[daveroofer]

Hi guy`s this is my first post apart from my introduction, i wonder if anyone has been in or indeed still is in a simular position to ours (fiance and I).
i am a roofer, with experience in slating, tiling, leadwork torch-on, and rubber roofing, self employed for the last 4-5 years, but without a formal qualification, as most roofers just train on the job, a kind of informal apprenticeship. Does anyone know which visa would be best for us? i think a work permit but would i be able to apply for PR after ive been there a while? we are thinking of contacting a migration agent but reading through this site, if i can find which visa to go for maybe we can do it ourselves. any advise will be great.
many thanks

Dave and Kez :nice1

p.s im desperate to be able to put "EOI entered ?/05/09!!! so come on. lol :cheers

[JandM]

Hello, Dave.

These pages
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/work/
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/invest/
are the relevant ones for you to be considering. If you follow the links on the first one, you'll be able to find the Long Term Skills List, to see if your work will fit one of the descriptions there and give you enough points to put in an EOI. I believe that for some trades they do have provision for considering a number of years' experience as equivalent to a paper qualification. The site also has an online points calculator, where you can put in your details and see what comes up.

If you find difficulty in collecting points, it may be worth trying the calculator with your fiancée as the main applicant, if she has a more easily recognized qualification. (You need to be able to show that you're a couple who have been living together for at least 12 months, then whichever of you is the main applicant, you can both get residency.)

However, since you're self-employed at the moment, you might want to continue as your own boss, in which case the second page would be the one to look at.

Another point that strikes me is that many NZ houses are of different construction from the UK, notably in having corrugated iron roofs, so unless you want to work in that, you may need to consider diversifying into other areas of building - other tiling springs to mind.

If you're both young enough, you could consider going over to NZ on Working Holiday Visas, to see the situation for yourselves. http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/work/workingholiday/unitedkingdomworkingholidayscheme.htm It is possible to get a work permit while you are in NZ, if you are then offered long-term work.

I hope some of that helps.

[daveroofer]

thanks so much for the reply, this sites great!! my fiance is young enough for a working holiday visa but unfortunately im really really old, (32) i dont suppose you know if she could go on that visa and i could tag along so to speak???:)

[JandM]

thanks so much for the reply, this sites great!! my fiance is young enough for a working holiday visa but unfortunately im really really old, (32) i dont suppose you know if she could go on that visa and i could tag along so to speak???:)About your last question, I'm afraid the answer is no. HOWEVER, have a look at this. www.bunac.org/uk/worknewzealand/eligibility.aspx Under one of the BUNAC schemes, you can be up to 35 - sounds as if it's worth looking into.:nice1

[daveroofer]

thanks again for that link, im going to call them on monday morning! it sounds like a great idea, :yes