# how long does it take?



## shammy

Hi, I am new here, thinking of emigrating from the UK to NZ with my husband and our 2 children. Just looking for an idea of how long the process takes from expression of interest to the move? My son is 2 1/2, and will be due to start school here in september 2015, and ideally I would like for us to be moved and settled before he starts school rather than disrupt him. I have researched the points system a little and am confident that we will have enough - I am a midwife and my husband is an engineer, so as far as I can see, both in demand. I would hope to have a job to go to before we made the move, but not sure whether it's best to apply for the job first or the visa?

Thanks in advance, very excited and a bit nervous to be starting this journey


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## escapedtonz

shammy said:


> Hi, I am new here, thinking of emigrating from the UK to NZ with my husband and our 2 children. Just looking for an idea of how long the process takes from expression of interest to the move? My son is 2 1/2, and will be due to start school here in september 2015, and ideally I would like for us to be moved and settled before he starts school rather than disrupt him. I have researched the points system a little and am confident that we will have enough - I am a midwife and my husband is an engineer, so as far as I can see, both in demand. I would hope to have a job to go to before we made the move, but not sure whether it's best to apply for the job first or the visa?
> 
> Thanks in advance, very excited and a bit nervous to be starting this journey


Hi,

Welcome to the forum.
Assuming you have 140 points or above on the EOI it will take up to around 4 weeks until your EOI has been automatically selected, preliminary checked by Immigration and Invitation To Apply sent out - all depends when you submit it as they are pulled out of the pool every fortnight and it takes around 2-3 weeks before ITA.
The next pull is 12th June.
Once you receive ITA you then have 3 months to send in your formal application for Residency including all your certificates, documents, evidence, reports etc to justify the points you are claiming in your EOI.
Once Immigration have received your formal application they take a while to assign you an Immigration case officer and I think at the moment Immigration are stating 90 days for this - not sure ?

Total we are up to at the moment - max 7 months!!!

The case officer then needs time to pick through your complete application with a fine tooth comb and unfortunately this is where the guessing of how long it takes stops.
Since every application is different based on your individual circumstances and those of your family it could just take a matter of a month or two to get through to the interview stage or if Immigration start asking questions / need more info / need more evidence, this delays things by 2 or 3 weeks at a time.
If there is any issue with a medical report and it is passed to a medical assessor this will put a extra 2 months on the process easily.

Once through all this and the telephone interview it takes around 2 weeks to receive the formal acceptance where you then send in your passports for the "bluey's" applying which is the Residency visa sticker and a couple of weeks to get them back, so if all goes to plan maybe on average 9 months ?
In sure there are many who have done it from the UK in less time and others like us a lot longer (20 months!!!).

We were a similar family. Me an electrical engineer and the wife a sister in Intensive Care/High Dependency Unit. One child nearly 2 1/2 now.
We had 150 points without a job offer.

We didn't have jobs before we started or at any time during the application. We used an Immigration Consultant as we knew the process for us wasn't going to be straightforward and we were advised just to go direct for Residency due to the points total we had.
Once we finally secured the visas I then went all out to land a job before we arrived although we had already decided we were going regardless and booked accommodation, shipping, flights!
Luckily I got a job after 4 months of searching. My role fairly specialised so wasn't so straightforward as applying for any electrical engineer role. Took some time to find the right jobs. Interviewed for 3 jobs at different times within weeks of each other and successful in 2 so picked the one that fitted the family the best which landed us in Wellington March 2012.

In hindsight I wish we would have applied for temporary working visa's after landing the job that I got as the company I work for are always on the lookout for useful talent all over the world. All employees are hand picked from many applicants and the majority of my colleagues received offers of employment without so much as a whiff of applying for a visa...... but unfortunately I wasn't to know at the time.
I could have landed the job offer back in late 2009 or early 2010 and been over with the family on Temp Working Visas within 3 months and all paid for by the company, then applied for Residency whilst here in NZ where it doesn't take half the length of time - Ah well you live and learn!

We got here eventually and luckily I managed to negotiate a decent relocation package so it worked out ok for us, but in answer to your question about visa or job first - I'd say it comes down to timing and when you want to be here.
Residency as I say may take 9 months and you will then have 12 months to enter NZ.
Temp Working Visas are only granted with a job offer and can be sorted in a matter of days and you will have 3 months to enter NZ.

Your hubby's trade, engineering is the single skilled trade that NZ is most short of in skilled personnel and I doubt he would struggle getting a job whilst still in UK if he was determined, even though he doesn't yet have a visa. 
Same for you with the midwifery job.

Good luck


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## shammy

Thank you very much for your reply, it's really helpful. Am I right in thinking you can have 2 visa applications running at the same time? What I'm thinking is we could put in the residency application about a year before we want to move, then start looking for jobs and apply for the working visa if one of us gets an offer?

How do you like Wellington? It is one of the places we are considering at this stage. My husband has a lot of experience working on the railway here and would be interested in doing that again. Do you know if there is the demand? I know there's not a big rail network, and he has worked in other areas, but this is his preferred area.

Thanks again


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## escapedtonz

shammy said:


> Thank you very much for your reply, it's really helpful. Am I right in thinking you can have 2 visa applications running at the same time? What I'm thinking is we could put in the residency application about a year before we want to move, then start looking for jobs and apply for the working visa if one of us gets an offer?
> 
> How do you like Wellington? It is one of the places we are considering at this stage. My husband has a lot of experience working on the railway here and would be interested in doing that again. Do you know if there is the demand? I know there's not a big rail network, and he has worked in other areas, but this is his preferred area.
> 
> Thanks again


Hi shammy,

Yes you can have 2 applications running simultaneously.
Good idea to have the Residency application ticking along and if one of you gets a job - apply for temporary working visas if you wish to be in NZ within a shorter period.
You can also update the Residency Visa application with the job offer also - makes you more favourable with an additional 50 or 60 points and may allow Immigration to push harder on the Residency Visa application ?

Yes Wellington is great and the more time we spend here the more settled we get. 
Actually hoping for a transfer with work up to Hamilton this year so we can sample life 500kM further North as the weather is generally more settled, not as much wind, feels a few degrees warmer always and the cost of living and cost of housing is cheaper.
Wellington cost of living is expensive but you learn to adapt. You will not find the bargains or choice that you get in Tesco's/Sainsbury's and Asda here unfortunately.
Mostly everything is more expensive - some things ridiculously expensive. We still buy stuff from the UK and have it shipped over as it's still cheaper than buying here, but you learn to bargain hunt all the time, shop in the sales and negotiate on the price.
I'd factor in +10/15% on UK cost of living on average.
Utilities are just as expensive here.
Motoring is cheaper - every cloud eh!!! 
Road tax equiv GBP 140 per annum (but motorbikes are equiv GBP 275 per annum), car insurance is half the price, petrol/diesel around GBP 1.10 and GBP 0.75 a litre :clap2:
Thats about where the good news ends though.
Rent is astronomical - probably double UK. You need to be paying $450/$500 a "WEEK" for something decent for a family.
Cheapest mortgage rate is 4.99% fixed for 2 years then 5.75%.....ish, so about double the interest of UK. It was 13% the year before we arrived and as you can understand this is one reason why rental is more expensive as people have mortgages on the houses they rent out.

Yes Wellington is a good place to come for railway work as it all stems from the train station here and goes North. Lots of services and approx 6 lines all going North with one (The Overlander) which gets as far as Auckland and takes around 12hrs.
There are rail services in Auckland but doesnt have a good reputation!
There are also rail services in the South Island Picton to Christchurch to Dunedin and a service that goes from Christchurch over the Southern Alps to Greymouth.

Kiwirail has offices in Wellington CBD and this is where the control room is situated.

Welcome Careers @ KiwiRail - Kiwirail


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## shammy

Thank you so much for the link - I will get my husband looking and maybe he'll find something! Although we are not really in a position to move just yet, as I am on maternity leave after the birth of our second baby! The children are really the main reason for thinking of moving, for a better, safer place for them to grow up. Do you think that is the case? Sorry for all the questions, but you're being so very helpful!

The cost of living is something which worries me, but we are in the fortunate position of owning our house here outright. We will need to use some of the money from the sale to pay for the move, but should still have plenty left to have little or no mortgage there when we eventually buy a place.

The more research we do, the more we feel the move will be right for us. The only down side would be leaving behind our families, but we think it will be worth it.


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## actemplin

escapedtonz said:


> Residency as I say may take 9 months and you will then have 12 months to enter NZ.
> Temp Working Visas are only granted with a job offer and can be sorted in a matter of days and you will have 3 months to enter NZ.


Hi Escaped to NZ - Just double-checking that I understand..., so after the residence visa is granted, we have 12 months before we have to arrive?
Thanks,
Allie


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## escapedtonz

actemplin said:


> Hi Escaped to NZ - Just double-checking that I understand..., so after the residence visa is granted, we have 12 months before we have to arrive?
> Thanks,
> Allie


Yes the visa is valid for entry into NZ for 12 months.
If you don't enter NZ in that time the visa expires and you would have to re-apply.

Regards,


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## escapedtonz

shammy said:


> Thank you so much for the link - I will get my husband looking and maybe he'll find something! Although we are not really in a position to move just yet, as I am on maternity leave after the birth of our second baby! The children are really the main reason for thinking of moving, for a better, safer place for them to grow up. Do you think that is the case? Sorry for all the questions, but you're being so very helpful!
> 
> The cost of living is something which worries me, but we are in the fortunate position of owning our house here outright. We will need to use some of the money from the sale to pay for the move, but should still have plenty left to have little or no mortgage there when we eventually buy a place.
> 
> The more research we do, the more we feel the move will be right for us. The only down side would be leaving behind our families, but we think it will be worth it.


Hey no worries. We know how difficult of a move it is without much help along the way. We only found this forum late on in our process and are happy to help others going through it.

Your hubby should also look at www.seek.co.nz and www.trademe.co.nz for potential jobs.
He could also sign up with a recruitment agent. I'd say the majority of companies use recruitment agencies to initially vet potential applicants for vacancies instead of the company having (and paying) for their own recruitment department.
Maybe try RobLawMax Recruitment which is based in Wellington. Had dealings with them - chap called Daniel Hopkins.
BUT, on the negative side, if you do sign up with an agent you are supposed to leave the job searching solely to them. You can mention you've seen a vacancy on a website like seek or the companies website but you are supposed to let them decide if its suitable for you and the company and of course they don't work for every company so if there's no money in it for them they would most likely not do anything.
It is free for you to be with an agent as they get paid commission by the company when they introduce someone as suitable for interview etc.
On the professional front, NZ is a really small place and employers don't like multiple applications for the same job from the same person via different routes which is why agents just say leave them to it.
I did sign up with Hays when I was looking but they were useless. They got me one interview for a job I told them about and that was it. I just missed out on that one to a Kiwi. The next two jobs I also found myself but I got fed up waiting for them to do something and just went ahead and applied directly myself.....landed them both!!! 
Two job offers within 4 months 

Yes one of the reasons we decided to emigrate was to give our boy the opportunity of a better childhood. We want him to enjoy the experiences we had growing up in the 70's/80's. A place where he can be a boy without the fear of political correctness gone mad.
Glad to take him away from the high crime, violence to somewhere a bit more innocent and behind the times.
Definitely a better lifestyle here. Better weather awards a more outdoorsy lifestyle. Never far from the beach or the sun.

Happy to answer any questions you have.

Regards


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## shammy

Wow, just looked on the RobLawMax recruitment website and there are 3 jobs perfect for my husband - it seems Auckland are getting some new trains for their metro system and need people to commission and maintain them, which is exactly what he did for almost 10 years! I've emailed them to him (he's out at a pub quiz with current work colleagues) so will see what he thinks when he gets home. They start in September, though - not sure we're quite ready to go just yet and it would be complicated with my maternity leave, and we didn't really want to be in Auckland, but perhaps it's a sign it's meant to be?!?! Thank you again for your help 

Good to hear the lifestyle is better, as we hoped. Had heard it was like the UK 20-30 years ago and that really appeals. Our son is 2 1/2, too, and our daughter 2 1/2 months! Our biggest worry about moving is leaving our extended family behind - is the lifestyle worth depriving them of their grandparents, aunt, uncles and cousins? (don't expect you to answer that for us, although would be interested to hear any thoughts you have on the subject!)


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## jsharbuck

My husband found is job through a recruiter and here's what we did. 
In the middle of last May we made contact with a recruiter regarding a job posting. We sent off CV and the next day received a reply. We answered some questions and a phone interview was set up. We were invited for an on-site interview and arrived in New Zealand June 8th. We spent a week here and left with a job offer.

The company hired an immigration agent to help us get a 30 month work visa. We completed all our medicals, paperwork and she made corrections, advised on any medical issues. We sent the completed form to the Embassy in Wash D.C on a Monday and had our Visas back by Fri that week. We arrived in New Zealand July 31. It's took us. About 7 weeks from job offer to start of employment.

The 30 month work visa is used by companies to expedite getting qualified workers over quickly. Once here we submitted our EOI in Sept and with 180 pts, we're chosen in the Oct lottery. We passed all reviews and were approved for Residency in Marxh this year. It took the same amount of time but it got us here much earlier. We love it here !!


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## jsharbuck

Also check nz.indeed.com. They are lke a multiple listing of all jobs recruiter and companies direct. Thats where we found our position...on page 21, so we had to dig


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## shammy

Thank you, wow, that was fast! We have a lot to sort out before we can move, so we're thinking probably next year, so we'd probably get the residency ball rolling first. Personally I'd be tempted to get hubby to apply for the jobs we've seen now and just deal with it if he got it, but he's much more methodical and less impulsive than me. He likes to have a plan and stick to it, whereas I am more inclined to go with the flow and see how things work out. So we probably won't be coming over this September. Wonder if it's worth him contacting the agency to express an interest in any opportunities that may come up next year, though.


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## escapedtonz

shammy said:


> Wow, just looked on the RobLawMax recruitment website and there are 3 jobs perfect for my husband - it seems Auckland are getting some new trains for their metro system and need people to commission and maintain them, which is exactly what he did for almost 10 years! I've emailed them to him (he's out at a pub quiz with current work colleagues) so will see what he thinks when he gets home. They start in September, though - not sure we're quite ready to go just yet and it would be complicated with my maternity leave, and we didn't really want to be in Auckland, but perhaps it's a sign it's meant to be?!?! Thank you again for your help
> 
> Good to hear the lifestyle is better, as we hoped. Had heard it was like the UK 20-30 years ago and that really appeals. Our son is 2 1/2, too, and our daughter 2 1/2 months! Our biggest worry about moving is leaving our extended family behind - is the lifestyle worth depriving them of their grandparents, aunt, uncles and cousins? (don't expect you to answer that for us, although would be interested to hear any thoughts you have on the subject!)


Cool. 
Hope your hubby finds something soon eh! 
Would be excellent to be able to add an extra 50 or 60 points to the EOI :clap2:

RobLawMax Recruitment do seem to be a good outfit. 
I've met with Danny a couple of times in Wellington and in regular contact so can vouch for his expertise in the engineering jobs market.

My wife was on maternity leave prior to us coming out. We got to the point in January 2012 when she had to return to work after having 12 months off plus some sick leave. She went back for approx 3 shifts part time then they had to give her all the holidays she was owed - approx 8 weeks worth. When she was due to go back to work she applied for a career break of 2 years to start on the date she was due back and got it 
This means the Trust still employ her but have to keep the same post open for 12 months then an equivalent post open until she either returns or resigns.......and the silver lining.....she doesn't have to pay back the maternity :clap2:
She does have to keep in touch with her manager and get a letter of approval if and when she starts work here.
Think she's actually going to apply to extend it for another 12 months.
Apparantly she can have up to 5 years!!!

I wouldn't worry about the timing. 
Just hypothetically speaking, if your hubby lands a job in the next 4 weeks and applies for a Temporary Working Visa and obtains that straight away you will have until October to get into NZ on that visa as they are only valid for 3 months.
If you're on the ball you should easily be able to sort your affairs and travel.
When you actually come down to it there's not that much to sort out - concentrate on the things that are essential for moving across the world. You can leave all the other stuff and get to it from NZ when you have a minute to sit down.
It may actually be better doing it this way instead of stringing it out with family.
You're in a great position owning your own home outright and don't have to worry about informing your mortgage company or selling it before you move. I know you said you wanted to, but I'd recommend you keeping it for a year or so just in case you don't like it in NZ or something happens that takes you back to the UK temporarily.

We still have a house in sunny Lancashire but have a mortgage on it. 
We rent it out long term and an estate agent looks after it on a full management scheme. The money we get pays for all the bills (mortgage, building insurance, emergency cover, private estate management costs, ground rent) and gives us some money on top that we keep in UK just in case anything goes wrong at the house that needs fixing.
Hopefully the tenants will buy the property later this year. Touch wood!!!

Don't know much about Auckland. Never been there yet other than when we flew in when we arrived. Spent 2 hrs in the airport and flew out to Wellington and other than a quick drive in South of the CBD to test drive and buy my current car that's about as much experience as I've got of Auckland.
We have friends who live at Whangaparoa and have booked to fly up for a week in Auckland in August so looking forward to that. Where they live is gorgous. Right out on the peninsular and within walking distance of the beaches virtually all the way around them.

Yes the lifestyle is way better and NZ (in some respects) and it is like the UK 20/30 years ago which is one of the things that appealed to us.

Oh family!!! Who'd have em eh?!?!
My side of the family completely split about it. Majority were really supportive of our move even though they would obviously miss us and our wee boy, then there were a couple or three that were completely against it, questioned everything about it and were completely negative, but as I'm sure you understand all for selfish reasons. 
Still don't have much of a relationship with those close family members although emigration wasn't the only issue with them, however whatever reasons they had to be so negative were none of their business.

My wife's side of the family were excellent. Very supportive, but very sad we were going. Totally understood our reasons for moving though.
Mum & Dad in law have already been out for 8 weeks last Christmas/New Year and some really close friends also. They all loved it and our really close friends are hoping to emigrate here themselves in a couple of years which will be fantastic to have them here.
We're just awaiting when the next wave of family or friends is likely to drop by.

Yes it was difficult leaving, more so for my wife as she is really close to her family but we decided life in NZ could be so much better that it compensated for the fact we were leaving loved ones but more importantly taking our wee boy away from aunties, uncles, nanas, grandads.
We decided against a leaving do as it would just have been too painful.
Since we emptied our house into a shipping container for NZ we were effectively homeless for 2 weeks so rented a fully furnished apartment for our final 2 weeks.
Instead of a mass leaving do we invited round or visited as many of the people we wanted to say goodbye to as we could.
Still a lot of blubbing etc but we felt it was better and more personal that way.

We think we made the right choice coming here, but it is and still is difficult to get your head around it.
Has been easier for me as I've been otherwise engaged learning a new job and meeting people through work so yes my wife did struggle in the early days and felt really isolated and depressed being without family or friends, but we quickly put ourselves out there and within a few months she had a good handful of close friends now that she gets on brilliantly with and funnily enough they are all immigrants from UK & Ireland. Two familes of which we met through this forum as we helped them with their move!!!


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## jsharbuck

I'm married to an engineer, so I know about planning part. As a past recruiter myself, I can tell you that most of us only look for the immediate candidate and don't look too forward . We might dig up and do a search if we can't find anyone . On top of that, 80% of recruiters don't last the year so you don't know if they are even looking for you. That said, your husband and you will know when it's the right time or the right opportunity to apply. Best of luck


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## shammy

Thanks, I think we have agreed that now is not the time for us, and Auckland is not the place. So we will wait and research a bit more, and hopefully plan to move next year some time. We certainly won't be mentioning our plans to family until things are under way, though, and maybe not until it's all organised as I don't want them trying to put us off! We are the same - we would miss them, but think it would be worth it. Will still have guilt over it, though, I'm sure. The difference is we know none of our family and friends would come visit us, so it would be all down to us to return for visits which would probably be no more than every couple of years or so.


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## jsharbuck

If you need any help when you do get ready, this group of people here are the best


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## CaliDO

shammy said:


> Wow, just looked on the RobLawMax recruitment website and there are 3 jobs perfect for my husband - it seems Auckland are getting some new trains for their metro system and need people to commission and maintain them, which is exactly what he did for almost 10 years! I've emailed them to him (he's out at a pub quiz with current work colleagues) so will see what he thinks when he gets home. They start in September, though - not sure we're quite ready to go just yet and it would be complicated with my maternity leave, and we didn't really want to be in Auckland, but perhaps it's a sign it's meant to be?!?! Thank you again for your help
> 
> Good to hear the lifestyle is better, as we hoped. Had heard it was like the UK 20-30 years ago and that really appeals. Our son is 2 1/2, too, and our daughter 2 1/2 months! Our biggest worry about moving is leaving our extended family behind - is the lifestyle worth depriving them of their grandparents, aunt, uncles and cousins? (don't expect you to answer that for us, although would be interested to hear any thoughts you have on the subject!)


Thanks for posting the information about RobLaw Max Recruiting website - I think it might be great for my husband as well. He's a civil engineer.

We are facing a bit of the same dilemma with leaving family... My husband and I live in California. Our nearest relatives are in Arizona and most of them are on the east coast of the US. So, we don't see them much anyway, but somehow moving to New Zealand is freaking a lot of them out. We do speak regularly on the phone and using Skype (our 1.5 year old son is already getting a little used to the Skype sessions). I think the move is really about what's best for your family (partner/kids). Who knows?? Maybe when your family visits you in NZ they will decide you did the right thing and choose to join you


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## jsharbuck

Our move went quick, a matter of 2 months. We had a call from one son who laid a guilt trip (or tried). We have one relative that has since not had any contact with us. We have relatives who after seeing how happy we are, have come around. I remember an old song. You can't please everyone so you gotta please yourself. You have to do what is in your. Hear to do and not have any regrets.


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## shammy

I think our family just won't understand why we would move so far. The furthest any of them have moved is to the next county. My siblings all live in the town we grew up in, my sisters are both still in the same village, within 1.5 miles of our parents' house! And unfortunately we know they will not come out to visit us - they either can't / won't fly and/or couldn't afford the fare. My brother and one of my sisters have never been abroad, and the other sister has only done package holidays to Spain (nothing wrong with those, of course). I think I got my entire family's sense of adventure! We have friends who moved to Auckland a few years back, so there will be someone we know not a million miles away. They have children the same age as ours, too.

We're thinking of aiming to make the move sometime in the autumn (our autumn) next year. There is am immigration expo in July we are thinking of going to, anyone been to one? Are they useful?


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## jsharbuck

I can relate, my husbands family have changed neighborhoods but have always stayed in the same town. Going to Las Vegas was a major event for them so I know we won't see them here in New Zealand. 

On the immigration fair I would say it would be worth it because you could pick up valuable info and I bet recruiters will be there. Always be aware of high pressure sales tactics for people offering to bypass immigration, etc. We can't tell you how just browsing the different posts on this site helped us.


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## shammy

Yes, I'm thinking seeing people face to face will be beneficial, but also give them the chance to try the 'hard sell'! It's not expensive and not too far from home, so think we'll give it a go. The more we research the more complicated and costly it seems to get. I suppose that way you only get the people who really want to make the move!


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## jsharbuck

It's good that you will have time to research before the move, it makes you more prepared. Like any place, there is good and bad, it's not perfect here but it's the lifestyle that wins out for us.


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## topcat83

shammy said:


> I think our family just won't understand why we would move so far. The furthest any of them have moved is to the next county. My siblings all live in the town we grew up in, my sisters are both still in the same village, within 1.5 miles of our parents' house! And unfortunately we know they will not come out to visit us - they either can't / won't fly and/or couldn't afford the fare. My brother and one of my sisters have never been abroad, and the other sister has only done package holidays to Spain (nothing wrong with those, of course). I think I got my entire family's sense of adventure! .....


I feel for you. My husband was in a similar situation until he was 39 - lived in the same village all his life, on the same estate for most of it. When he rebelled and moved from the Midlands to Lancashire he was labelled 'a rebel' and 'black sheep of the family'. 

The fact that he is now in New Zealand, and an alpaca farmer - well! I think they think he should be carted off to the local funny farm!

And he says it was the best thing he ever did.....


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## shammy

Lol, I got my hubby am alpaca for Christmas once - one of those charity gift things from Oxfam. Maybe once we're over there we could get some real ones and join you on the funny farm!


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## escapedtonz

shammy said:


> I think our family just won't understand why we would move so far. The furthest any of them have moved is to the next county. My siblings all live in the town we grew up in, my sisters are both still in the same village, within 1.5 miles of our parents' house! And unfortunately we know they will not come out to visit us - they either can't / won't fly and/or couldn't afford the fare. My brother and one of my sisters have never been abroad, and the other sister has only done package holidays to Spain (nothing wrong with those, of course). I think I got my entire family's sense of adventure! We have friends who moved to Auckland a few years back, so there will be someone we know not a million miles away. They have children the same age as ours, too.
> 
> We're thinking of aiming to make the move sometime in the autumn (our autumn) next year. There is am immigration expo in July we are thinking of going to, anyone been to one? Are they useful?


Yeah family life was much the same for me. No adventure. Holidays in the UK when I was a kid for years then luckily managed a couple of holidays abroad with parents which opened up a whole new world for me.
All (apart from mum) still live in the town they were born in - Wigan, and not only that they live within a sq mile of where we I grew up so have lived around the same streets and people for 40/50/60 years.
They will most certainly remain there for the rest of their days and do the same routine week in week out.
Don't get me wrong they do travel a lot to Europe and the US but would never go out of their comfort zone and dream of living anywhere else so always return home within 2 weeks.
Luckily my mum got out of the town and moved to the Lake District 15 years ago which was excellent for me as I visited often after moving away from the area myself.
I only moved 15 miles away but I could have been on the other side of the world. I could swear my dad had his passport in the car whenever he visited!!!

Defo recommend going to an overseas expo. We went to a few and if you can disregard the hard sell you can get some really good deals and contacts for the future move.
You could even land a job from it depending if there are any ideal recruiters or employers there.


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## shammy

People are funny creatures, sometimes! I fully expect the rest of my family to stay put for the rest of their days, too. Apart from a couple of school trips to Germany the first time I went abroad was a trip to Egypt I did just before starting my midwifery training. A group of friends had all agreed we would go on a holiday, but one by one they all dropped out for one reason or another, until it was just me. Wasn't brave enough to completely go it alone,so I found a company who ran small group trips and catered well for single travellers and went with them. My mum thought I was bonkers. Secretly I think my dad admires my relatively adventurous side and would have liked to travel more himself, but he has a terrible fear of flying and now heart trouble which means he can't really.
Ever since that first trip I have had the travel bug, but limited funds mean I haven't travelled nearly as much as I would like. The expense of travelling anywhere from new zealand is a draw back for me, but it is outweighed by the opportunity to explore such a beautiful country.


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## raheel78

escapedtonz said:


> Yeah family life was much the same for me. No adventure. Holidays in the UK when I was a kid for years then luckily managed a couple of holidays abroad with parents which opened up a whole new world for me.
> All (apart from mum) still live in the town they were born in - Wigan, and not only that they live within a sq mile of where we I grew up so have lived around the same streets and people for 40/50/60 years.
> They will most certainly remain there for the rest of their days and do the same routine week in week out.
> Don't get me wrong they do travel a lot to Europe and the US but would never go out of their comfort zone and dream of living anywhere else so always return home within 2 weeks.
> Luckily my mum got out of the town and moved to the Lake District 15 years ago which was excellent for me as I visited often after moving away from the area myself.
> I only moved 15 miles away but I could have been on the other side of the world. I could swear my dad had his passport in the car whenever he visited!!!
> 
> Defo recommend going to an overseas expo. We went to a few and if you can disregard the hard sell you can get some really good deals and contacts for the future move.
> You could even land a job from it depending if there are any ideal recruiters or employers there.


Hello EscapedToNZ

I read your insights and experiences around NZ temp work visa. This is great piece of information to make a move if situation is favoring us. I have applied for NZ immig in March last year and now i am waiting for interview call. I have some clue for a very good IT consulting role in NZ and I am thinking to give temp work visa a try.

I just read about terms and conditions for this visa at nz immigration website and found that it is not that simple as it sounds! For instance, it needs not only job offer but a bit of more work from the employer side to prove alot of things like;

- approval in principle (employer has to secure from NZ immig)
- job must be part of skill in-demand list
- Evidence there are no New Zealand workers available
- Employer has to show that they have genuinely searched in NZ

And on top of this, all above things must be secured while a job offer has been sent to candidate, which means that procedure may take an unpredicted time while employer may need the person quickly to come onboard..!

Do you shed some light on it? Is it just a matter of fulfilling formality or are all these things really matter to get temp work visa?

cheers!


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## jsharbuck

You are correct on the points raised of what the employer must provide and there are no variances. Given that it depends,on how motivated and efficient your prospective employer is in getting someone over. In our case our employer hired an immigration consultant to take us through the work visa process. From date of interview and job offer to landing here and starting work was 5 weeks.


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