kind?

The main reason that Simon's not applying for jobs is that we are still finishing re-building our kitchen for sale, and would hate to be in the situation of an ideal job offer and being unable to get there (that's assumming that every company in NZ wants his skills ..... :laugh )

Emily

[paulwardle]

Hi Emily,
as i said we didn't have an interview, but did have a job offer, however, have read on various forums like this that once you get an interview then its very rare to get rejected, so maybe getting an interview isn't the worst thing in the world....dont know what they ask though, maybe its just a formality, any info from anyone regarding what one was like would be good, am very intrigued by what happens in them.

Good luck with it all

[Billy]

Well, just had that call from NZIS, and took the 'interview' there and then. My case officer emphasised that it wasn't really an interview, more of a chat.

Lasted about 10 minutes in all, no awkward questions, and she promised me the final outcome within the next 2 days, and that it wont be a refusal. She more or less said, subject to things being checked by a colleague, it would be the outcome we are all looking for.

I'm having great difficulty concentrating on my work now!

Cheers
Billy

[paulwardle]

bloody hell, fingers crossed then, but sounds like a thumbs up.....wonder why they bother with that then, still if that was the biggest thing they did we'd all be less stressed eh !!!!!
how long has it taken you billy to get to this stage......

[Billy]

Interview was 2 weeks to the day from when my ITA was delivered to NZIS. Further info in my sig. below.

We were all geared up to apply 3 years ago under the old category. I was just waiting a couple of months for the 15 years or whatever work experience to tick over for the extra couple of points we needed. It was right then that the points went spiralling up, culminating eventually in the new system.

Its been a long wait, but I'm sure most definitely worth it.

Looked briefly at Canada, but, apart from the cold weather, apparently the immigration backlog there is measured in years!

Cheers
Billy

[paulwardle]

Hi Billy,
well, it will be worth the wait, have you been before, spent a year there in 2003 (wellington) but travelled extensively when work allowed (did about 6 weeks travel in total & about 10000 k, went a lot of places, Bay Of Islands, Rotorua, Kapiti coast, marlborough, christchurch, mount cook, hanmer, tonnes of stuff).
Its an amazing place, well worth the distance from friends & family & the lifestyle is just superb.
Where abouts are you thinking of going, & when ??
we're heading back to welly in June, cant wait, hate it here, look out of the window now, no good. When we were there, we took a video in the middle of july (ie mid winter) to send home, show where we lived etc, & the sun was blazing, sky was blue, beach (we were luck enough to rent on the beach) was full of surfers, it was cool weather wise, but warm enough for a sweat top & shorts, bright colours everywhere, it was superb.
We cannot wait.......

[paulwardle]

sorry billy, have just re-read the thread, of course you've been before, god i'm getting numb, since we got approved my brain has been turned to mush.....sorry for any confusion, questions still valid about where & when though ( i think)

[Billy]

I travelled round both islands in 2002. I liked it everywhere.

Planning on somewhere outwith the big towns/cities on the north island. Possibly do a recce in the next couple of months. All being well, get the house on the market and get out there well before Christmas.

Haven't dared think too much about these things until getting over this one big hurdle. Going to wait for that final confirmation before celebrating.....

Cheers
Billy

[paulwardle]

don't blame you, its really hard isn't it to let yourself go, my partner stopped watching billy connolly there because she thought it might bring bad luck, watching & wishing.
Glad you know where you might want to go then, we just loved Welly, but in the suburbs, Lyall Bay (right next to the airport), you get the feeling of being in the middle of nowehere, obviosuly beyond the coast is ....well nothing, but then you're at work in 20 minutes.......
it would be good for you to go by xmas, the weather will be getting there then.....we're that depserate to escape this rat race, we're going in winter......nuts.......

make sure you post something when you get official confirmation, might be tomorrow through the post you never know........

[Simon & Emily]

Congratulations Billy - I know it's early days, but it looks like you've made it in. :clap

Let us know when it's official,

Emily

[Billy]

Thanks all.

She told me I would get an email with confirmation by Friday, presumably in advance of any snailmail letter.

Anyone want to buy a house - beautiful coastal loaction????

Cheers
Billy

[NW2NZ]

Hi Billy,

Congrats on your news :clap No doubt you're on pins now waiting to see what they'll grant you!

I'm curious as to how you had the interview there and then. Did you state that it was preferable to contact you by phone? I put email so I'm half expecting an email asking me to arrange a suitable time for a phone interview. Just wondering if they're as likely to phone first, rather than email. Any ideas?

I sent my ITA on 17th March so should be a couple of days behind you!

[Marie P]

Hi Billy

great news ,

:cheers

Marie x

[andersonclan]

Congratulations Billy - this is good news for all of us waiting - we too were selected on 1st September - got ITA 24th December and submitted 15th March. So :hopeso . Were you allocated a case officer when you're ITA arrived? we weren't are awaiting to hear when we have one allocated - hope it doesn't hold things up too much

Margaret

[Billy]

Thanks to all.

To try and answer all the questions:

We were allocated a case officer when we got the ITA; I dont understand why there is a difference.

I put on my ITA for the contact to be by phone, just in case I was away for a few days (I emailed my case officer telling her I spent a lot of time out and about; she called me on my mobile); I made sure I had with me my notes as to what I might answer to any potential Qs. She asked if I wanted it done then, or at any other suitable time. I was more than happy to get it over and done with.

When the phone rang and she introduced herself, I was bracing myself for her to say 'I'm sorry to have to say this, but....'

Anyway, it was all very friendly.

Cheers
Billy