# Moving to NZ



## winterwanderer (Jan 17, 2014)

Hi Everyone,

I am thinking about moving to New Zealand (either Christ Church or Auckland) from the UK.

Is it possible to get a 3 month working visa and then apply for jobs once im there?

If im lucky enough to get a job there can i then apply for a full working visa once im employed?

I have over 12 years experience in IT Desktop Support are there any peeps from other countries that are working the New Zealand IT industry? Wondered what kind of salaries it pays over there?

Thanks in advance....lane:


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

winterwanderer said:


> Hi Everyone, I am thinking about moving to New Zealand (either Christ Church or Auckland) from the UK. Is it possible to get a 3 month working visa and then apply for jobs once im there? If im lucky enough to get a job there can i then apply for a full working visa once im employed? I have over 12 years experience in IT Desktop Support are there any peeps from other countries that are working the New Zealand IT industry? Wondered what kind of salaries it pays over there? Thanks in advance....lane:


Hi,

No it's not that easy.

There is a WHV (Working Holiday Visa) that allows a person to come to nz for a 12 month holiday and it also allows the person to work along the way, however it intended that work is secondary to that of traveling and being a tourist. You are not allowed to accept a permanent job and you shouldn't work for the same employer for more than 3 months at a time.
However, you can work in any industry so you could land a temporary job with an IT provider then apply for a Temporary Working Visa once here which can allow you to live and work for up to 3 years. Make sure that the employer is accredited though (approved by Immigration) and you will be tied to that job and that employer for the duration of your visa (as the visa is conditional on that job and employer).

The other job search visa is SFV (Silver Fern Job Search Visa). There is an allocation of 300 of these per year and their intention is to bring young skilled people to nz to allow them to find jobs. They are very difficult to obtain as they can only be secured online in an internet frenzy when the portal opens each year.
The process is changing this year, however Immigration have yet to publish the new process. All will be revealed on the Immigration website soon.
If you landed one of these you could then come here for a period of 9 months to job search. If you subsequently found a job you then apply for the Silver Fern Practical Experience Visa which allows you to then live and work here temporarily similar to the Temporary Working Visa.

Both then allow you to submit for a more permanent visa whenever you like assuming you meet the criteria.

Sent from my iPad using ExpatForum


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## energise (Mar 11, 2014)

I work in web design. Salaries here probably aren't as high as in bigger countries but it depends on what type of IT you're into. Also, you'll want to be in a larger centre to command the best wage!


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