When I first became interested in emigrating to New Zealand, I did what any other person would do: put the phrase in Google and Amazon. Google returned the magnificent New Zealand Immigration website that sensibly leads one through what kind of visas exist, which best suits particular goals and their qualifying information. Among other things, Amazon returned a cheap kindle book, Tips on Emigrating to New Zealand, written by a couple who did just that; which I found useful enough to get me started although I ultimately decided to take a bit of a different path.
The first thing one needs to move to a new country is the ability to work in that country, unless one is ungodly rich, which I was and am not. Luckily, as a Master level graduate of one of New Zealand's three areas of future growth, biotechnology; I qualified to apply under the Skilled Migrant Category, the first step of which is submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI). EOIs operate on a points system. If one scores 140 points or higher, their application will automatically be selected for review but there is no definite timeline for selection; it could take 1 month or 8 months, there's no way of knowing. Anything under 140 is entered into a pool, and every two weeks the immigration board chooses some to review. There are a finite number of these visas available per year, however, so some people will never be successful as more qualified immigrants, ones who scored higher on their EOIs, were chosen first.
- Age (The younger the better)
- English Language Skills
- Work Experience in an Area of Growth or Skills on the Shortage List
- For Example: If you're a skilled US Mason, Carpenter, Construction worker, etc. looking for
work in Christchurch, they'd practically pay you to immigrate!
- Job Offer in an Area of Growth (Biotech, IT, Creative Industries)
- Education Level/Qualifications
- New Zealand Partners, Relatives and/or Children
Since the book on emigrating had already delineated this process, I wasn't surprised. I even filled out a preliminary EOI to assess my points and I think I settled somewhere around 120, which wasn't bad. Anyway, that couple had chosen the safe route: complete the EOI before leaving the States. Once they had been invited to apply, they came over on the 12 month Working Holiday Scheme, got jobs and completed their resident applications. I chose a riskier path for two important reasons, and one logical excuse. One, working holiday visas are only granted to people 30 and younger, I was 29.8 as the time; there simply wasn't enough time to wait for a response on my EOI. Two, completing the EOI cost $510 NZD, which I considered too costly at the time considering I could go for the working holiday visa for free. Understanding I had to get a working holiday visa to get my started either way, I made the logical assumption that I'd find a job within those 12 months because I have a strong resume and decided to just go for it! Once I had the job, I'd do the rest.
After securing my contract at work, and knowing that my short term contract could only be made permanent once I secured either a long term work or resident visa, I took advantage of the fact that Palmy has an immigration office to ensure I performed the next step correctly. They confirmed what HR and my Quality Director (a UK ex-pat) had already told me, the first step was submitting the EOI. Immigration also informed me that I'd need a 'Police Certificate' current within the last 6 months (to qualify one's 'character' and minimize the number of assholes), as well as a full physical and chest x-ray current within the last 3 months(to qualify one's ability to not-die), if and when I was invited to complete an application. Also, once chosen, I'd only have 4 months to get them all the relevant documentation. It was a timing game. I looked at the representative dumbstruck, I wasn't even sure what she meant by a police certificate. Deciding to deal with that after completing the EOI, I headed to the library and free wi-fi to execute the task. After three and a half gruelling hours I was pleasantly surprised to find that I scored 190 points! Landing my job gave me a huge boost! With the application complete, fees paid, knowing that it was only a matter of time before I'd receive my invitation, I became determined to find out how to secure a police certificate.
Turns out a 'Police Certificate', in the US known as a background check, are only given out by the CJIS division of the FBI (when applying outside the US), and it required me to SNAIL MAIL an application, credit card payment and fingerprint form to one of their office in West Virginia. Fingerprints?! Where the hell was I going to get my fingerprints taken! Knowing the combination of Snail Mail and having to obtain it from the FBI directly would take a considerable amount of time, I set out to get this application off post haste! I was basically taking a bet that it would take the FBI much longer to get me a background check than it would take Immigration to review my EOI (and boy was I right!). As for the fingerprints, I went to the only place I could think of, The Police Department. Here's where the unfailing kindness of Kiwi's continued to take me aback; not only did they fingerprint me, but they did it for FREE!
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| After only two weeks, SUCCESS! |
Now, I had read that EOIs were reviewed on a bi-weekly basis, and not knowing where within that timeframe my application would appear I assumed it would take a minimum of two months to hear anything. Indeed, others at work reported it had taken them over a year! I could have NEVER dreamed that it would take only two weeks and two days to receive a notification that my EOI had been selected; then receive my formal invitation along with the copious amounts of paperwork the very next day. It's almost as astonishing as finding gainful employments in the same amount of time! Speaking of which, when I asked my boss if I could print the paperwork she exclaimed "Yes! We need to keep you!" No one I'd spoken to had ever heard of Immigration acting so quickly, and each commented that it spoke highly of both my qualifications and their government's ability to spot talent and retain highly skilled immigrants. I swelled with pride as I experienced a feeling that I hadn't expected: the comfort of knowing that I was wanted, both on an employment level as well as a migrant level. New Zealand and my workplace appreciates me as much as I appreciate them, I've never before felt the magnificent that reciprocity. Now if only I could only find that in a Human relationship.....
Anyway, now the clock has started, and it's time for Step 2. I have 4 months to submit all my paperwork, which will likely require badgering the shit out of the CJIS for my background check. After that I pay them an ass-load of money (nearly $2,500), and I'm officially a permanent resident of New Zealand! I plan to celebrate by tattooing New Zealand's symbol and Immigration's logo, the Silver Fern, on my left shoulder blade. Woot!
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