# Advice On Family Moving To New Zealand Bit Of Different Story Than The Norm



## paul44 (May 19, 2009)

Hi everyone currently we are a British Family of four living in Ireland and we are looking at our options to move.We have no family ties here or anywhere come to that,My situation is slightly different to most people's as I was lucky enough to retire from a very well paid job in Banking at the age of 50 I'm 55 now and haven't worked since nor do I need too I am financially self sufficient certainly for at least the next 25 years and our home is paid for.

My wife works part time just to keep her occupied but again its more of a hobby than anything else.

Now why do I want to move ? it's for one reason and one reason only my children
my daughter is working in Dublin as a PA in the my old firm pretty good job so she is not the main reason and nor would I encourage her to leave her well paid job in the current climate.

The over-riding reason for me is my Son who last year finished university got a 2-1 degree and has been unable to find work DISPITE submitting 100's of applications even for flipping burgers and has not had a single response.For me that element has been sole destroying and I want to somehow find a way of giving him a helping hand believe me I know it will be difficult but I'm prepared to do whatever it takes.


So what am I asking well in simple terms at the outset


Are we allowed to come to New Zealand for for an extended period 6-12 months? I can prove worth so I will not be taking anything out of the system.

Are working visa's available to new graduates to find work and if so can someone share the process?

What would be a good place to relocate too ?would want an area where a job could be found.


I know I'm trying to be as simplistic as possible but I am just starting out on this journey and I intend to see it through

I welcome any and all comments even if you tell me I'm wasting my time. I just feel I need to do something !!!!

Many Thanks


ps posted on the Canada and Australia Threads as well


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## topcat83 (Apr 16, 2009)

paul44 said:


> Hi everyone currently we are a British Family of four living in Ireland and we are looking at our options to move.We have no family ties here or anywhere come to that,My situation is slightly different to most people's as I was lucky enough to retire from a very well paid job in Banking at the age of 50 I'm 55 now and haven't worked since nor do I need too I am financially self sufficient certainly for at least the next 25 years and our home is paid for.
> 
> My wife works part time just to keep her occupied but again its more of a hobby than anything else.
> 
> ...


Hi there 
I so sympathise with your situation with your son. And one (of many) reasons we moved when we did was to give my sons the option of living and working in New Zealand. They were slightly younger though - 17 and 18 - and were therefore considered 'dependents'.

I can see a couple of complications with your situation:
1. The maximum age for a main applicant is 55. And you are 55 already. We actually applied with me as the main applicant, as my husband was older than 55. You may be able to consider another type of visa - maybe an Investment visa. Invest
2. Your son is too old to be considered a 'dependent' and would therefore have to apply in his own right. Ditto your daughter. See When are children considered 'dependent'? - Immigration NZ Knowledgebase

So I'm afraid there's no magic bullet for this one.


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

paul44 said:


> Hi everyone currently we are a British Family of four living in Ireland and we are looking at our options to move.We have no family ties here or anywhere come to that,My situation is slightly different to most people's as I was lucky enough to retire from a very well paid job in Banking at the age of 50 I'm 55 now and haven't worked since nor do I need too I am financially self sufficient certainly for at least the next 25 years and our home is paid for.
> 
> My wife works part time just to keep her occupied but again its more of a hobby than anything else.
> 
> ...


Hi,

Being from Rep Of Ireland you are from a visa waiver country for visitor purposes so you don't have to actually apply for a visitor visa beforehand (if you wanted to come as visitors), however your maximum stay as a visitor would be three months.
Just as a comparison, if you were from Northern Ireland this would be 6 months as NI comes under UK!
As a visitor your son could use the time to secretly look for work. Now I say secretly as its not strictly allowed - i.e. its not written down in black & white, however many people do it this way. Got to understand though, under no circumstances could he actually carry out any work. If he did find a job he would have to apply for another visa - i.e. a Temporary Work Visa whilst in NZ to allow him to work which could eventually lead to a more permanent stay.

Having proof of monies behind you doesn't make a blind bit of difference to Immigration. 
When considering a persons cost to the NZ health system for instance, an individual is looked at for what they are eligible to claim or what services they are eligible to have depending on the visa they have and length of stay, regardless whether you would use it or not.

There is nothing you can do visa wise to get your son here in NZ.

Since he is an adult and not a dependent child, he is basically on his own and will only be able to get into NZ on his own merit.

What he can do though is look at Working Holiday visas or the Silver Fern Visas - see links below.
A WHV will allow him to come on an extended stay in NZ - normally 12 months, and will allow him to work. The only problem is he cannot accept a permanent job.
If he was offered a permanent job he would have to apply for a Temporary Work Visa or similar which would allow this and this may then eventually lead to Residency etc.
A Silver Fern Visa is a job search visa. These allow a person entry for 9 months to find a skilled job. If you subsequently find a skilled job then you would upgrade to the Silver Fern Practical Experience visa which would then allow your son to live and work in NZ up to the expiry date of his job offer or contract. This route could also eventually lead to Residency.
Be aware though this visa is difficult to obtain as there are only 300 per year and they are only available online when the Silver Fern portal opens which will be the end of April 2014 next. They are usually snapped up within the first half hour - think along the lines of Beyoncè tickets for a one night only performance!!!
With all the other visas, Residency via SMC, Temporary Work Visa, Work To Residency visa etc etc he would need a job offer in NZ in order to secure any of these.

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/work/workingholiday/workopportunities/

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/work/silverfern/

So that sort of opens up a door for your son, but still leaves you an the Mrs without .........

Since you're 55 now you would have to apply for Residency via skilled migrant route (assuming you can score enough points on the EOI) before your 56th birthday, however :-
1. It may be an issue that you have had a 5 year break in your experience since retirement.
2. You would probably have to work in NZ for a minimum specific period going this route as it would probably be a condition of your visa ?
3. It takes at least 9-12 months assuming all goes well with the application and there is nothing untoward in your medicals etc.
(Again - remember, it doesn't matter that you may pay for the most expensive private health care in NZ. As a Resident you are eligible to receive the same care as an NZ citizen whether you would use the service or not).

I'd assume this visa route isn't the way you want to go as it relates to working so I'm also discounting all the other visas that allow you to work.

Your only option then really is the Business or Investor route. These aren't cheap and you must pledge to keep the the investment in an NZ business or in an NZ financial institution for a prolonged period.

Places to live all depends what sort of work your son is qualified for ?
Eg.
If its IT stuff then Auckland or Wellington.
If its Oil and Gas stuff then Taranaki region.

Regards,


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## paul44 (May 19, 2009)

escapedtonz said:


> Hi,
> 
> Being from Rep Of Ireland you are from a visa waiver country for visitor purposes so you don't have to actually apply for a visitor visa beforehand (if you wanted to come as visitors), however your maximum stay as a visitor would be three months.
> Just as a comparison, if you were from Northern Ireland this would be 6 months as NI comes under UK!
> ...


Thanks so much for this insight the one bit of good news is we are British passport holders not Irish so at least we have the 6 month gig. I am going to digest this all very carefully and I very much appreciate the time you have taken to explain it all 
fully

As I mentioned my wife and I don't intend to work and the idea of us coming was really so as my son is not on his own initially but I'll do anything I can to ensure his career gets a kick start and I mean anything

Regards
Paul


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## toadsurfer (Nov 27, 2009)

If the only reason you wanted to go was to keep your son company then I'd forget about you all going over and your son just get a working holiday visa to oz or nz and just go on his own. He may not find his dream career but he'll have a great time and may well work out what he wants to do with his life. He's at the right age to go travelling and if he is struggling to find work at home then it makes sense for him to go see the world for a bit!


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

paul44 said:


> Thanks so much for this insight the one bit of good news is we are British passport holders not Irish so at least we have the 6 month gig. I am going to digest this all very carefully and I very much appreciate the time you have taken to explain it all
> fully
> 
> As I mentioned my wife and I don't intend to work and the idea of us coming was really so as my son is not on his own initially but I'll do anything I can to ensure his career gets a kick start and I mean anything
> ...


After further digging it seems a dependent child can be a person who is between 18 and 24 years old, single and without kids of their own and obviously dependent on you as a parent to put a roof over their head and for financial support.
If your son meets this criteria you could add him onto a Residency application 

So if you'll do anything, I'd look at applying for Residency via the Skilled Migrant Route with you as the principal applicant, your wife as secondary (you may get partner points for her) and your son as a dependent child.
Hopefully you've got a skill that is in short supply and also have the academic qualifications and experience even though you may have had a 5 year break.
You must apply while still 55 years old as at 56 you do not meet the criteria.

Seems you may have a small window of opportunity open to you.


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## paul44 (May 19, 2009)

toadsurfer said:


> If the only reason you wanted to go was to keep your son company then I'd forget about you all going over and your son just get a working holiday visa to oz or nz and just go on his own. He may not find his dream career but he'll have a great time and may well work out what he wants to do with his life. He's at the right age to go travelling and if he is struggling to find work at home then it makes sense for him to go see the world for a bit!



Thanks and if I'm honest in the cold light of day I would agree with you he is in Leeds at the moment visiting friends armed with CV'S forever hopeful but his CV is so thin because he can't get a leg up anywhere, that pains me seeing him getting all these knock backs and it's beginning to really get on my case big time.

But I'll sit down with him when he gets back to discuss what if anything we do next
very much appreciate you taking the time to comment

Cheers
Paul


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## paul44 (May 19, 2009)

escapedtonz said:


> After further digging it seems a dependent child can be a person who is between 18 and 24 years old, single and without kids of their own and obviously dependent on you as a parent to put a roof over their head and for financial support.
> If your son meets this criteria you could add him onto a Residency application
> 
> So if you'll do anything, I'd look at applying for Residency via the Skilled Migrant Route with you as the principal applicant, your wife as secondary (you may get partner points for her) and your son as a dependent child.
> ...


Umm skilled migrant route wouldn't work for me I don't think? yes I'm skilled in the financial sector but I really don't think NZ need my skill set plus I'm way too old to be starting out now on something new it might be a case of following some of the suggestions already put forward like long holiday for us working visa for him and see how it plays out.

One question I would ask do you have any suggestions as to a good place to go where unskilled work might be available for him but a town/s where there might be a bit of life outside of the big 2? what I don't want to do is go half way around the world and find that there are no opportunities in the place where we stay and it's boresville.

Does that make sense?

Cheers
Paul


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

paul44 said:


> Umm skilled migrant route wouldn't work for me I don't think? yes I'm skilled in the financial sector but I really don't think NZ need my skill set plus I'm way too old to be starting out now on something new it might be a case of following some of the suggestions already put forward like long holiday for us working visa for him and see how it plays out.
> 
> One question I would ask do you have any suggestions as to a good place to go where unskilled work might be available for him but a town/s where there might be a bit of life outside of the big 2? what I don't want to do is go half way around the world and find that there are no opportunities in the place where we stay and it's boresville.
> 
> ...


No not really. Bit confused! 

Unsure about you two, but at his age working around areas high with tourists would be ideal.
Queenstown is NZ's playground for water sports, skiing and everything else in between. This is bottom of South Island.
There's also the ski fields of Tongariro/Ruapehu and Taranaki or the beach life at Mount Maunganui all North Island.

Maybe Christchurch would be good for all of you. It's still a cosmopolitan city that would suit you and your wife but should also meet your sons requirements. The city and other areas damaged by the quakes will be rebuilt slowly over the next 10-15 years with plenty of skilled and unskilled work available for many years. 

Sorry struggling to understand what it is your all after.
You want somewhere with available unskilled work but somewhere that's got a decent night life or social scene but has opportunities ;-)


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## paul44 (May 19, 2009)

escapedtonz said:


> No not really. Bit confused!
> 
> Unsure about you two, but at his age working around areas high with tourists would be ideal.
> Queenstown is NZ's playground for water sports, skiing and everything else in between. This is bottom of South Island.
> ...



Well like I said the work is not for me or the wife the job is solely for the son he is a very outgoing person so would find it easy to make new friends and yes we do want somewhere with available unskilled work but somewhere that's got a decent night life or social scene but has opportunities you see technically speaking I would class my son as unskilled due to the fact that he hasn't been able to use his education to furthar a career yet. I know that might sound a tad harsh but it's the way I think!.I'll investigate the places you suggested as they sound more than interesting and obviously as you say Christchurch really will take time


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