The Opening Arms Of New Zealand Immigration

Making the decision to immigrate to New Zealand is probably one of the biggest, if not the biggest decision you will ever make in your life. Perhaps it is the influx of TV commercials that constantly dominate your home entertainment system? Images of golden beaches, snow capped mountains and turquoise lakes have convinced you of a better life? Or perhaps it's the tales of a friend who recently returned from the land of the long white cloud, spending days sky-diving and relaxing in geothermal mud pools? Whatever your reason, once you have made that decision to relocate your life to the other side of the world, there will be a great deal to organise before you step on that plane. First on the list should be New Zealand Immigration.

Before you get carried away and book your flights, you will need to look at your visa options and find the right visa for you. This will be the most important part to the whole relocation process and can take anything from a few weeks to a couple of years so it is vital you start early. Without the right visa, you may not be allowed in the country once you touch down in Auckland or Christchurch so don't even think about buying those flights until your visa has been confirmed by New Zealand immigration.

New Zealand Immigration, in true kiwi fashion, is relatively easy going. Compared to getting your hands on a visa for other destinations, New Zealand is a welcoming country and assuming you have skills that are going to help enhance their economy and you meet their required criteria, then you could already be on your way to becoming a local resident.

New Zealand Immigration claim that most people moving to the country apply under the Skilled Migrant category. This visa is for people who have the skills, qualifications and experience that the country needs and who want to live permanently in New Zealand as a resident. It is based on a points system allocated to you in five areas. These include your age (you must be under 55 to apply), whether you have a job offer or not, your work experience, your qualifications and whether or not you have any family in New Zealand. You need to score a total of 100 points or more to be able to apply. The whole process is time consuming and expensive and you will need to be patient. If you're looking for the fastest route, get yourself a confirmed job offer before you apply. Not only will this reward you an extra fifty points (that is 50 percent of the whole points you need to qualify) but the whole procedure will be a great deal quicker. Without a job offer, your application will not be prioritised and you may have to wait up to a year until you can even step foot on kiwi ground.

New Zealand Immigration provides other visa options if you don't feel this is the right category for you. You can apply for a Work to Residence visa that allows you to get a temporary work visa and/or permit as a step towards gaining permanent residence. Applicants may be qualified in occupations that are in demand in New Zealand, or may have exceptional talent in sports or the arts but either way, you will need to have a job offer to apply for this. Similarly you can get a temporary work visa, which is a great option for people wanting to find out what life is like in New Zealand before making the big move. Options include temporary work visas and permits for people with confirmed job offers or working holiday visas that allow you to go over without a job offer and work for up to 12 months in any type of employment.

It can be daunting when your first decide to relocate. There is so much to plan and organise and adding to the madness is trying to decide which visa to apply for and how to fill in the forms. New Zealand Immigration will help you with all your queries and help you work out the best options for you, to help you get started on beginning your new life.