[neil & bella]

Hi there, after careful thought and alot of discussion we have decided to emigrate to NZ. We've searched the internet for 1st hand info on which is the best way to do it, can anyone give us some advice on how difficult or easy it is to do yourself or is it advisable to use an agent although expensive would it be money well spent ?

[Trigirl]

hi there - welcome to the forums.

in my opinion unless you have reason to believe you are going to have major problems with the immigration process there's no need to use an agent. we filled out the forms ourselves. they aren't that difficult and there's certainly lots of help available on here!

[SarahEDH]

The long-term forum members here are much better equipped to answer, but re: my own visa application, I've done ok on my own so far. It helps if you like to read and become really immersed in documents. The NZIS website has a lot of information that must be absorbed in order to understand the rules and put your best foot forward in each stage. Some people may prefer an agent who can summarize things and confirm next steps -- it might save time & errors in the long run, especially if your application will be complicated or if your EOI points are on the lower side. If they're higher, it seems logical that the strength of your application (job experience/education/health) will have more to do with succeeding than whether you used an agent.

I look forward to seeing responses from those who actually know what an agent can do for you -- which I don't --

regards,
Sarah

[tigerlily]

I agree- the forms aren't hard. Occasionally there might be a little confusion, but people here tend to have the answer (and quickly, since we are all around the world). I've read lots of stories of people who were disappointed (to say the least) with the performance of their agent, and only one of someone who seemed happy with the decision. I say, save your money for something more important, and give it a go yourself. Have you tried doing an online Expression of Interest (EOI)? You can save the copy and not submit until you are ready (or just delete it later if you like). That is about the most complicated thing there is to do. The ITA (Invitation to Apply) is just the same EOI, but printed out with your original answers (you can make changes then if you need to) and then you include the medicals (which your doctor fills out on their form) and the police reports, and the evidence of your work experience, degrees and your relationship to your partner. Really not too scary. The scary bit is when you have to decide if this is the right thing to do with your life!

[jess]

Another vote for DIY. Although it seems like a lot of information, taking it one step at a time, it's not all that difficult. And we just asked loads of EOI and ITA questions here. I don't think an agent is necessary unless, as Trigirl said, you know you will have more than your average degree of difficulty being accepted.

If you do decide to use and agent though, be sure to do a lot of research on that. I've seen nightmare stories of bad agent expreiences on the forum before...

Best of luck! :)

[starkhorn]

My opinion is that if you can read and write english, have easy access to the the internet and some time on your hands then you should be able to do it all yourself, saving quite a lot of money.

This site in particular is amazing containing probably every answer for each and every question to the immigration process. Just search and you should be able to find help.

I remember someone had done a step-by-step process thread a few months back, if anyone has the link handy.

Cheers
Starkhorn

[xanctus]

DIY all the way if it is possible...save you lots of time and money in that matters.
Also, if you click on search button, there are plenty of info about these subject.

[Smiler]

Hi Neil and Bella

Welcome to the forum :cheers:cheers

We came DIY and TBH it's very east to do if you can fill a form or two in and manage to make a doctors appointment. Ok thats sounds a bit blase but have a look at this excellent thread by Juniper, it gives the lowdown on what to do.

http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=6142

PS there are some ermmm awful agents about, if you do a search on the forum there are a few posts about people that have been messed around and some posts about people that have been successful using an agent.

[veronica]

well I think I have to go with the majority here. Unless you have heaps of money and not a lot of time I would def. do it yourself.
we did the LONG TERM BUSINSS VISA our selves much against what we were told by the agents we phoned. According to some of them it would have been impossible for us to do it on our own but we did it and were successful too. Go for it but be prepared to contact here, NZ house and anywhere else to make sure you do it right.

[Caroline and Dave]

Hi Neil And Bella and wellcome to the forum.
It seems we are in the minority here as we are using an agent but are situation is different to most. I would totally agree though if you are coming over on a normal visa application then do it yourself.This forum is excellent for providing advice and information.

We are coming over on an investment visa as we are moving our letting business from UK to NZ. At the moment we work almost 24 hours a day and because of this we decided to use an agent. The agent we have used is excellent and is handling everything for us. We have many complications (non dependent children, various property, medicals, etc) and they have dealt with the lot allowing us to carry on with the business.
This particular agent is also doing our resettlement in NZ providing us with temporary accommadation and helping us with everything we need in NZ. I really cannot fault them.
We did have a problem with an accountant but that was our fault trying to go it alone but that is sorted now. If anyone would like any further details feel free to pm us
It is expensive with an agent but for what we have at stake it is money well invested but do be careful, as we found out with the accountant, it is best to go with reccommendations.


Kindest regards


Dave and Caroline

[marcia]

It's looks pretty scary when you first readthe forms you need to fill in, but take it a step at a time and you'll be finr.

I'd advise the DIY method, save yourself a few thousand pounds and ask the 'free' agents on this forum for help!! :nice1

Oh and welcome to the forum! :)

[dangermouse]

We are doing it the DIY route and to date have found it pretty straight forward, most of our hand wringing is about in which order to do things medicals , police checks etc. and if our timings are right (still not sure)

EOI Submitted 01/10/06
EOI Selected 10/10/06

[Brijan]

Hi Neil and Bella
We did it ourselves and had no problems with the paperwork at all, you just need to read it all through carfully a few times, i made notes on a seperate sheet of paper which helped to simplify things.

Good luck
Brian and Jan :)

[nippa&pippa]

Seem we are in minority there, we used agents, yes they are pricy! but in our case very useful and very quick as they somehow speeding up our application that we are shocked to get PR quick. We have a chance again, i would try DIY and use forum (we found about this forum too late) to help answer the questions we had problem with as using agent cost us lots of money...

[sarahw]

Definitely DIY - you'll save yourself heaps & you'll need that money when you get here!!

[neil & bella]

thx to everyone for the replies looks like it'll be diy, hoping to start the ball rolling in january so keep you all posted thx neil and bella

[jo-and-jeff]

hoping to start the ball rolling in january
Unless you've got a specific reason for waiting until January, I recommend that you start now. If you haven't already, you need to take the assessment to see if you have enough points to be permitted to emigrate (they don't let everyone in).

These are just some of the things you will have to gather and do, and the whole process can take from 6 months to 2 years unless you've got a job offer, in which case it may be processed more quickly:
copies of high school and university transcripts and diplomas/certificates
copies of pay stubs (or other proof of employment duration and pay) from your previous employers
copies of long-term proof of your relationship
police reports (can take 2+ months all by itself)
full medical evaluations (and I mean full)
evaluation of your professional qualifications by the NZQA
selling your house, if you own one
microchipping and vet treatments for pets if you're going to bring them (this will take 6 months at a minimum)

There is a lot of helpful information to be found on this website, and people who are glad to guide you. Good luck!

Jo

[Ana&Steve]

microchipping and vet treatments for pets if you're going to bring them (this will take 6 months at a minimum)[/list]

Unless you are coming from UK or other approved non-rabies countries. (Unlike us :no )
Ana
Edit: pretty sure you still have to do the microchipping, though it's just a quick injection & out the door!

[GeordieLass]

Don't get your medicals done too early though as they are only valid for three months and are VERY expensive to repeat!

[Hannah]

In my experience i found the PR application the easy part - it's generally very black and white in terms of what you can claim for and what you need to send in as proof. I got lots of help on this forum, esp useful when the immigration website can appear vague and you need clarification.
The hard part, for me anyway, was the initial settlement when i first got to NZ - adjusting to the differences, finding my way around, learning new systems and ways of doing things.
I expected getting PR to be hard - partly because on this forum there are so many worries, concerns, questions etc. that people (including myself) express. Yet I found this the most easiest part - actually being in NZ was hardest!
However, I grew to love the place and am returning 18th Jan - I now see it as much 'home' as England.
I'd say go DIY unless you have no time and/or too much money.
Hope that helps
Hannah

[neil & bella]

hi jo and jeff
got to wait till january partner just had an op and needs a reversal in new year so want a clean bill of health before starting, any idea how long the process would take for a city and guilds qualified carpenter with or without an offer of a job
neil