[Jodie]

Hi guys,

Just got off the phone to my parents and they are starting to look into coming out to NZ to join us soon cos they're fed up with everything in the uk, but the main problem is residency. So - I thoughtI'd jump in here and see what you guys thought!

Daz and I have only been residents for 1 year (been in NZ on work permits for nearly 2 now) so as far as I understand it from the immigration site, I can't sponsor them until I've been a resident for 3 years. (NZIS taking 9 months to process our app! Could have been 9 months closer to that by now!! ARRRGGGG! )

Another option they're thinking about is coming over and starting a business - my Dad has run a drainage and maintenance business with my Uncle for about 10 years now and he could start something similar over here (drainage layers are on the shortage list so it would be seen as helping bring skills into NZ I'd have thought...).

Otherwise its a case of getting a job as a project manager or similar in the drainage/maintenance field and going through the skilled migrants category (if this was accepted as a skilled job), but they'd only get about 110 points (cos neither have degrees - do city and guilds count towards the qually section does anyone know? Dad's done a city and guilds course in a drain laying/construction supervisory course since he's had the drainage business, but just wondered if anyone knew offhand without having to get it assessed...) - I see that the points are at 140 at the mo so this route wouldn't really be an option right now...

They're ideal would be to come out here, move to Nelson and start a b&b, but I don't see how they'll be able to do this straight away...

Any ideas or advice out there? Any help or ideas would be much appreciated.

Thanks guys!

Hope all your residency plans are going well.

Jod

[Avalon]

Jodie,

Just some thoughts - ill get the bad stuff out of the way first:

First you need to check the sponsorship timelines. They changed last year - so if you got your residency after 1st April (i think) then its now 5 years before you can sponsor them in. Im not sure whether having work visas prior to this makes a difference though - so you probably need to just check that too.

Also, be aware that there is an age limit of the skilled migrant route - not sure if that is an issue for them, but the age limit did drop.

Businesses - hopefully somone who came through in the last year or so will have better news, but my parents tried this and got hit by a rather stinky political wrangle which meant that an 2year backlog was cleared by the unhelpful method of refusing almost all application in the pile at the time. Since then - we understand that it has become very difficult to get LTBV's. We also understand that many immigration consultants working in the UK who specialised in LTBV's have stopped doing them because its getting too hard to get people through.

They would probably find it difficult to get an LTBV to open a B+B, but the current business would be a better option. You have to prove that you have experience in the field.

Obviously things may have changed since then, but if no one has any more up-to date info on LTBV's - you will probably need to look very carefully at this.

On the positive side - bear in mind that family sponsorship - while a slow process- is from what we can gather almost a rubber stamp. If there is no other way for them to come out - this is still a viable option. And in the meantime - you could alway investigate the possibilty of them living 6 months in the UK and 6 months here. This is what my family are doing until we can sponsor them in.