One more mouth to feed.
Discussion
After two months travelling your wonderful islands in 2003 I've decided I could get used to a more permanent move to the other side. (of the world 
)
I reckon a few PH'ers have probably already been through all this so was hoping you could offer a bit of advice?
The Skilled Migrant visa looks the easiest as I have plenty of points but does anyone know if it's worth going through a visa agent and if so can you recommend any?
Also, in addition to being employed I might want to set up a holiday business such as a B&B or Hotel, can I do this under the above visa?
Most important of all, I also race a Westfield in the Uk, does anyone know if there are any suitable series for this type of car as she'd be coming with me?
I've already picked the daily drivers, I reckon a 4X4 ute and a Commodore ss should have most things covered.
) I reckon a few PH'ers have probably already been through all this so was hoping you could offer a bit of advice?
The Skilled Migrant visa looks the easiest as I have plenty of points but does anyone know if it's worth going through a visa agent and if so can you recommend any?
Also, in addition to being employed I might want to set up a holiday business such as a B&B or Hotel, can I do this under the above visa?
Most important of all, I also race a Westfield in the Uk, does anyone know if there are any suitable series for this type of car as she'd be coming with me?
I've already picked the daily drivers, I reckon a 4X4 ute and a Commodore ss should have most things covered.
Welcome in 
If you have a look through this forum there are a lot of things that have been said thus far about emigrating to NZ... might be worth trawling through them.
I've got no knowledge of the skilled migrant visa or really any of the paperwork guff myself but I'm sure any one of the ex-pat people on this forum such as pawsmcgraw, jamieheasman or Venom should be able to shed some light on this.
As for the class for your Westfield... drfinitely. The classes aren't as specialised out here as in England or as numerous and we've definitely got more of a "boutique" motorsport community than over in Blighty. There are some sports and component car classes out there, I'm sure your car would fit somewhere into the subclasses in their fields.
As for the choice of daily drivers...... each to their own eh
If you have a look through this forum there are a lot of things that have been said thus far about emigrating to NZ... might be worth trawling through them.
I've got no knowledge of the skilled migrant visa or really any of the paperwork guff myself but I'm sure any one of the ex-pat people on this forum such as pawsmcgraw, jamieheasman or Venom should be able to shed some light on this.
As for the class for your Westfield... drfinitely. The classes aren't as specialised out here as in England or as numerous and we've definitely got more of a "boutique" motorsport community than over in Blighty. There are some sports and component car classes out there, I'm sure your car would fit somewhere into the subclasses in their fields.
As for the choice of daily drivers...... each to their own eh
Hi there
I got my residency out of sympathy (I married a Kiwi!) but the process is the same for the skills category.
I wouldn't bother with an agent, they'll just cost you money and will be no quicker or more efficient.
The biggest tip I can give you about the application is make sure you provide all the documentation (as requested) in an easy to read format. I put mine in a ring binder with an index. I've spoken to several people in Immigration and they are only human - if they see a well prepared application they are more likely to chose it ahead of one that is presented in a bin-bag! Also, triple check that you have included all the documentation they need in one go. If in doubt include extra documentation. Contrary to popular belief the NZ Immigration are patient and good to deal with (in my experience here in NZ that is!).
Don't worry about the hotel/b&b just yet, concentrate on finding your feet, getting a job and only having NZ dollars to spend! Later on I'd purchase a property with a view to providing homestays as a gentle introduction to the kiwi hospitality industry.
If your Westie is road-legal don't expect to get it on the road here. I'm not saying it's not possible, just that the rules are a pain the awse and that you'll be lucky. Even if it's race-only check the local regs to make sure you have all the necessary documentation/modifications before you leave blighty.
Holden SSs do look like good value from the UK perspective but don't rush into anything!
If there's any further help or advice I can give you just drop me a line. There are plenty of other like-minded individuals on this board that can help too.
Good luck!
I got my residency out of sympathy (I married a Kiwi!) but the process is the same for the skills category.
I wouldn't bother with an agent, they'll just cost you money and will be no quicker or more efficient.
The biggest tip I can give you about the application is make sure you provide all the documentation (as requested) in an easy to read format. I put mine in a ring binder with an index. I've spoken to several people in Immigration and they are only human - if they see a well prepared application they are more likely to chose it ahead of one that is presented in a bin-bag! Also, triple check that you have included all the documentation they need in one go. If in doubt include extra documentation. Contrary to popular belief the NZ Immigration are patient and good to deal with (in my experience here in NZ that is!).
Don't worry about the hotel/b&b just yet, concentrate on finding your feet, getting a job and only having NZ dollars to spend! Later on I'd purchase a property with a view to providing homestays as a gentle introduction to the kiwi hospitality industry.
If your Westie is road-legal don't expect to get it on the road here. I'm not saying it's not possible, just that the rules are a pain the awse and that you'll be lucky. Even if it's race-only check the local regs to make sure you have all the necessary documentation/modifications before you leave blighty.
Holden SSs do look like good value from the UK perspective but don't rush into anything!
If there's any further help or advice I can give you just drop me a line. There are plenty of other like-minded individuals on this board that can help too.
Good luck!
Thanks for all the advice, I've had a look through a few job/home web sites and should be getting the Expression of Interest forms sorted soon.
Can anyone tell me which Island has the most relevant racing for the westy and is it expensive to take the car on a trailer on the Interislander?
Cheers
Can anyone tell me which Island has the most relevant racing for the westy and is it expensive to take the car on a trailer on the Interislander?
Cheers
custardtart said:
Thanks for all the advice, I've had a look through a few job/home web sites and should be getting the Expression of Interest forms sorted soon.
Can anyone tell me which Island has the most relevant racing for the westy and is it expensive to take the car on a trailer on the Interislander?
Cheers
Hrmmm.... both islands offer a fair bit of racing and some countrywide stuff... I'd imagine the NI would have more, but that's just a guess.... car with car-trailer I think is about $220 each way (with one passenger, add about $30 for each subsequent passenger) but might be more expensive or cheaper depending on the season and how far ahead you book.
I think youll find it costs more than that for a trailer.
I went to www.interislander.co.nz and entered some random details for a car and 5.5m long trailer with one adult and it cost:
[quote]Wellington to Picton Sunday, 27 February 2005
Depart
Wellington Arrive
Picton Ship Easy Change Saver Change Ultra Saver
1:30a.m 4:30a.m Arahura $375.00
$305.00
$270.00
8:00a.m 10:15a.m The Lynx $375.00
$305.00
Sold out
9:30a.m 12:30p.m Arahura $375.00
Sold out Sold out
5:30p.m 8:30p.m Arahura $375.00
$340.00
Sold out
All prices include Goods & Services Tax and are in New Zealand Dollars[/quote]
that dont copy very well but the three prices are the three different fares listed kinda above them.
So I suppose with enough notice and travelling at wierd times you could do it for not much more than that, but dont count on it. Those fares are each way too.
If your deciding which island to live on just based on where u can race the most your moving to the wrong country, although we have abit there are no where near the opportunities that the UK has. If you live by one track youll be at least 2-300ks away from any other and most of them will have a couple of races a year at best youll be eligible for.
Not trying to put you off, just making sure your informed, good luck
I went to www.interislander.co.nz and entered some random details for a car and 5.5m long trailer with one adult and it cost:
[quote]Wellington to Picton Sunday, 27 February 2005
Depart
Wellington Arrive
Picton Ship Easy Change Saver Change Ultra Saver
1:30a.m 4:30a.m Arahura $375.00
$305.00
$270.00
8:00a.m 10:15a.m The Lynx $375.00
$305.00
Sold out
9:30a.m 12:30p.m Arahura $375.00
Sold out Sold out
5:30p.m 8:30p.m Arahura $375.00
$340.00
Sold out
All prices include Goods & Services Tax and are in New Zealand Dollars[/quote]
that dont copy very well but the three prices are the three different fares listed kinda above them.
So I suppose with enough notice and travelling at wierd times you could do it for not much more than that, but dont count on it. Those fares are each way too.
If your deciding which island to live on just based on where u can race the most your moving to the wrong country, although we have abit there are no where near the opportunities that the UK has. If you live by one track youll be at least 2-300ks away from any other and most of them will have a couple of races a year at best youll be eligible for.
Not trying to put you off, just making sure your informed, good luck
Hi there, having just arrived in NZ from the UK with a residence visa in my passport, I can offer a bit of advice here
I went for the skilled migrant route straight off. It's not difficult, but the whole process took the best part of a year to complete, that's going from initial expression of interest to getting the visa in my passport.
There is a LOT of information gathering e.g. tracking down a full syllabus from my uni course over a decade ago, references from every employer I've ever worked for, a full medical report...you get the picture. I doubt an agent could do all this for you. The stack of forms was about an inch thick! A word of warning - you need a police report, and this takes MONTHS to get - put it in early.
You also get fleeced at every step of the way, I think I paid a couple of grand GBP all together.
Was it all worth it? Of course it was! If I was doing it again though, I'd come for an extended visit, get a job offer, get a standard 2 year work visa with that, then go for residence once you're here. The work visa is MUCH easier (and cheaper) to get. Once you're actually working here though, getting residence is a doddle, you don't have half the work to do.
Hope that helps, and feel free to contact me if you want any further info.
I went for the skilled migrant route straight off. It's not difficult, but the whole process took the best part of a year to complete, that's going from initial expression of interest to getting the visa in my passport.
There is a LOT of information gathering e.g. tracking down a full syllabus from my uni course over a decade ago, references from every employer I've ever worked for, a full medical report...you get the picture. I doubt an agent could do all this for you. The stack of forms was about an inch thick! A word of warning - you need a police report, and this takes MONTHS to get - put it in early.
You also get fleeced at every step of the way, I think I paid a couple of grand GBP all together.
Was it all worth it? Of course it was! If I was doing it again though, I'd come for an extended visit, get a job offer, get a standard 2 year work visa with that, then go for residence once you're here. The work visa is MUCH easier (and cheaper) to get. Once you're actually working here though, getting residence is a doddle, you don't have half the work to do.
Hope that helps, and feel free to contact me if you want any further info.
Thanks everyone, all advice greatly appreciated.
Wedgepilot, I think I'm like you in that I don't expext it to be easy but nothing worthwhile ever is however it's good to benefit from your experience.
I've seen the work permit but was unsure if it made it easier to get residency and didn't want to move out then have to move back.
I'll look into that option a bit more as all my efforts have so far gone into the skilled migrant way. I'm fully prepared to wait a year so that's okay.
Wedgepilot, I think I'm like you in that I don't expext it to be easy but nothing worthwhile ever is however it's good to benefit from your experience.
I've seen the work permit but was unsure if it made it easier to get residency and didn't want to move out then have to move back.
I'll look into that option a bit more as all my efforts have so far gone into the skilled migrant way. I'm fully prepared to wait a year so that's okay.
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