[marcia]

Ok most of you will know we have been around on here for a while now, feeling like we are getting nowhere.

After our reccy trip in Jan, we knew we definately wanted to be in NZ.

Unfortunately though Kev has run his own fabrication business for the last 11 years he doesn't have any welding quals. So when we came back this was our plan A to get him assessed and get a qualification which would have given us enough points to apply. But after 6 weeks speaking to people who do the NVq's and other welding assessments it was a no go. So we moved on to plan B.

At the Manchester expo in Oct, we met some people from Palmerston North City council. They were very interested in Kev, he used to work for our local council before he went self employed. He had interviews with them in Jan when we were out there and they are very interested in employing him, unfortunately despite numerous phone calls and emails, we still don't have the paperwork we need from them to complete our EOI. They are still very keen on employing him but we seem to be stuck in limbo. So we are thinking of going with plan C which is just sell up and get out there asap.

We have already made a big commitment to going, Kev has turned down a very large contract which was up for the next 4 years, he's sold most of his stock car gear too and his 'treasure' (Junk to you and me girls!!!)

So what I'm now interested in is those who have just sold up and gone. I have loads of questions to ask so wondered if those of you who had gone this route would 'please step forwards' and allow me to interogate you!! No No, don't mean that really!! Just need some bits clarifying, like,

do you have to have a return ticket at immigration at the airport.

can you still ship your stuff over.

can you open bank accounts on a visitors visa.

is it wise not to take personal documents, birth certificates etc, or better to send them to a mate first?

these are just a few of the questions I have. We are going to give the council a bit longer, Kev tried ringing on Sun - then we realised they were probably off for anzac day. So hes gonna ring them tonight, and we will give them till the next selection date.

One thing we have decided to do though before we go is have our medicals, just me and kev not the kids, it will probably cost us about £580 but we would rather pay this here than go over and find out we have something wrong which will make immigration turn around and say 'on yer bikes!'

Any advice from you experts will be much appreciated.

[Oregonkiwi]

Hi Marcia,
I know there are people in NZ who've done that and I'm sure they'll be here once NZ wakes up...just thought I'd get things started.

NZIS says if you come into NZ without a visa, you MUST have a return ticket or onward ticket to another country that you're allowed to enter. Forum people have said that you just need a cheap ticket to Australia - if you do this remember that you do need a visitor visa for Oz so probably best to get one if you really want to look convincing.

I see no reason not to take personal documents with you. There's nothing illegal about carrying personal documnts with you, and no one is going to look in your luggage, unless they suspect you of smuggling cocaine or bananas or something, in which case they'll be looking for the contraband, not birth certificates.

Good luck!

[Bubbles]

Hi Marcia,
Sorry you're having to consider this route but its not the end of the road by a long shot yet, is it. ;)
Yes, you will need a forward ticket out of the country and if you choose Oz you will need a visa to enter. You have upto 6 mnths on your uk passport for a visit, which can be extended by another 3 mnths by applying over there if you need more time to set things up.

The one person that comes to mind who has taken this route and is very, very happy with the outcome is Timbo ( Forum Mod ). I posted yesterday on here, that I had spoken to Tim via phone at the weekend, just catching up with me old mate. He and his wife Sarah are doing just fine and are looking forward to the future and what NZ has to offer. Sarah, is working now, ( she found work in her profession within 2 weeks of landing ) Tim has taken lets say, a kiwi style aproach to work for the 1st 6 months, but is now in the position of having a job offer and he's sorting out his work visa while we speak. So its very do-able indeed.
If you like, I have Tim's phone no. and I know he would be more than willing to talk about his first 6 mnths and what he's found.
If you want his phone no. PM me. :nice1

Hope it helps.

John

[Hannah]

Marcia,
We did this, although we didn't sell up first.
I can give you a call at home if you like (it's cheaper to ring from NZ to UK than other way round) if you PM me your home tel.
I'll post a bit more on this later (off to work now) for benefit of others looking to take this route
bye for now
hannah

[marcia]

Plan B still not quite gone out of the window, Kev has spoken to the council tonight, promise they will do the paperwork today, :confused:

missed tomorrows pool selection anyway, so hope it can be done for the next one, in two weeks.









watch this space!

[Smiler]

Marcia

Your sig says it all. ;) I hope Kev has some luck with the council paperwork.

We didn't come out this way but had planned to if there was no sign of a job offer, just would have taken longer.

Like everyone above has said, if you do have to come over that way, a ticket to Oz is cheap, you can apply for your ETA (oz visa) on line I think it's about $20 ozzie.

It's a lot cheaper to get your medicals etc done here but Hannah will fill you in on that, but our local docs charges $200 nz.

No reason you shouldn't bring your personal papers with you (and anything else you might need) Just make sure you have copies or scans incase of loss.

Good luck, hope you hear from the Council soon, keep us updated. :nice1

[Moorf]

We sold up everything (left one property to rent out) and came out on visitors visa with no jobs, no ITA etc having just been selected with points on the EOI back in Aug 04.

I sent over all our docs/certs etc and our immigration stuff to a friend already in Chch. We opened bank accounts with no jobs or IRD numbers (National Bank) no probs there.

PM me if you need info... v:nice1

[zardell]

[QUOTE=marcia]Plan B still not quite gone out of the window, Kev has spoken to the council tonight, promise they will do the paperwork today
QUOTE]



Fingers crossed for plan 'B'..... Why is everything sooo long winded ?

'C' sounds like a good plan to me too.

Julie

xx

[Bubbles]

'C' sounds like a good plan to me too.

Julie

xx

Now, now Julie. You've been told before..............Patience young lady, patience. ;) ;)

John

[Jameelka]

Think that will be our route for coming to NZ,coming on a visitors visa.
We have our reccy trip out to NZ next month to decide if we want to come for good,I'm sure we'll love it!
Our delay is the house sale,been on the market for 15 months now and nothing.Once we come back from NZ if we def want to go our then think we'll have to drop the price,but we'll see.
Good luck Marcia,everyone on the forum has been so helpful,don't know what we would have done without them!

[Moorf]

Just to complicate things further, if you do intend to sell up and "just do it" then you still need a plan B, C or D in that you need to cover your bases in case you don't find work etc and have to return after the 6 months or 9 months visa period (assuming your plan B isn't to become an over-stayer :laugh ) !!!

Whilst we did sell up we did still have a property back in the UK we could return to and we didn't move all our money or ship out our gear until well after we'd got our PR - personally I needed this safety net.

[Singel]

Believe it or not, we never have a backup plan at all, NOTHING !!!
The word "fail", apparently is not found in our dictionary

We sold our house, came here as tourists (looking for jobs) and transfer all our monies to NZ before getting our PRs. The urge for better lifestyle is so strong that it motivate us to keep going forward (no turning back).

I think there is a fine line between brave and stupid :laugh

As we have no relatives or friends in NZ, we packed our birth certificates and CVs in our hand luggages, and went through the custom without any hassle.

Marcia, GOOD LUCK with your emigration plans :nice1

[Jameelka]

That's sounds like it will be us Singel.
We need our house sale to finance the trip and the first months over in NZ.
What we'd rather do though is give it ago,if it does n't work out then at least we tried it,and yes we will have lost money,but I don't want to get to an age and think what if!
That was a good idea about the medical Marcia having it done before u go,only thing is if you become ill after you have had them done,or if it takes too long the medicals expire, have them done again and they find a problem,think we'll just wait for NZ and get them done there and cheaper,and just keep our fingers crossed,problem is you just never know with things like this.
Singel what did u do about shipping your stuff over? did u wait till u got jobs or not?
Dog is coming,no dog no me!!!could not leave her!

[Hannah]

Hello Marcia, and others considering this route.

We kind of came this route although not the full whack with a house sale etc. We have our house still in UK and in some strange way it's actually been a tie rather than a safety net. It's the first thing we think of when things are tough (oh we could just go home etc.) and it's made settling different. Sometimes safety nets can as restricting (although leaving my house there gave me the courage to come - like Moorf says, some people feel they need a plan B or C.

As for return ticket we took out a UK return ticket as we always planned to return after 6 months and, if we had residency/were happy in NZ, would pack up our house and rent it out. when I checked flights from UK to NZ and then Oz they were not that much cheaper than UK-NZ-UK but may be better deals out there. Maybe worth taking out UK return tickets if you plan to return to see family at some point even if you do stay in NZ (ask for tickets with free change of return date).

You need a work or residence visa to ship stuff out (another reason we left our furniture in our unsold house).

We opened bank account with ASB who have a transfer account in London, good for transferring money over at different times. When we need money we send a personal cheque from our UK regular bank account to ASB (which costs nothing unlike an electronic transfer) and ASB transfer money over at a cost of about 15 GBP. They didn't even need NZ address to open the account - UK address was fine.

I took personal documents in my main luggage. No problems, we only had our walking boots and kids wellies inspected.

As for the council and the wait - that's kiwi time for you!!! My other half was going mad when i took weeks for employers who sounded really keen to get back to him. He then accepted one job only to find several job offers coming through the following week for the other one's he applied for!! I waited nearly 3 months just for an interview for my job - it was delayed 3 times due to staff sickness etc. Frustrating, but not uncommon i'm led to believe!!!!! Patience needed more than worry here, but i KNOW how frustrating it is!!!!!

I had medicals done in NZ and they were cheaper - about $900 for family of four. Prices vary wildly - one GP charging $50 for a children's medical and another charging $250!!!. Then there is cost of xrays and blood test on top. You may get your children's medicals really cheaply here and if they are under 12 they won't need additional costly xrays and blood tests. Any GP in NZ can do them but worth shopping around. No wait for mine - i could have had them all done that day (not many queues in GPs surgeries due to costs of GP visits!). Do remember that they are only valid for 3 months. We had medicals done as soon as we submitted EOI and i then really worried that i'd been too hasty as ITA may take ages to come through - I had to get the medical done that week though as i was starting a new job and didn't want to take time off. But for a couple of hundred pounds now i guess it's worth getting them done for peace of mind.

MAke sure you sort out your police certs before you leave.

Finally, if you don't have work visa/permit sorted when you arrive you will need to pay for international fees for your children's schooling and get them a student permit. School fees around $2000 a term per child - some will be 'charitable' (ours was) and do it for less, but don't expect this as i am led to believe dropping fees to 'cost price' is not common and international fees is seen as extra revenue for some schools. I have heard of some schools charging $3000 per term even - they can set their own fees. On top of this you may have to pay the bog standard contributions that resident parents pay (around $200 a year in our school, per child)

My experience of NZIS in NZ is that they have been the fasted and most efficient service we've had since we've been here. they have gone out of their way to help us and keep us advised, and have been very swift. OH's work permit turned around in about a week and mine was stamped with a partner 'family' open work visa by return of post (24 hours!). haven't dealt wth london but i have only praise for NZIS over here (Palmerston North branch - which will be good for you!!!)

Also, the park in Palmerston North is WONDERFUL. I've posted about it elsewhere on this forum. Best kids play park in the world i reckon!!!!

hannah

[Jameelka]

Hannah that was most informative thank you for that.
I know i've pm'd you before for advice,but it's great hearing how everyone got to where they are now,especilally for us being stuck here in the UK!

[Singel]

Singel what did u do about shipping your stuff over? did u wait till u got jobs or not?

We put our household stuff in the container and we were given one month free storage. My OH got a job offer within a month of arrival and then, we contacted the mover to start shipping the container. At the same time, we submit the EOI with points for job offer.

By the way, here is a good thread about NZ custom regulations : http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1048&highlight=issues+customs

To meet the custom requirements, we applied for the 2-year WTR so that we could get our household stuff (not knowing when the PRs will be approved).

Oh, one more thing, I thought I need to mention is that I got the UK police certificate when I was in NZ. I just go to the UK police website, download and fill up the form, and send it with a cheque. After one month, I got the UK police certificate by post. It is really easy :nice1

[Hannah]

Remember too that you need FULL birth certificates. I applied for these from NZ (Along with the police certs as Singel did) and it took just a week for the birth cert to come through. If anyone needs info on how to apply these within the UK there are threads on this forum, or contact Deborah (Smiler) our own personal expert on registry matters (having worked in this area before).

Re- reading my sentence about Deborah, I realise that we really are quite an informative bunch - lots of people on this forum with experience from their home countries with expertise and advice to offer that makes the whole emigration thing that bit easier!!!!

[Jameelka]

Gosh there is so much to think about!
Already got my full birth certificate,was very quick and not too expensive.
It's now our furniture that I think might be a problem,having to leave it in storage over here till we know that we can get jobs in NZ.Don't want to ask them to send the stuff across to find that we end up paying alot to get it.
Had a quote from Pickords for storage and sounds like it will cost between £160-£200 a month,which adds up.
Have GB Liners lined up to come and give us a quote ,so will see how much they will charge for storage if need be.
Your police certificate was quick Singel.
All the paper work I dread it all sounds so daunting!
Still 30 days till we fly to Auckland for our reccy trip and can't wait!

[Bubbles]

Had a quote from Pickords for storage and sounds like it will cost between £160-£200 a month,which adds up.


Hi Jameelka,
I don't know how much stuff you have to store ?
We have been quoted by ' Britannia '. To store the contents of a full 20 foot container ( about 1200 Cu/ft ) its going to cost us £ 25 + vat per week, with the first 4 weeks for free.
You're doing the right thing by shopping around, I know you can get it cheaper than what you've already been quoted.

John

[marcia]

You guys are a mine of information, thanks again for the help and advice, and Hannah thanks for the phone call, :) really nice chatting to you, even though you should have been tucked up in your bed!!

[Jameelka]

Thanks John,there are just so many different shippers that u could use and everyone has their own personal view on them too,difficult to decide!
Does anyone have the link for the police forms that is needed for the police check please? and how long does the check last for?
Everyone says it takes about 40 days to obtain,but not sure on the validity of them once obtained.
Thank you in advance!

[Bubbles]

Jameelka,
For our police check forms I just went along to my local station and they gave me the telephone number of police HQ in welwyn to request forms. They took 2 days to arrive, a few minutes to fill out and cost around £10 each for them to process. They do say it can take upto 40 days but normally is quicker than that.
Can't remember how long they are valid for, its either 6 or 12 months. :confused:

[Jameelka]

Thanks Bubbles

[Bubbles]

Heres a link

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/general/formsandfees/formsandguides/policecertificate/uv/uk.htm

:nice1

[Smiler]

Jameelka

You should be able to download the forms from your local police force website or the Metropolitan Police website.

Fill them in, send them off to the address given for your local force. They get sent to the Met Police for checking and the certificate is issued from them.

HTH

[marcia]

Or pop down to your police HQ, ask for DP1 forms, fill them in there and then show two forms of ID one with picture (passport) one with your name and address (driving licence) pay your £10. They send them off (saving YOU the postage :laugh ), few days later you will then get a letter saying it has been received and you will get the report in 40 days. ;)

[Jameelka]

That's great thanks everyone!

[Do B Brief]

Wow, it's been a while since I posted here...

My family and I sold up in the UK and put our stuff into storage.

No job no nothing but I had a medical done on the works insurance prior to going to be on the safe side.

Landed in Welly as visitors for 6 months. Stayed at a top 10 for a week and went hunting for a place to rent.

Got one with in days in J'ville and got a job 3 weeks later.

Applied for Permits and Visas (kids study ones too) - went to NZIS at 8am and at 10 walked out with Permit and Visas to boot.

Bank accounts could only be a savings one until work permit as was the same for calling our furniture over.

Even bought a house within 3 weeks and sold it with in 3 weeks too!

Applied for PR and had ITA.

Then we decided to come home :confused: (hence the house sale above)

Going there is scary but is very easy to do. Do not bother with immigration agencies as this forum has all the answers.

Medicals should be done in NZ as they are cheaper but if you are worried about your health then have them done at home first.

Good luck.

[Hannah]

Hows things going for you in UK Do B Brief?

My hubby returned there last week (I follow him in 3 weeks) and he put all the Tesco internet shop away in the cupboards.....and then checked everything off against the receipt - he said he could remember all the products being delivered without having to open the cupboards to look. "Familiarity" he said "I couldn't have done that with NZ shopping despite having been here six months!" (not that they have grocery internet shopping in New Plymouth anyway!). His comment made me think of your comment about going back into Tesco after you landed back in UK (so much choice, so familiar!).

You'll be pleased to know the Chrisco xmas hamper ads have stopped on TV here!!!!

Hope things are working out well for you and your family,

hannah