[Natalieb]

Well we are gutted,

Been thrown back in the pool because of our qualifications.

I went to see a clairvoyant a few years ago and she said 'beware of water' I wonder why.......

I cant swim but does that mean I can now walk by the side a canal?? :laugh

Natalie

[jess]

I'm sorry to hear it! Does that mean you still have enough points to be considered in future selctions instead of being rejected outright? I hope this will just be a delay and not the end of the road.

[Natalieb]

Hiya,

Not the end of the road, we are determined to get on NZ soil and get out of that flamin pool. We will get there in the end im sure.

Nat x

[snailandthewhale]

Sorry to hear that Natalie,

What's the story, are there grounds for appeal / contacting NZQA or try to rustle up a few points elsewhere or can you take a route other than skilled migrant?

K

[Hannah]

how frustrating Natalie, I do feel for you.
Have you considered to 'go over on a visitor visa and get a job' route?
hannah

[xanctus]

Have you considered to 'go over on a visitor visa and get a job' route?
hannah

Quick question, does this route works still?? it seems many agency/companies keep saying that route is rather difficult.

[Natalieb]

Hi Everyone,

The problem we had was we sent through our EOI because we thought the Chef qualifications we had gained would equate to NZ Level 4 which they dont they are Level 3. This meant we lost our bonus points which we thought we would get as chefs are on the absolute skills shortage list (what a pain). we were gutted.


It so difficult to know what to do for the best, we have considered the following:-

1. Work Permit, problem with this is we need to have continuous employment in NZ for 2 years which is ok but what if you have the boss from hell? Also you have to earn $45,000 per year and a chefs average wage is $35,000.

2. An agency. We are very tempted as we can then get a job offer which would mean we would be automatically selected from the pool. One problem, £3000. What I waste of money, I feel like contacting the restaurants and saying give us a job offer and we will work for you for 3 months free of charge! At least then we wont get ripped off.

3. Try and get a job offer ourselves. Mark didnt think this would work but we contacted loads of restaurants/lodges/cafes and 6 are interested in talking to us but only when we arrive on NZ soil.

Is a visitors visa different from a work permit, I get confused. Can you work on a visitors visa, even if we were in New Zealand who would offer us a job if we couldnt start work straight away.

I really wish we could just go and sort it out when we are there but I hate taking risks with three small children.

Help!!

Natalie

[jo-and-jeff]

2. An agency. We are very tempted as we can then get a job offer which would mean we would be automatically selected from the pool.An agency cannot guarantee you a job offer; if any agency does so, I would run like hell, because they are likely not on the up-and-up.

In general, agents have no more influence with employers in NZ than you do.

Jo

[K&CS]

Natalie, is it possible for you to go over and do a reccee trip and have some job interviews lined up for then? Have you visited NZ before? I know it could be an expensive trip, but it wouldn't be much more than paying an agency £3,000, and it would probably be a far better use of your money.

How old are your kids by the way? You'll probably find they adapt pretty quickly to whatever you throw at them ie if you come on a visitors' visa and it doesn't work out and you end up returning, it's unlikely to bother them too much if they're little.

Good luck - it isn't always an easy process, but if you want to get here enough, then you'll find a way.

Kate

[Natalieb]

Thanks for your help on this, im in serious need of some guidance.

One thing I just dont understand:

If say, Mark went to NZ on his own to get a job offer, why would someone give him a contract of employment knowing he had to come back to Manchester to sell the house etc and couldnt guarantee timescales to come back to NZ? I apologise if I sound nieve.

We thought maybe mark could go over on his own but when you way up flights, accommodation and others costs, it costs roughly what we would pay an agency?

My kids are 1, 4 and 7.

Natalie

[wilson182]

Thanks for your help on this, im in serious need of some guidance.

One thing I just dont understand:

If say, Mark went to NZ on his own to get a job offer, why would someone give him a contract of employment knowing he had to come back to Manchester to sell the house etc and couldnt guarantee timescales to come back to NZ? I apologise if I sound nieve.

They may not, its maybe something you could speak to potential employers about if they have indicated that they are interested once you are over here. Could Mark maybe stay here and leave you to sort out selling the house?? Or would you consider renting/selling the house before you came and then he could start work straight away??

We thought maybe mark could go over on his own but when you way up flights, accommodation and others costs, it costs roughly what we would pay an agency?

BUT, using an agency will not guarentee you a job.

[jo-and-jeff]

If say, Mark went to NZ on his own to get a job offer, why would someone give him a contract of employment knowing he had to come back to Manchester to sell the house etc and couldnt guarantee timescales to come back to NZ?
An employer's willingness to wait is directly dependent on whether there are plenty of applicants for the position
how desperate they are to fill the position
how skilled and experienced you are
how much they personally want to hire you for the job
how convinced they are that you can be trusted to follow through

In our case:
Jeff was offered his position at the beginning of Jul 05
we immediately started the procedure for getting the cats' microchips and rabies shots
he and they finally agreed to terms, and he signed a contract in the middle of Aug 05
he told them the soonest he could be here was Jan 06, because the cats required a 6-month series of vet treatments before importation, and because we had to sell the house
at the beginning of Mar 06, they (having been previously burned by a fickle American who accepted a job and then backed out without ever bothering to tell them) gave him a drop-dead date of 17 Apr 06
two weeks before he left, we finally signed a contract for the house (but he would have left anyway, and I would have stayed until it sold)
six weeks after he came here, I finished up with the house and followed him to NZSo in our case, they waited for more than 8 months for him to arrive. But bear in mind that there is a severe shortage for his profession everywhere in the world except the U.S., so they were willing to put up with a fair bit to get someone who they felt would be a valuable employee.

At every step of the way, he made a point of communicating with them frequently to let them know what his status was with EOI, PR, professional certification, cats, and sale of the house, so that they would continue to have faith in the genuineness of his intent to migrate here.


Depending on the supply and demand for workers in their given profession, a migrant who comes here and gets offered a job may or may not be given extra time to go back and finish up. If you are really serious about migrating to NZ, I encourage you to just plan on Mark coming here, getting a job, and staying to work whilst you finish everything up back in the UK and then follow him.

That most likely means that the two of you will want to do whatever work on the house you need to do to prepare it for sale before he leaves, since you will be occupied not only with selling it, but with taking care of the children and with packing up your possessions as well.

Jo

[StevieD]

Natalie, we need to get a meet going. Will be here after Xmas so will sort a little NW meet out then. (not many of us left! LOL)
Can't help with the quals, but there are plenty of helpful people on here, don't despair, there is always something that can be done. And DON'T touch agencies! Utter waste of money.

Steve

[willowshouse]

Hi Everyone,

The problem we had was we sent through our EOI because we thought the Chef qualifications we had gained would equate to NZ Level 4 which they dont they are Level 3. This meant we lost our bonus points which we thought we would get as chefs are on the absolute skills shortage list (what a pain). we were gutted.


It so difficult to know what to do for the best, we have considered the following:-

1. Work Permit, problem with this is we need to have continuous employment in NZ for 2 years which is ok but what if you have the boss from hell? Also you have to earn $45,000 per year and a chefs average wage is $35,000.

2. An agency. We are very tempted as we can then get a job offer which would mean we would be automatically selected from the pool. One problem, £3000. What I waste of money, I feel like contacting the restaurants and saying give us a job offer and we will work for you for 3 months free of charge! At least then we wont get ripped off.

3. Try and get a job offer ourselves. Mark didnt think this would work but we contacted loads of restaurants/lodges/cafes and 6 are interested in talking to us but only when we arrive on NZ soil.

Is a visitors visa different from a work permit, I get confused. Can you work on a visitors visa, even if we were in New Zealand who would offer us a job if we couldnt start work straight away.

I really wish we could just go and sort it out when we are there but I hate taking risks with three small children.

Help!!

Natalie

Hey Natalie,

It's hard getting your head round it isn't it!

Firstly, is there any chance you can appeal the qualification decision? I'm sure people have made successful appeals in the past.

Secondly, if you can secure a job you will have enough points to qualify as a skilled migrant .. so you wouldn't necessarily need to work for 2 years with the same employer down the work permit route. Not sure whether the minimum wage things still applies under the skilled migrant category (didn't think so). Your plan in that case would be - come on a visitor's visa, which does NOT entitle you to work (do not mention looking for work to the immmigration officer at the airport!), find a job, get a work permit (relatively easy to do and can be turned around fairly quickly if you nag enough) and then re-submit/up-date your EOI which should get you selected from the pool straight away.

Obviously the best scenario is to tie up all loose ends here and then move to NZ but for lots of people this is just not possible (including a fair number who post on this forum). You could certainly consider letting out your house in the UK for 6 or 12 months and just rent in NZ. It's a good idea to rent here anyway unless you are fully familiar with where you want to settle.

I think you can be fairly certain that if you upped sticks and moved without a job offer you would be able to get employment and restart the process of becoming a resident. Now here's the thing .. only you know your personal circumstances, financial and emotional and whether you are willing to take a little leap. Have you been to NZ before? Do you know where you are headed to? Do you need a safety net in case it's not how you think it's going to be? If you are certain about your move then it is do'able.

Best of luck with your application.

Dawn

ps .. kids are happy when their parents are happy - simple :D