# Visa Agencies



## anne2001 (Apr 9, 2011)

Hi!

I am new to the forum, and I am hoping to emigrate with my partner to New Zealand in the next year (or as soon as we can get visas)

I am an engineer and he is an accountant. We score minimum 135 on the EOI form. However I am aware that there is a catch 22 situation in that it is harder to get a visa without a job offer but very difficult to get a job offer without a visa. I have found this myself having applied for a few jobs and not hearing back from any of them. 

I have found an agency that will help with the job offer side of it as well as guaranteeing they will get us a visa or refund our money in total (2500 sterling, not including the visa application fees) They are fully registered NZ immigration advisers and have been in operation for 13 yrs.

What I wanted to ask advice on is: Is it worth it? What are other peoples experiences in terms of time frames and agency/no agency? I have heard there can be expensive pitfalls if anything is wrong with the application. The reason I was thinking in terms of an agency is the greater likelihood of getting a job offer and therefore speeding up our visa application. Does this make sense to people?

Thanks in advance for any replies! I have no problem paying the money for this service but I want to make sure it is worth it first!


----------



## topcat83 (Apr 16, 2009)

anne2001 said:


> Hi!
> 
> I am new to the forum, and I am hoping to emigrate with my partner to New Zealand in the next year (or as soon as we can get visas)
> 
> ...


My personal opinion? Do it all yourselves online at Immigration New Zealand. And I'd use your 2500 GBP to get flights over here and get yourself in front of companies. You're more likely to get a job that way - and you'll have a fantastic holiday to boot.


----------



## Darla.R (Mar 27, 2011)

anne2001 said:


> Hi!
> 
> I am new to the forum, and I am hoping to emigrate with my partner to New Zealand in the next year (or as soon as we can get visas)
> 
> ...


Please do not pay any money to an agency that is offering to find you a job. This is illegal in New Zealand and companies get around it by packaging it in with a visa deal. No agency can guarantee you a visa and even though they promise you your money back there is no guarantee that they will - there is usually something in the fine print that absolves them of that. 

My advice to you is to find a list of the all engineering companies that you are interested in and approach each one direct, saying that you are in the process of making a residency application.

There are a number of large international accountancy firms that your partner can also do the same with. 

Most employers these days are not using recruitment companies to find employees because of the fees they charge. Most will appoint through word of mouth or direct approach.


----------



## kiwigser (Mar 1, 2011)

Darla is correct about getting over here, but agencies still rule in IT, because of skills shortages, my wife has got her jobs through agencies, accountants also seem in short supply also read:

http://www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom...apital/nz_en_Talent_Edge_New_Zealand_2011.pdf

or a shorter version

NZ Management Magazine ~ Editorial

I have two friends that are accountants and jobs do not seem a problem.


----------



## Darla.R (Mar 27, 2011)

The problem with agencies is that they have a tendency to sell you off on the cheap whilst telling you they've got you a wonderful job offer. You need to be aware of this an negotiate your own salaries, terms and conditions direct with the agency.

Companies tend to use them if they have a high turnover of staff, they need a lot of short term work doing or if they can get good workers for as little as possible.

When was the last time your wife got a job through an agency? Most people I know wouldn't use them unless they're approached by one first, i.e. head hunted.


----------

