[Lareine]

Hi, I'm Jenny, I have been lurking on this forum for a while now, reading all about NZ, so I thought it was time to introduce myself!

My boyfriend K and I are planning to emigrate from Northern Ireland to New Zealand as soon as possible. Our main reason is just to make a fresh start - we're both sick of this place, and would like to try living somewhere new and different. I moved to Northern Ireland from the south 13 years ago, and have lived in the US for a year as well; K has never lived outside of Ireland, and has spent most of his life in Belfast. We want a change of location, weather, people, attitude... and NZ seems like a good place to start looking for that! Neither of us has ever been to that part of the world, but we're happy to take our chances and see what happens.

I have 125 points including 15 for work experience in an immediate shortage area. K has 115 points with 10 for work experience. Unfortunately, we have not been together long enough to put in a joint application, so will have to submit our EOIs separately and just hope we both get pulled around the same time. Neither of us has a job offer, although we are both in I.T. so hopefully won't have too much trouble finding work if we get PR. What do you think our chances are?? :confused:

I'll be keeping my eye on this forum anyway, and hopefully posting on here now and again. You guys are a mine of information!

- Jenny

[Diny]

Welcome Jenny.

If you both put in individual EOI's and start the process at the same time, hopefully your PR, should it be granted, could start at around the same time too. This is not an exact science and no two applications take the same track. However, once PR is granted you have 18 months up your sleeve before you actually have to arrive here in NZ. So hopefully, even though your applications don't coincide completely, your arrival in NZ should.

Have just read that back and not sure if it makes sense - hope you get it.

Good luck with everything and keep us posted.

Diny

[clarkydicko]

Hi Lareine :)

Welcome to the forum. It's a great friendly place with always someone who can answer any (sometimes bizarre!) questions! :)

Good luck with all your future plans

Chantell & Simon :)

ps Diny...that makes perfect sense to me! :nice1

[Smiler]

Hi Lareine and K

Welcome to the forum. :clap:clap

Ask away with the questions. Someone, somwhere on here, knows the answer.:D

[TonyOne]

Hi Diny,

when you say that "you have 18 months up your sleeve before you actually have to arrive here in NZ" this would only be true if you don't include your passport along with your application, I submitted my passport when I applied and when they posted the passport back it had the Resident Visa in it and it had to be activated with 12 months.

[starkhorn]

Hi and welcome to the forum,

I'd say with 125 and 115 points then you would have a good chance to get accepted either with PR or a work permit.

If you have qualifications from uni or a tech college, then you should check first whether these need to be assessed by the NZQA i.e. are they on the list of recognised qualifications?

My wife's qualifications were not recognised and so we had to get them recognised which took a long time (3-4 months).

Cheers
Starkhorn

[Lareine]

If you have qualifications from uni or a tech college, then you should check first whether these need to be assessed by the NZQA i.e. are they on the list of recognised qualifications?

Thanks for the heads-up -- fortunately, both K's university and mine are on the list, and we both have an honours degree, so we should be safe enough there.

Of course now I'm thinking, "Are we really? Did I check properly?", but I know I definitely did check, and I'm just being paranoid now ;)

- Jenny

[zardell]

H Jenny and WELCOME to the forum.....

Ask any questions you like, someone will have an answer I'm sure.

Good luck with your plans.

Julie

xx

[marcia]

and I'm just being paranoid now ;)

- Jenny


Hi and welcome

The feeling of being paranoid along with, terrified, stressed, control taken from your hands are perfectly normal feelings when embarking down this emigration route. So are many many sleepless nights and probably a million other feelings people will add to the list!

But everyone on here will help and support you through the process and you don't feel so alone knowing theres others out there going through the mill too!! And you can always come on here for a sympathetic ear, and to have a rant and get things off your chest!

Good luck!

[Arclite]

Or you could always get married........... :exit

Arc

[David with a dream]

Juat wanna say welcome and good luck from us 4........ :D David

[willsken]

Hi Jenny

I'd say you have an excellent chance. In the draw this week they were back to pulling 115 points for jobs on the shortage list! :yes

[Lareine]

Or you could always get married........... :exit

Arc

Seriously, would that help? I was under the impression that it made no difference. But we'd do it if it improved our chances! :D

[Lareine]

Oh, and thank you everyone for the good wishes. I hope to get to know you all a lot better over the coming months, so you can find out if the good-luck messages worked or not ;)

[Questor]

AFAIK even if you're married you still have to prove the living together for a year thing, so unfortunately I don't think it would help!!

But welcome to the forum, any questions, ask away - we'll all be happy to help (as long as we have an idea!)

Jon

[Miggy]

Hi and welcome.

This forum is great - if you can't find an answer to any NZ related question here you'll be hard pushed to find it anywhere!!

Best of luck with the process - stick with it - it can seem lengthy at times!

[Angie and Mick]

Welcome,
I would say you both should have a good chance in the pool. We have just been selected on 120 points in a absolute skills shortage area with 10yrs + experience however no job offer. Go for it.

[Jenny & Mark]

Welcome to the forum Jenny and K.
We were also selected at 120 points.

Mark.