New Zealand visa - over 30

Zingara

Hi there, I've recently been made redundant and I think it's time to leave this fair isle for a while. I'd like to work in New Zealand but my background is admin so I'm wondering if it will be very difficult to get a visa as it's not a specific skillset (I'm also 32). Should I consider contacting recruitment agencies over there and hope for the best?

All advice gratefully received

zweton

http://www.bunac.org/uk/worknewzealand/

pclancy

It would be harder get work if you're not on the skills shortage list but not impossible.

Applying from overseas for work if the skill of the work is not in high demand is probably pointless. Recruiters get hundreds of CVs every day from abroad but unless you're here and able to interview I doubt you'd get a response.

You could come here on a tourist visa and apply for as many jobs as you can then apply for a work permit if you get a job offer. Or you could just contact immigration and apply for a work permit from Ireland, it will take a lot longer and you'd have less points then if you were here but might be an option. Call them and discuss your situation to get some more options. Emails take a looooooong time to be replyed to

kraggy

zweton wrote: »

http://www.bunac.org/uk/worknewzealand/

Can you only go to New Zealand through them or can you apply to New Zealand Immigration for that visa.

I'm also over 30 but that website says you need to be in Britain to apply. I'm in Korea at the moment.

pclancy

You can contact immigration NZ directly and it will be cheaper that way, you don't ever have to use a third party company such as Bunac unless you want to avail of their extra services. They will help you with a lot of aspects of moving here but its stuff you can all do yourself if you read up on it.

kraggy

pclancy wrote: »

You can contact immigration NZ directly and it will be cheaper that way, you don't ever have to use a third party company such as Bunac unless you want to avail of their extra services. They will help you with a lot of aspects of moving here but its stuff you can all do yourself if you read up on it.

It seems Bunac have exclusive rights to the visa. They are the only ones offering it. Even the NZ immigration website lists them as the ones to contact. So I don't think you can apply directly to NZ immigration.

Unless someone can see something different?

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

pclancy

Nope there is no such thing as exclusive rights to a visa, you can apply directly to immigration for any visa, Bunac and the other comapnies listed are approved migration specialists that assist migrants but certainly are not the only ones offering it.

They'll help you get here by helping you decide the best visa/permit and doing the paperwork for a nominal fee.

Immigration NZ can advise you the best option to chose if you contact them but you must complete the paperwork yourself.

Because you're over 30 you're not eligable for the working holiday visa so that option is irrelevant anyway.

kraggy

pclancy wrote: »

Nope there is no such thing as exclusive rights to a visa, you can apply directly to immigration for any visa, Bunac and the other comapnies listed are approved migration specialists that assist migrants but certainly are not the only ones offering it.

They'll help you get here by helping you decide the best visa/permit and doing the paperwork for a nominal fee.

Immigration NZ can advise you the best option to chose if you contact them but you must complete the paperwork yourself.

Because you're over 30 you're not eligable for the working holiday visa so that option is irrelevant anyway.

Bunac is not only offering the WHV. What I'm looking at is a special visa called the IEP that allows people up to 35 years of age to go and work for 12 months in NZ.

I've just been on the phone to NZ immigration. They've confirmed that I have to apply directly to Bunac. NZ immigration only offer the WHV. Not the IEC.

kraggy

I could apply but I'd spend my savings on flying to the UK and then on to New Zealand, thus landing in the country with feck all money.

Bunac say that you have to be in the UK to apply. Irish citizens qualify but you have to be in the UK. I think its because you have to get a chest x ray done by an approved doctor/hospital.

Balls anyway.

pclancy

Interesting, i'd never heard of the IEC before.

What about Oz maybe you could apply there instead and come over to NZ eventually?

zweton

kraggy wrote: »

I could apply but I'd spend my savings on flying to the UK and then on to New Zealand, thus landing in the country with feck all money.

Bunac say that you have to be in the UK to apply. Irish citizens qualify but you have to be in the UK. I think its because you have to get a chest x ray done by an approved doctor/hospital.

Balls anyway.

No you can be in Ireland also,its UK and Ireland. No chest x ray required for this visa. I called them a few weeks back, you do have to send them your passport though and the cost in total is €570. It comes as a package!

zweton

kraggy wrote: »

Bunac is not only offering the WHV. What I'm looking at is a special visa called the IEC that allows people up to 35 years of age to go and work for 12 months in NZ.

I've just been on the phone to NZ immigration. They've confirmed that I have to apply directly to Bunac. NZ immigration only offer the WHV. Not the IEC.

Can you post up a link for this IEC visa? Cant see anything online about it.

kraggy

pclancy wrote: »

Interesting, i'd never heard of the IEC before.

What about Oz maybe you could apply there instead and come over to NZ eventually?

How could I go to Oz? The age limit there is 30 too. Is there another way? Primary teaching used to be on their skills shortage list but not anymore so I can't get in that way.

zweton wrote: »

No you can be in Ireland also,its UK and Ireland. No chest x ray required for this visa. I called them a few weeks back, you do have to send them your passport though and the cost in total is €570. It comes as a package!

Did you send your passport to the UK, yeah?

What package did you get? On their website it says you can just take the visa off them for 155 pounds.

Their website, and the email they sent me yesterday, stated that I have to be in the UK as I need a UK address for my passport to be sent to after Bunac have given it to the NZ embassy in London for processing. Maybe they mean Ireland is ok too. But I'm in Korea. If I go to NZ, I want to go from here and not pay for a flight back to Europe for the visa only to go to NZ then. It would cost a small fortune.

I replied back asking, what if I sent it you from South Korea and you can send it to my cousin's address in England when it's been processed? Just got a reply back saying that they HIGHLY recommend not sending a passport from Korea. Vague or what?

So now I'm going to send them a mail asking whether or not it's POSSIBLE. I'm thinking I'll send it with Fedex if I can.

I hate people being vague in emails.

zweton wrote: »

Can you post up a link for this IEC visa? Cant see anything online about it.

I typed it incorrectly the first time. It's actually IEP. It's the link you actually posted yourself.

http://www.bunac.org/uk/worknewzealand/eligibility.aspx

kraggy

Also, how much would we need to bring to NZ if we did get visas?

Would 4000 euro be enough? We'd be willing to start work very soon after arriving.

And what's the work situation like there at present, particulary in Wellington?

Finally, would it be easy to get a job if we arrived in March? That's the Autumn, right?

Thanks.

zweton

kraggy wrote: »

How could I go to Oz? The age limit there is 30 too. Is there another way? Primary teaching used to be on their skills shortage list but not anymore so I can't get in that way.




Did you send your passport to the UK, yeah?

What package did you get? On their website it says you can just take the visa off them for 155 pounds.

Their website, and the email they sent me yesterday, stated that I have to be in the UK as I need a UK address for my passport to be sent to after Bunac have given it to the NZ embassy in London for processing. Maybe they mean Ireland is ok too. But I'm in Korea. If I go to NZ, I want to go from here and not pay for a flight back to Europe for the visa only to go to NZ then. It would cost a small fortune.

I replied back asking, what if I sent it you from South Korea and you can send it to my cousin's address in England when it's been processed? Just got a reply back saying that they HIGHLY recommend not sending a passport from Korea. Vague or what?

So now I'm going to send them a mail asking whether or not it's POSSIBLE. I'm thinking I'll send it with Fedex if I can.

I hate people being vague in emails.




I typed it incorrectly the first time. It's actually IEP. It's the link you actually posted yourself.

http://www.bunac.org/uk/worknewzealand/eligibility.aspx

hmmm thats interesting, they told me it comes as a package and cost £600 pound. I will phone them tomorrow.

kraggy

zweton wrote: »

hmmm thats interesting, they told me it comes as a package and cost £600 pound. I will phone them tomorrow.

They've been in contact with me since.

You're right. The visa itself is 155 pounds but you have to take their "Essentials" package which costs 359 pounds.

So it's about 600 euro altogether.

Why governments give individual companies exclusive rights to these sort of things is beyond me. It's a bloody money racket.

memaul

its good to see that there is an option for people over 30 but its a bit ridiculous that they can do that. its pretty much scamming people, advertising a price of 155 but then you have to pay for the "ESSENTIALS PACKAGE"


is there anyone on here that has applied for the visa. i'd be interested to hear how it went

Rosy Posy

kraggy wrote: »

Also, how much would we need to bring to NZ if we did get visas?

Would 4000 euro be enough? We'd be willing to start work very soon after arriving.

And what's the work situation like there at present, particulary in Wellington?

Finally, would it be easy to get a job if we arrived in March? That's the Autumn, right?

Thanks.

I'd say $4000 would be fine as long as you got work sorted soon enough and are willing to live frugally. If you were going to Wellington they have fairly good public transport there so you wouldn't need a vehicle straight away either. You could have a look at flats and jobs on www.trademe.co.nz

Not sure what the work situation is in Welly, but I do know that NZ is not the promised land work-wise that many think it is. Lots of people I know have been laid off and it seems to be going in a similar direction as Ireland and the rest of the world, only difference here is that there was no big boom so people are generally used to not having the cash to splash. One big positive that I've found is that there are heaps of free activities and that socialising tends to be in other people's houses with shared meals which cuts out a lot of the expense.

If you were looking for teaching work, the school year here runs from the start of February to mid December- they don't have the same length of holidays that they do in Ireland (which is great as a parent but not so good for the teachers). You might be able to pick up relief work or some other kind of casual work until the next school year.

Best of luck!