[dabbi]

Hi everybody in this forum,

I am a plumber/gas engineer from Germany currently living in London. I have been interviewed by NZIS last week, and I received a rather weird email from my case officer a few days later.

She mentioned that everything is fine so far apart from one single point:
My german master and craftsman certificate as Plumber and HVAC engineer and UK (Gas-Corgi registration) have been assessed by NZQA and been recognized as comparable and to be Level 4, no probs so far.

But then she said that I have to be registered with the NZ Gas board prior to PR being granted.(??????). So I rang NZ Gas board and they told me, of course, I have to be in fulltime employment with a NZ registered Gas installer
and be in possession of a work Visa.

So I am trapped in these wonderful thing of who is responsible for what, which I wanted to get rid of here in overregulated Germany and UK.

Anybody out there who encountered the same situation, as my case officer said that this is usually required even for electricians.

Thanks for any hints.

BTW, she wrote I should send in my NZ regs. for proceeding my application.


Cheers, Dabbi

[Charlosparky]

Hi Dabbi, welcome to the forum. This is the place in my experience where you will find most of the answers as there is always someone in, or has been in a similar situation.

Im no plumber just a sparky but yes you are right. In the eyes of NZIS you need the licence to apply for emigration to NZ as you can't practice your trade without it and therefore wont help them fill their quota of plumbers. But the catch?- you need a job offer as your future employer has to countersign your licence application, and not many employers will take you seriously until you are in NZ and immediately available.

I am lucky as i have an open job offer from a Kiwi mate who worked for me in the UK some years back, but if I didn't then i'd imagine them only wayaround would be to go to NZ, then find a job once there, and apply for PR whilst in NZ. Its a big jump but once there PR should be staight forward (relatively speaking)

Check out the search facility for Pumbers there must be some on here :nice1 somewhere.

[Smiler]

Hi Dabbi


Absolutely useless with info on the plumbing thingy, but just wanted to say welcome to the forum. :clap

I hope you find the way through it all and keep us posted.

Deborah

[dabbi]

Hi Charlosparky

what a fuss, they really have some very ludricous rules, why should I fly to NZ beforehand, just to sign a job contract, I could do that when I fly to NZ permanently and start working anyway. The other way round it is just a waste of another 1 k hard earned and taxed money. In that application guide, which I thought is very exhaustive, it was not mentioned at all.

But thanks for your answers. Maybe I have a valuable contribution to the members of this forum. If somebody has to ring NZIS London from within UK, do not dial the premiem rate number 090..., just ring the number given to ring from abroad, I did it accidentaly and it worked hust fine. Have a go!



Cheers, Dabbi

[Charlosparky]

Yes there is a non-premium rate number apparently,was on the forum not long ago.

I argee the NZIS must know about this problem, it is the same for plumbers electricians and also medical/teaching proffesions i think. I noticed a few forummers have recently gone to NZ permanently in the last month and are looking for jobs now they are there- Kim39 and MarieP i think. Check out their posts as i dont know what sort of visa they are on but they are both electricians so must have got round this licence thingy. I dont think they just winged it either, they went thru the application process.

Chris

[willsken]

I’m a teacher and yes I have to register to get PR, but I have been able to do so from the UK.

dabbi - I know I'm stating the obvious, but have you e-mailed her back to ask how to get around this problem? I've always found them very helpful :)

[Debbie]

Dabbi,
I have no personal experience but my understanding was that if your job required complusary proffesional registration NZIS were unable to give you PR untill you were registered. Therefore you needed to either have a job lined up, register in your home country or NZIS would give you WTR which enabled you to enter NZ find work, work for your employer for three months sort out registration and than NZIS would convert your WTR to PR.
If i have this very wrong please someone correct me.
Debbie

[dabbi]

Hi Debbie,

what you say is exactly what NZIS says. My only concern is that I move with my family and complete household not having PR granted, just work visa.

The risk of the costs, selling our house here in Germany, shipping all goods down under and no blue stickers in the passports, a bit scaring and frustrating after the challenge of getting PR and being offered just a work visa, isn`t it?


But that seems to be the only way to go ahead. I am just wondering why they generate such a confusion, it could be so easy straight forward, but anyway, thanks for your hints and answers,

regards, Dabbi

[Mildred]

Dabbi

Hi we are in the same situation - my husband is a Gas Fitter/Heating Engineer. We have paid a lot of money to have his City & Guilds Qualifications assessed which come out the equivalent of NZ qualifications but you then need a job offer in NZ before you can be licensed or get PR. The best person to speak to is Bevs on the UK2NZ forum as she really is an expert on this matter.

Good luck - I know how frustrating it is.

[Brian Smith]

Hi mate
i am a plumbing and heating eng in England corgi reg and all that !
to be able to work as a plumber/gasfitter in Newzealand with out being registrard you need to get a limited certificate.

And hears the catch 22! you have to have a job offer and the certificate
has to be signd by the person who is going to be supervising you.Also you
will proberley have to pay for this your self! $150 for both renewd evrey year! I can tell u that corgi is cheap compard to these guys it just go,s on and on.

Just in case you were wondering yes i have got a job there and start at the end of jan2006

[Mildred]

Hi Brian

Did you have to go to NZ first to get your job? If not did you just send off loads of c.v.s?

Would love to find out more......

Happy New Year by the way!