# ITA is in hand!



## jnbates

Hi there,

I've been lurking in and out of here for a while and finally had some news worth posting - my wife has accepted a LTSSL-applicable job offer in Hamilton, and as of two days ago we've been invited to apply!

The required documents and medicals are on thier way and/or scheduled, so we should be able to submit within 3 weeks - hope to be there some time in June.

Now to sell the house and most of its contents, the cars, arrange shipping, etc, etc, etc.

Our family of four (two girls under 10 yrs old) is really looking forward to making the most of this opportunity!

See ya when we see ya!

PS. Will have to update the 'expat living in...' country as I selected 'poorly' when I first created the profile a year ago.


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## topcat83

Congrats! :clap2::clap2:


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## jnbates

Thanks, Top Cat. We'll be arriving at a great time to shop for houses - in the winter, when we can see whether the heating systems in particular properties are effective or not.

I'm just really happy that we're coming on the path to permanent residency. And I'm looking forward to seeing green, for a lot more months of the year.


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## jawnbc

Another Canuck heading to the land of the long white cloud. Excellent!

Have you done your medicals yet? How long did the appointment take and then how long to get the completed file to send with your application?

I'm in Vancouver and at about the same stage of the process as you: though my job is in Auckland and I start mid-August. Am booked on NZ83 non-stop Vancouver-Auckland on 15 August.


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## topcat83

jawnbc said:


> Another Canuck heading to the land of the long white cloud. Excellent!
> 
> Have you done your medicals yet? How long did the appointment take and then how long to get the completed file to send with your application?
> 
> I'm in Vancouver and at about the same stage of the process as you: though my job is in Auckland and I start mid-August. Am booked on NZ83 non-stop Vancouver-Auckland on 15 August.


Hi there welcome to the Forum. With an August start you'll find us mid-winter. That non-stop flight is wonderful! We visited Canada last year and it is sooo wonderful not to have to come through LA and US immigration.


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## jawnbc

Thanks TC! Glad to be here! I lived in Sydney for 3 years so I've travelled between Canada and Australia or New Zealand every which way except South America! I try to avoid US "transit' nonsense so the non-stop flight is great. 

Living in Oz changed my idea of a "long flight": less than 8 hours I'm good with some music and a few magazines.  For this one I've it down to a science: board, eat, take sleeping tablet, wash face and clean teeth, earplugs, noise cancelling headphones, eye shades and blanket. I get 5-7 hours of good rest before the start of The Day That Will Never End at 05h00 in Auckland.





topcat83 said:


> Hi there welcome to the Forum. With an August start you'll find us mid-winter. That non-stop flight is wonderful! We visited Canada last year and it is sooo wonderful not to have to come through LA and US immigration.


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## jnbates

jawnbc said:


> Another Canuck heading to the land of the long white cloud. Excellent!
> 
> Have you done your medicals yet? How long did the appointment take and then how long to get the completed file to send with your application?
> 
> I'm in Vancouver and at about the same stage of the process as you: though my job is in Auckland and I start mid-August. Am booked on NZ83 non-stop Vancouver-Auckland on 15 August.


I'll get back to you on the medicals - we're scheduled to have them early next week. We've got everything else assembled and that's the last info we need.

We're feeling the urgency to get going as my wife has had a permanent full-time job waiting for her since early March with a May 2nd commencement date. The hold up had been the registration authority's approval for her qualifications. Once that was complete, the EOI and ITA has gone fairly quickly. As of this week we've got a solid offer on our house and have to be out of it by the last week of June, so the race is on to get things organized.

I looked at flying through either Van or LA (from Edmonton) and prefer LA because it cuts the distance south a bit. It also turns out to be a couple of hundred bucks cheaper to fly the family to LA than it is to Vancouver. So it costs me more to fly a shorter distance in my own country that to go further into the US - is that messed up or what? LOL! The layover in LA is pretty long, so going through customs doesn't concern me. It's more of a minor inconvenience, especially if it results in less time in the air for the long jump across the equator while saving a bit of cash, too. Again, this is from Edmonton, Alberta. If you're in Vancouver already it's a no-brainer.

I can't wait - this is fully *awesome*!


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## jawnbc

Awesome is the correct word! 



jnbates said:


> I'll get back to you on the medicals - we're scheduled to have them early next week. We've got everything else assembled and that's the last info we need.
> 
> We're feeling the urgency to get going as my wife has had a permanent full-time job waiting for her since early March. The hold up had been the registration authority's approval for her qualifications. Once that was complete, the EOI and ITA has gone fairly quickly. As of this week we've got a solid offer on our house and have to be out of it by the last week of June, so the race is on to get things organized.
> 
> I looked at flying through either Van or LA (from Edmonton) and prefer LA because it cuts the distance south a bit. It also turns out to be a couple of hundred bucks cheaper to fly the family to LA than it is to Vancouver. So it costs me more to fly a shorter distance in my own country that to go further into the US - is that messed up or what? LOL! The layover in LA is pretty long, so going through customs doesn't concern me. It's more of a minor inconvenience, especially if it results in less time in the air for the long jump across the equator while saving a bit of cash, too. Again, this is from Edmonton, Alberta. If you're in Vancouver already it's a no-brainer.
> 
> I can't wait - this is fully *awesome*!


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## jnbates

So jawnbc, when I tell people we're moving to NZ some of them ask if we've considered moving to Vancouver and staying in Canada. I've got my own answers for that, but I'm interested to hear what you've got to say about it, as someone who is from Vancouver who is living in AUS and NZ, if you don't mind.


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## jawnbc

Vancouver's awesome--love it--but it's changing, slowly but surely. And very expensive. I could stay here and be very happy regardless: we're well positioned economically as two men with no kids and good professional incomes. Hateful mortgage, but apparently that won't change in Auckland... 

Why NZ? Excellent climate, people with some manners, still a social safety net (though not as strong as Canada's) for people. Kiwis work hard and then dial it back. Very social. Independent foreign policy. Trying to find the elusive magic balance between social democracy and a strong economy. And a progressive electoral system that doesn't give any ONE party control of government with less than 50% of the popular vote.

It's also BEAUTIFUL, with pretty much anything but tropics on offer. Everything beautiful about BC is in NZ, but in a smaller land area. I will miss, however, going skiing/snowboarding after work. And the long summer evenings--but not the long winter nights. 

We have family and friends there. The job offer pays me slightly more than what I earn in Vancouver and the income tax is lower because there's no provincial income tax. GST is what I'm used for HST so that's fine. 

Overall: great standard of living, great people, great opportunity. All my friends who've been to NZ are jealous. That's always a good sign! How about you? What's prompted your move?


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## jnbates

Your reasoning parallels mine in a lot of ways, so that's good.

What prompted our move was the really long and harsh winter of 2010/2011. About a year ago I was at my wit's end after putting up with it (central Alberta climate) for 22 yrs. I'm 43 y.o. and felt I'd had enough sub-freezing temps to last a normal lifetime. My wife's in the medical field and in this region she is pigeonholed into only being able to work certain aspects of her field. The structure for that work in NZ provides much more flexibility and professional opportunity for her.

We've been very sensible (_too _sensible?) with our finances over the years so we're at a point where we can take this chance (as low a risk as it seems to be, so far), and our kids are young enough to not be entrenched in social networks yet. Family is not close by and we don't see them nearly often enough to make it worth it to stick around here while putting up with almost 7 months of no leaves on the trees.

Most of all, I see old guys retired and staying around here. I figure I'm working and saving so I can do whatever the heck I want when I retire, so I ask them why they're sticking around. I always hear that it's because the kids stayed in the area when they moved out, and they've got grandkids now that they don't want to leave. That's when I realized there's no way I want to get caught like that, so we planned to move and raise the kids someplace where we'd want to live when we retired, anyway! That way, if they don't go far and if they have kids of their own, we'll already be right where we want to be.

I guess maybe life here has become easy (both making plenty of cash, home has a lot of equity in it, fast cars, cheap fuel/clothes/food) - time to change things up. And time to show the kids that, if they ever want to do stuff like this when they grow up, it's a big wide world out there and they can do it, too.


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## jawnbc

*Yup*

You, my friend, are a smart man. And not only because we're like-minded.

I was offered a job at U of A in Edmonton several years ago. It was in many respects a good role...but of all the people I asked who lived there from outside Alberta, the best (and most common) response was "Edmonton's not so bad." A few also said things like "I get a lot of work done" or "every summer I move out to BC/ON/CA". At 40 I was too old to relocate to a place that's "not so bad." Factor in snow fall in late September that year and final thaw in May. 

Rather than be presumptuous and say "don't offer me the job" I demurred...and was offered it. With a LOT of $ attached to it. But I had just moved back to Vancouver from Oz and my anglo-Australian husband (Brits move to Australia for 10 months of summer and 2 months of spring climate per year) was struggling with Vancouver's climate. So I waited an appropriate number of days and committed academic hari-kari and declined the offer. Some folks in that department still blank me, but whatever.

Life's too short. Your kids will know the world is available for adventure. Being responsible is important...so is not looking back at your life at 70 and wonder "why didn't I have those adventures in _____?" When I was in my 20s and 30s my family thought I was a selfish eejit. Years later they think I'm the smart one. Well...on this question, anyway.

Having moved across the world a couple of times I've learned:

It's doable (moving around the world): no mystery after the first move
You figure out what you need, want, and don't need or want
How awesome Canada is, regardless of where I live


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## jnbates

Thanks for the insight, jawnbc. To read that will help set me at ease if I start to wonder what the @*%# we're doing - LOL!

House sale is pending (will know by end of Friday), ITA application will be ready to send once lab results come back, stuff is getting separated into Take, Sell, Donate, or Trash, and a shipping consultant is coming this week to do an estimate for moving our stuff. Hopefully just another 6 weeks or so before we get the _*good *_word.


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## jnbates

jawnbc said:


> Another Canuck heading to the land of the long white cloud. Excellent!
> 
> Have you done your medicals yet? How long did the appointment take and then how long to get the completed file to send with your application?
> 
> I'm in Vancouver and at about the same stage of the process as you: though my job is in Auckland and I start mid-August. Am booked on NZ83 non-stop Vancouver-Auckland on 15 August.


jawnbc, I have an update regarding the medicals:

The medical itself was done by our family doctor (basically any Canadian GP qualifies to be able to do this for NZ Immi). It took about three weeks lead time to get an appointment, but the exams themselves only took about 10 minutes. It took another 5 or 10 minutes for the Dr. to fill in the Application paperwork. 

Then off to the lab to get tapped for blood samples and provide urinalysis sample. Those sample results got back to the Dr. in 4 business days. Also off to imaging to get chest X-ray. Those results were ready immediately.

So, one week after the actual appointment, the medical results were complete and ready to add to the rest of the application for submission.

Ours went on it's way this week and arrived at the immigration office yesterday! Their website says wait-times for those with job offers can be from one to three months. We're obviously hoping it's more like one. We sold our house yesterday and possession is in 6 weeks. Ideally we'd close the door behind us for the last time and skip down a jetway onto a plane to Auckland, but we'll just have to wait and see how long it takes to get final approval!

Cross your fingers for a speedy affirmative reply, okay? LOL!


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## jawnbc

Thank for the update. I'm in sunny Cozumel, on the last day of a holiday booked many, many months ago. Got my PADI diving cert, which should serve me well in NZ and the region--woo hoo!

I fly to Seattle tonight, then drive back to Van Sunday afternoon. My medical is booked for Tuesday morning. I'm going to a physician who specializes in immigration medicals but it's a 2 hour appointment (they do all but the x-rays in-house).

Fingers crossed it goes well and I have the report ready in a week's time. Hopefully my Aussie and US police certificates have arrived too. A one month turn-around would be great!

Congrats!!!!


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## topcat83

jawnbc said:


> Thank for the update. I'm in sunny Cozumel, on the last day of a holiday booked many, many months ago. Got my PADI diving cert, which should serve me well in NZ and the region--woo hoo!....


Great place for diving - not too much tropical but plenty of sea life. Head for Tutukaka (Poor Knights) or Bay of Islands (look for Northland Dive - Welcome - a great dive company). In Auckland by far the best dive shop is Global Dive - scuba diving training and travel - Auckland, New Zealand (but I'm a tad biased because my son works there )


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## jawnbc

topcat83 said:


> Great place for diving - not too much tropical but plenty of sea life. Head for Tutukaka (Poor Knights) or Bay of Islands (look for Northland Dive - Welcome - a great dive company). In Auckland by far the best dive shop is Global Dive - scuba diving training and travel - Auckland, New Zealand (but I'm a tad biased because my son works there )


Well I might be visiting your son once I arrive in NZ--now that I need to buy a gazillion $ worth of scuba gear! At least I know what Santa will be bringing me for Christmas!

Thanks!


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## jnbates

Yep, works for me, too - thanks, topcat! LOL


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## Guest

jnbates said:


> Hi there,
> 
> I've been lurking in and out of here for a while and finally had some news worth posting - my wife has accepted a LTSSL-applicable job offer in Hamilton, and as of two days ago we've been invited to apply!
> 
> The required documents and medicals are on thier way and/or scheduled, so we should be able to submit within 3 weeks - hope to be there some time in June.
> 
> Now to sell the house and most of its contents, the cars, arrange shipping, etc, etc, etc.
> 
> Our family of four (two girls under 10 yrs old) is really looking forward to making the most of this opportunity!
> 
> See ya when we see ya!
> 
> PS. Will have to update the 'expat living in...' country as I selected 'poorly' when I first created the profile a year ago.


So should I be applying for positions when I don't have a work visa yet & hope the employer will sponsor or wait for me? I wouldn't be in a critical occupation.:confused2:


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## topcat83

megan130 said:


> So should I be applying for positions when I don't have a work visa yet & hope the employer will sponsor or wait for me? I wouldn't be in a critical occupation.:confused2:


No harm in applying. Just be aware that most employers won't be interested in anyone who is out of the county and who hasn't got a work visa yet. A real Catch 22!


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## Guest

topcat83 said:


> No harm in applying. Just be aware that most employers won't be interested in anyone who is out of the county and who hasn't got a work visa yet. A real Catch 22!




soon, I'll be filling out an EOI without job offer but will have a 120-150 score from the sample scoring. I'm figuring it'll take months before acceptance and will have time to finish prepping myself, pets and sell house. 

It's while all of that is going on should I try joining more a NZ hiring agencies and Actually send out resumes to jobs I qualify for?:confused2:
I get tons of alerts by email from one website I have joined but haven't actually submitted my CV/resume to any recruiters or direct employers.

Posted something similar in forum somewhere but no replies, sorry for tagging onto JAWNBC's thread.


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## jnbates

Oh, no problem - I'm sure JAWNBC doesn't mind.


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## jawnbc

jnbates said:


> Oh, no problem - I'm sure JAWNBC doesn't mind.


Not at all


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## Guest

jawnbc said:


> Not at all


Heyy funny thing, *jawnbc,* I was researching lots of places to up root and make a lifechange over the last 5yrs and started with Canada from checking Nova Scotia, Ontario, BC or Manitoba big cities. Then like you, my life in just the US midwest winters became unbearable so dropped my Canada urge.  Loved Toronto visiting on a late spring vacation, tho.

Hope things stay smooth for your NZ migration. Drop posts on how things go and any tips.:clap2:


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## jawnbc

Will do!


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## jawnbc

Got my medical back today...looking good! Just need the US clearance (Aussie came in on Friday)!


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## jnbates

jawnbc said:


> Got my medical back today...looking good! Just need the US clearance (Aussie came in on Friday)!


Congrats!

We're very close to final approval, it seems. Just waiting for couriered documents to arrive at NZ Immi and _secondary _review of application...


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## jawnbc

jnbates said:


> Congrats!
> 
> We're very close to final approval, it seems. Just waiting for couriered documents to arrive at NZ Immi and secondary review of application...


Wow--that fast? when did you submit? Is this work-to-residence or outright residence?


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## jnbates

jawnbc said:


> Wow--that fast? when did you submit? Is this work-to-residence or outright residence?


It's for residency through the Skilled Migrant Category. My wife's occupation is on the Long Term Skill Shortage List - she has been offered and accepted a full-time permanent job that's waiting for her. On Thursday it will have been 3 weeks since NZ Immi received our application package.


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## jawnbc

Awesome! Gives me hope!


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## jnbates

Checked the status of our applications on the Immigration NZ website and it has changed from Pending to "APPROVED"........................


.....AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One of the most awesome days of our lives!!!

So much to do, so much to do!


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## jawnbc

jnbates said:


> Checked the status of our applications on the Immigration NZ website and it has changed from Pending to "APPROVED"........................
> 
> 
> .....AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> One of the most awesome days of our lives!!!
> 
> So much to do, so much to do!


That's awesome!!! How many days from when you sent the application in until today? Do they already have your passports for adding the famous "blue stickers"

CONGRATULATIONS!!!


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## jnbates

jawnbc said:


> That's awesome!!! How many days from when you sent the application in until today? Do they already have your passports for adding the famous "blue stickers"
> 
> CONGRATULATIONS!!!


Our application was received on May 10th, and the passports had to be sent in at that time with the rest of the supporting documents for the application (along with a pre-paid self-addressed courier envelope for the passports to be returned).


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## jawnbc

jnbates said:


> Our application was received on May 10th, and the passports had to be sent in at that time with the rest of the supporting documents for the application (along with a pre-paid self-addressed courier envelope for the passports to be returned).


Wow! 3 weeks for a residency visa. I have hope!


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## jnbates

UPDATE: We are HERE!

In the month since my last post, we closed the sale on our acreage, sold two cars and a lot of household stuff, quit our jobs, shipped 3.5 tonnes of possessions, sweated waiting for our passports to be returned with NZ Residency stamps (arrived on the last day possible), bought one-way tickets for four to Auckland, and ARRIVED in Hamilton on June 29th!

We've set up bank accounts and have to wait until the Canadian long weekend (Canada Day) is over before we can transfer any substantial amounts of money, but at that time we'll be buying some wheels and shopping for a home. For now, my wife's employer has put us up in a very well equipped apartment in the CBD for a couple of weeks. 

We will be taking advantage of the NZ 'winter' weather to evaluate the comfort of potential homes while they are at their worst - great opportunity when arriving during this season.

It was a little difficult leaving central Alberta just at the time when it was getting really nice, but my memory for the long bitter winters and 7 months with no leaves is long and clear, and seeing 4-man sculls rowing up and down the Waikato in the first weeks of NZ winter is very calming and pleasant, and reassuring in that we've made the correct decision for us. If this is as bad as it gets (as our mini-bus driver and lifelong Waikato resident told us), then we've got no problem here.

Food and fuel prices are significantly more than we paid in Canada, but we knew this already so it is as expected. In fact, petrol has dropped 20 cents/L cheaper than I budgeted for, so there's the benefit of conservative expectations.

...and my wife just spotted snow-capped mountains out the window in the distance to the south - this is awesome!!


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## jawnbc

Congratulations!

I got my application to London on 15 June. On 18 June (next business day, to their credit) they asked for an Irish police certificate. I hold Irish citizenship but have never lived there and provided evidence of that. Apparently not good enough. So I spent that morning running around like a loon to send my request off to Ireland. It was received a week later (had to be via post with a € money order) and have asked they send a copy directly to London and another to me.

So I don't think I'll be getting the 21 day turn-around you got on yours...and my flight is booked for 15 August for a 20 August start date. I need to give my employer 4 official weeks notice, which would be 08 July. I'm not hopeful at this point.

But we'll get there!

How did the kids handle the long flight?


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## jnbates

Fortunately in our case, any extra documentation they wanted was locally sourced so we were able to get it very quickly, unlike your Irish police certificate. :-\ Relating our experience in parallel with yours, I would suggest that if it looks like your application will ultimately be successful you may want to give your 4 week notice by July 8th anyway. At least you'd be ready for the big hop if it all comes together late in the game (like ours did). 

But, yes, whatever the sequence of events turns out to be, you'll get there!

The kids handled the 26 hrs of travel pretty well. It was almost 3 hrs from Edmonton to San Fancisco, then a 6 1/2 hr layover in which we took the train downtown to the Ferry Building for supper. The 13 hr flight went well enough, but the kids were overly distracted by the TVs and didn't sleep as much as I'd hoped and both my wife and I were too knackered to 'parent' them about it. On the 2 hr van ride to Hamilton they both involuntarily passed out - LOL! But in the end, they were alright although exhausted for the first day. After a couple of days, everyone seems to have adjusted to this time zone.


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## topcat83

Welcome to New Zealand, jnbates!


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## jnbates

Thanks a bunch, Top Cat.


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## relocatella

Fantastic news jnbates! So great to read them. Thanks for sharing your experience.


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## jnbates

You're very welcome!


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## jnbates

Well, for a bit of an update: 

- June 29th: arrived in Hamilton from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- July 3rd: bought a used 2010 Falcon XR6
- July 9th: wife started at her job
- July 18th: daughter #1 started at her school
- July 19th: daughter #2 started at HER school
- July 19th: we bought a house! Possession (settlement date) is August 3rd. It's a new construction in a developing neighborhood - we'll be the first residents on the street. We are happy to be able to get into a place that's constructed to the latest build requirements for insulation and double-glazed windows, and it includes a heat pump and has north-facing back yard. SWEET!

We are _*well *_on our way to establishing our lives here. We ended up spending more on a house than we originally planned to so that will cut back on our recreational activities, at least until we get things figured with my wife's salary vs. expenses. But we won't be spending any cash on renovations or bringing things up to snuff as we would have with an older place.

You can check out a photo album of our experiences her so far at this link (if it'll work): Hamilton Region, New Zealand | Facebook


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## jawnbc

Sounds like you're settling in nicely!


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## topcat83

Love the photos - and glad to see you've found one of my favourite tourist spots. No - not the Rocky Horror or Hobbit ones - Raglan! If you get a chance, go a tad further down the coast to Kawhia - it's like walking into a 1950's 'Janet and John at the Seaside' book. 

And loved the photo of your daughter's first day at school... soooo New Zealand to have kids with bare feet! Bet that girl doesn't wear shoes at all in the summer!


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