# Old fart starting from scratch.



## Sherwood Botsford (Mar 19, 2019)

I am canadian; nervous about the elephant in the room to our south. My serious expectation right now is that democracy in the U.S. is going to fail, and if we are lucky, the U.S. will balkanize into a double handful of regional authorities.

But traditionally when democracy fails, the authoritarians start on a war of conquest. We are way too handy.

So I'm looking at options. Not this week. Not next week. 

New Zealand seems like a good place to live. I'll admit I fell in love with the country from watching Jackson's LOTR movies. The kiwi's I've met since here in Canada have all been very nice folks.

But: A quick look at immigration rules makes me think I'm up a creek without a paddle.

* My wife and I have about CAN$600,000 in savings, but mostly as RRSPs so there would be a big tax hit in moving it all at once. We also have a farm worth somewhere around 500-800K depending on whether we can sell it as a working farm or just as land. Doesn't look like we have enough for the retirement visa.

* We have pensions between us of about CDN 35K/year. (Currently $1CDN = about $1.10 NZD)

* Both of us are healthy

* I'm 66. My wife is 68. I'm willing to work. (I'm still farming after all) 

* I have had careers as a horticulturalist (ornamental tree farmer), school teacher, outdoor education program leader, unix/linux system administrator.

I'm think at present my best plan would be to get a long term visitor's visa, and try out the job market. See if I can get an offer for short term work; convert my visa to allow that; work for a bit and see how it goes from there. Is this an unreasonable approach?


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

Sherwood Botsford said:


> I'm think at present my best plan would be to get a long term visitor's visa, and try out the job market. See if I can get an offer for short term work; convert my visa to allow that; work for a bit and see how it goes from there. Is this an unreasonable approach?


No not an unreasonable approach.
As you say, retirement categories may not be a viable route for you and they carry long processing times anyways. Skilled Migrant is also out of the question as that carries an age limit of 55 years.
With that said, your only option would be to get an NZ skilled job offer while still overseas or during a visit to NZ and then using that job offer to get a temporary work visa. Any short term offer won't work. It'll need to be for at least a year as I think Immigration NZ only issue short term temporary work visas for specific industries ?
Since you intend to come here as a long term visitor with the sole purpose of trying to find work I cannot guarantee a Visitor Visa is the way to approach it as your intentions don't meet the intentions of the visa but I ain't your papa, just merely pointing that out. 
Also, no guarantee you'd be able to remain in NZ for any longer than the period of a temporary work visa so it may be a futile project on your part as if you don't meet eligibility for permanent stay category visa's now, it's unlikely you'll be any better off in the future. NZ government are always moving the goalposts and streamlining Immigration law to restrict or make it harder for the people they don't want and to promote routes for young skilled experienced people they do want.


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