Sandy’s work as a consultant with a large corporation was coming to an end.  At about the same time my work with a large corporation was about to come to an end as well.  My mega-company employer had merged, yet again, with another mega-company and this time I was given an option…did I want to stay or take what was behind door number three – a decent severance package?  Staying meant working in an even bigger company and relocating to a less-than-desirable part of the U.S. where they have bugs the size of dinner plates and 100 percent humidity when it’s not raining.  Tough decision I know, but I chose door number three. 

This all happened at about the same time that we took a couple of weeks vacation to visit a country we had heard about (my wife had been there once before) but didn’t know too well.  We’d seen the beautiful landscape in the Lord of the Rings movies and thought, “Wow!  What an incredible place!  We knew a couple of people from New Zealand and they seemed to be pretty well-rounded and nice.  They spoke highly of their homeland too.  So we thought “Let’s go there!” so we did.  Once we arrived we weren’t really prepared for the conversations that followed.  Our wide-eyed talks included words like “unbelievable, beautiful, astonishing, unpolluted, happy, blue skies, peaceful, friendly, fresh air, even that over-used term ‘nice’!”  And one thought that began to creep ever so slowly into our talks was “Hmmm, how lucky the people are that live here, wouldn’t this be a great place to live?!”

Eventually that thought took over our lives.  We were out of work and had some money saved.  We had family to consider, but we’d never had children (and probably would have moved to avoid paying for their college even if we did so good thing we didn’t) and we found ourselves with the time to think about what we really wanted to do when we grew up.  Our roots were pretty deep with good friends, our church and things to do, but the call of the wild was ever present.  We’d considered all sorts of options; finding more work where we lived; moving to other parts of the country and doing the same thing, starting a new business somewhere…or really making a new life for ourselves.  We did a lot of comparison research, listed options, the pros and cons of different cities, states, even countries. New Zealand kept coming out on top.  Plus we were becoming more disenchanted with things in the U.S. daily.  The more we thought about it, the better New Zealand sounded.  Don’t get me wrong, we’re still proud to be Americans, but it’s getting harder and harder to live the American dream in the United States.  We ultimately decided to take things to the next level and find out what it would take to move somewhere totally new and start a new life.

We both spent endless hours on the Internet finding out everything we could about New Zealand.  We came across an immigration consulting site that caught our eye.  About two weeks after our New Zealand vacation there was an expatriate trade show of sorts in Los Angeles.  (I told you the planets were aligned) and a representative of the consulting agency was going to be there.  We rang them up and made an appointment.  Consultants from countries around the world were there. A lot of countries (including New Zealand) have what’s called “brain drain”.  That is, a lot of well-educated locals tend to leave their country for greener pastures, meaning mostly higher wages.  That leaves a shortage of people to fill the jobs that need doing at home.  Enter the immigration consultant whose job it is to find people that may want to move to their country…and probably make less money. To make up for lower pay they tout the “lifestyle benefits”.  I’m sure the consultant from Lapland has his work cut out for him, but in New Zealand’s case, they are right. There are many lifestyle benefits.  Besides the wonderful people and countryside, taxes are lower overall including no capital gains tax and housing is very affordable, particularly in comparison to most large U.S. cities.  The weather is mostly mild; sub-tropical on the North Island.  Crime is low overall and guns are basically illegal except for hunting.  Many people living in the countryside still don’t lock their doors.  There is little or no pollution and even Kiwi teenagers tend to mind their parents! 

Of course the immigration consultants are not there out of good nature or as patriotic representatives of their countries…there’s money to be made.  The one we met from New Zealand was very honest and straight forward with us.  He was clear that New Zealand’s immigration laws are fairly strict.  We were surprised to find that out of all of the emigrants; only about 4% come from the United States.  We still have yet to run into another American here!  The majority, about 35%, come from Great Britain (probably longing to get away from the grey skies and Margaret Thatcher look alikes) and the rest come from all over the world.   The NZIS will allow up to 50,000 people under the immigration programme this calendar year.  Certainly small by comparison to the U.S., but with a population of only 4 million people, it’s a fairly high percentage.  The consultant spelled out the details of the various categories under which you can emigrate, about five, and those for which most people like us qualify which is about three.  Approximately 60% of the total immigration will be allowed in under these three categories; Skilled Migrants, Long Term Business and Investor.  If you’re over 55 the last two are your only choices unless you already have relatives living in New Zealand. 

I won’t go into too much detail about each of the categories here because one, I’m not an expert and two, by the time you read this the rules may have changed once again as today starts with an “S”.  In the period of six months we endured three different NZIS application processes.  The NZIS seems to spend a lot of time fine-tuning things.  If you’d like to know more about the options have a look at the NZIS website:

• http://www.immigration.govt.nz/

We finally decided that although we’d miss friends and family something awful, New Zealand would be a great place to grow old together and that opening a business was the way to go.  We hired the consultant we met in Los Angeles to handle things because getting a Long Term Business Visa (LTBV) was a bit complicated and we wanted a professional by our side with such a big move.  However he suggested that since Sandy was going to continue working in New Zealand anyway it might be easier for her to apply as a skilled migrant.  A couple of the requirements for a LTBV are that the business has to be “beneficial to New Zealand” and that the books are to be reviewed by the NZIS after 24 months showing profitability in order for the owner to eventually obtain a Permanent Residence Visa (PRV…I didn’t say the NZIS didn’t like acronyms.)  As a skilled migrant you can obtain a PRV much sooner and then you don’t have to deal with our friendly “nemesis”, the NZIS in the future!  Her chances of acceptance were apparently good based on previous I.T. experience.  This experience gave her additional “value” under a special section of the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) called the Priority Occupations List (POL…I know, I know) which are jobs that the NZIS says companies have a hard time filling here due to the previously mentioned “brain drain”.  Armed with that information Sandy became the “principal applicant” under what eventually was the NZIS’ Skilled Migrant Category.

The SMC is based upon a point system which calculates your work experience, education, age, etc. and assigns points to each bit. The lower your age, higher your experience and education (you will need a university degree minimum for the SMC), the higher your points total. The NZIS sets the points pass mark every two weeks, or “fortnight” as they say here, and pulls applications meeting or exceeding that number for consideration. They can raise or lower the pass mark as they see fit.  Recently it’s been lowered a great deal from where it started in March, but that could change at any time.  There’s a quick SMC points calculator on the NZIS website which helps you calculate if you have enough points to emigrate.

If you’re interested in emigrating as a skilled migrant you begin by filing an Expression of Interest (EOI…crazy isn’t it?) with the NZIS.  The EOI asks all kinds of questions not only about your work experience, but about any police record you may have, your relatives, if you’re a terrorist (I’m not making this up) as well as your medical history (NZ has a nationalized health program making moving here worth it alone these days!).  There are any number of things that might disqualify you from getting a Permanent Residence or even Work Visa, particularly if you ever have been or ever will be a terrorist, but it can be done!  The EOI application can be completed on line (and of course there is an associated fee).  You will be given a point total and it will be included in a “pool” with other applications.  Your EOI is good for 90 days.  If it isn’t pulled during that time it will lapse and you will need to file a new one (and, yes, pay another fee.)  When your EOI points meet or exceed the pass mark your application will be reviewed and you will be asked to provide supporting documentation for everything (yes everything) you’ve listed.  Plus you’ll be required to submit a completed NZIS medical report (basic physical exam) along with an FBI record (even if you don’t have a police record, and hopefully you don’t, you can send in your fingerprints and they’ll send them back with an official stamp saying you don’t have a record…for a fee).  Your employer may be contacted as well as your doctor, family, friends and possibly your first grade teacher. Remember when she told you everything you did would go on your “permanent record”?  Who’s laughing now smarty pants?  If and when the NZIS is satisfied that you would be a good, upstanding Kiwi they will extend an official Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residence.Once you have a PR Visa you can come and go as you please and no longer have to worry about dealing with the NZIS ever, ever again (unless you become a terrorist in which case I’m sure there’s a form to complete).

One thing that will get you a lot of points instantly is having a job in New Zealand. Of course most NZ employers naturally want a prospective employee to hang around for a while.  Funny I know, but that’s just how they are here.  That generally means that they want you to either have a Permanent Residence or Work Visa. Welcome to “Catch 22”.  How can you get a job if you don’t have a PR or Work Visa and how can you get a visa if you don’t have a job? Good questions.  You can send CV’s (resumes) to potential NZ employers and hope for the best.  It might work as the New Zealand economy is humming right along and the unemployment rate is at a 17 year low, but you never know and you could end up waiting for a long time.Many people come to New Zealand on vacation and end up “finding” a job.  It goes something like this…  “Wow honey; look at all of those sheep!  Say, what’s that shiny thing over there?  A job?  For me?  Well, certainly I’d like a job, thank you!  Honey, grab the kids, we’re staying!”

A U.S. Passport allows you to stay in New Zealand for up to 90 days and can be extended a while longer upon application with, you guessed it, the NZIS.  However you cannot tell the nice immigration man or woman at the New Zealand airport that you’ve come here looking for work.  Everyone knows it happens, but no one admits it.They won’t let you in if you confess to your real goal and you’ll have to   spend the night on one of those comfortable airport chairs waiting for a 13 hour flight back home! 

Luckily the consulting firm we used also has an employment division that connects prospective emigrants with potential employers.  These employers are a little more receptive to hiring someone without a visa because of your association with the consulting company.  Consultant’s fees are not cheap so the employer figures you must be serious.  With that credibility Sandy found her current job and couldn’t be happier.  I’m happy too because when one party receives a Work Visa the spouse also receives one.  So I am free to work here as well and am doing so as a business consultant currently.  Mind you, you don’t have to have a job to meet the Permanent Residence Visa requirements, but if you do your application will be considered before those that don’t.

Keep in mind that not everyone needs a consultant.  If you have the time and patience, you can do everything on your own.  Being control freaks we wanted some feeling of control over something that was really out of our hands for the most part.  Plus we wanted a safety net and someone to ask lots of questions and they have certainly been a Godsend. A word to the wise though; at this time anyone can call themselves an “immigration consultant” or “employment agency”.  Thankfully regulation is in the works.  There are some horror stories about people being ripped off out there.  So be very careful if you decide to utilize a consultant.  Make sure they are legitimate, get references, etc.  Some are more expensive than others but like all things, you generally get what you pay for. 

We originally arrived in New Zealand on Work Visas but just before we left the passmark came down to our number and we’ve been extended an invitation to apply for Permanent Residence.  Woo hoo!  We’ve supplied all of the required documentation along with a note from our parents.  Hopefully we’ll gain permanent residence in the near future.  If all goes well it will have been about one year since we started our “official paperwork” journey to gaining PR. 

There are a lot of good resources about New Zealand on the web.  (Just type in New Zealand Immigration on Google or Yahoo and see how many pages pop up!) After taking a look at the NZIS website, you might want to look at Emigrate New Zealand.  It’s a site that specializes in NZ Immigration (surprise!) and has an excellent reader forum where we found some great information from others both in the U.S. and other places that were interested in moving here too.

• http://www.immigration.govt.nz/

• http://benz1.com/forum/index.php?s=2b5a621987b160a0bac291321e62297d

We’ve just purchased a home on the sunny shores of the Bay of Plenty.  It’s blessed with ocean views, a temperate climate and near a friendly, beautiful beach town filled with great restaurants and lots to do.  I’ll plan on telling you what it’s really like living here soon.  Also if you decided to move here I’ll try to cover what you should and shouldn’t plan on bringing and why.  If you can’t wait, bring your lawnmower and solid stick deodorant…I’ll tell you why later.  I’ll also do my best to give you an insider’s look at working here, shopping, playing and everything else that makes this place so special.  And who knows?  Maybe we’ll have that puppy soon…providing our cats approve!

Until then, cheerz!

Rick

The following is Rick's first article for the magazine:

• We Did It! ~ Escaping To New Zealand

• http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/
• http://www.emigratenz.org/
• http://benz1.com/forum/index.php?s=2b5a621987b160a0bac291321e62297d

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