Thinking about it!

Bill B · Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 11:25 am Post subject: Thinking about it!

Hi folks, just registered & hope someone can maybe help!
Went to NZ for 3 weeks last year (first 3 weeks of Feb) with my partner to visit my sister in Auckland. She has lived there for about 31 years now. Anyway, we both loved what we managed to see during our short stay and feel we would like to live there (surprise surprise!) Unfortunately, it would seem that the NZ Immigration service want to keep moving the goal posts Sad

I have worked in the construction industry for over thirty years (will be aged 50 in April) as a carpenter. Took my apprenticeship at 16 but do not have my papers and they are no longer available as the company does not exist anymore. I have been a site manager in commercial refurb & fit-out for the last 11 years. I can not provide qualifications but obviously am "time served". I am wondering if it is worth my while applying through the "Skilled Migrant" category or via "Family Quota", or whether, due to my age, to bother applying at all.
We hope to visit again sometime next year, and was wondering if it would be worth applying for a work visa.
Would be most interested if anyone has got a similar story and actually managed to gat accepted and take the plunge!
Sorry for the L O N G message!
Hope to hear from someone soon, either to convince me to go ahead or to forget it completely.
Thanx heaps.

ruthj · Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 8:08 pm Post subject:

Hi

Forget the family quota category - it has closed for a year - check NZIS website, announced today!

Go for your dream - we are off in 4 weeks time (me 48, hubby 50) on work to residence visa. I got a job offer and am also in EOI pool ; either way hope to get PR

Good luck

Ruth

Graham Barnes · Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2004 6:44 am Post subject:

Hi Bill,

Re. Getting residency, I think you're best (perhaps only?) chance would be if you could get a job offer and apply for Work to Residence, which leads to PR after a certain amount of time. But you can only do this is carpentry is on the POL.
You're going to find it VERY difficult, if not impossible, to get through on the Skilled Migrant category, because you will lose lots of points because of your age and lack of qualifications. Do a quick points check, and you will probably need 150 or so for the near-to-medium term.

Graham

Bill B · Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2004 7:36 am Post subject:

veronica · Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2004 7:52 am Post subject:

Hi, my brother in law is a chippy and as part of his apprenticship he had to take some city and guilds exams, if you did the same you may be able to prove your apprenticship that way. Either that or just go and get a job out there, they are so short of builders and tradesmen they probably won't quiery it on the building site, and I should think you would be able to get a work permit on that basis. Go up to nz house in London and have a chat, they are generally helpful. cheers veronica

PS age wont come into it as much for a work permit, I'm 49 and we have just got a business visa so age isn't an impossible barrier

Bill B · Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2004 8:53 am Post subject:

Thanks Veronica,

Do you think it would be better to get a job whilst out there or arrange it whilst in the UK? If I only went out for a (reccy) holiday for a few weeks and managed to find a job, there would be so much to sort out - renting out our home in UK, direct debits, redirecting post etc - that by the time all that was done, the firm offering the job probably wouldn't want to wait that long. So maybe try to get job first eh? What do you think?

Bill

veronica · Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2004 9:36 am Post subject:

sent you a private email... top of the page if you haven't used it before. cheers Veronica