Moving to New Zealand – Information and tips

If you’ve chosen to move to New Zealand, speaking as migrants ourselves, you’ve made a great decision!

We’re a country of diversity who embrace the ‘cruisy’ lifestyle that puts a premium on work/life balance and family.

This way, we can enjoy our little country – its breathtaking mountains, gorgeous beaches and adventure of all levels from family picnics on top of our volcanoes to foiling alongside dolphins.

To help you on your way, here is some basic info HERE and below for the job seeking and visa getting part of the journey to the center of the world (Hobbit reference]

Click here for a pdf on...

Hawkes Bay

Auckland

Northland

Canterbury

A glimpse at NZ’s employment market

NZ is always looking for highly skilled and qualified talent.

So your knowledge, INZ require employers to apply for, and be granted, rights to:

employ migrants – via a Employer Check/Accreditation; and
hire for a specific position – via a ‘Job Check’ valid for 6 months.

Also, the minimum hourly pay for visa holders is at least 30% higher than for NZ citizens or residents.

For this reason, employers have become increasingly discerning about who they hire on visas.
Part of making yourself attractive to employers, is easing the relocation process by being ‘INZ ready’.

Being INZ Ready

Good recruiters and, more formally, immigration advisers, will go through this in detail but here’s a starter list:

Have at least 7-8 months left on your passport expiry (and family’s);
Get a police clearance for each country in which you’ve lived a total of 5+ years;
Compile your work experience evidence – employment agreements, payslips, certificate of employment for each job on your CV
Apply for any certifications needed for NZ, e.g., EWRB for electrical roles

Use a Professional Recruiter or Do it Yourself

Depending on the role you’re after, applying directly to an employer on a NZ job site may be an option. But we suggest you make better use of your first impression:

Ensure you’re marketable – employers quickly skim the numerous applications – sometimes with keyword software and NZ employers have certain format and content they prefer in CVs. Presenting you to the best advantage is part of a recruiter’s role.

Tap a network – Good recruiters will have relationships with hiring authorities or managers which open doors to you which you’d otherwise not have.
Earn top dollar – Recruiters get a percentage of your salary so they’re motivated to negotiate for the pay that will get you hired and maximize your earning potential.
Make yourself a priority: …but recruiters don’t get paid by employers for candidates who’ve already approached them directly or through another agency. So, if you scattered your CV far and wide, you may struggle to find a recruiter who will prioritise you. Likewise, if you don’t communicate as and when needed you will deprioritise your application.

“I searched for 8 months looking to immigrate from South Africa to NZ as an electrician.
So disappointed and stressed and was about to give up until I saw a job by FRENZ Recruitment & Immigration.
They’d worked with me to make my experience more marketable in NZ and, within 2 weeks, secured an interview. I’m glad to say I received a job offer but could not have done it without FRENZ Recruitment & Immigration.
I highly recommend that, if you are looking to immigrate, this is the only company you should use.” – Calvin

What to look for when choosing a recruiter

You can start by looking at:

quantity & quality of vacancies on the site (although not all will be formally listed)
testimonials
experience
industries they serve
what their process is
what their involvement is with the immigration side

Beware if anyone tries to charge fees for finding you a job. This is illegal in NZ!

What to know about Licensed Immigration Advisers

Whether they’re located in NZ or offshore,Immigration Advisers (LIAs) for New Zealand must be licensed through the Immigration Adviser Authority and, with a few exceptions, are the only ones allowed to give immigration advice.

Advisers adhere to a Code of Conduct and to the numerous and ever-changing immigration rules & NZ employment laws. To avoid infringements that can cause a loss of license, LIAs don’t often dabble in recruitment related services to avoid being seen as charging for employment.

If you’d like to find out more about what you can expect from an expert LIA, you can contact ours at immigration@ frenz.co.nz

Tips for choosing an adviser

Timing is a factor –engaging an adviser before being offered a job has the benefit of getting direction on basic documents required and of basic visa needs. But, as a job offer may not come for a while and the employer’s Job Check will have specific requirements, you may end up renewing (paying for) documents and/or needing different documents
Put your eggs in one basket – Ideally your adviser will have a relationship with the hiring employer and, thus familiarity with the Job Check to avoid any ‘gotchas’ for the visa.
- Even better is when your adviser sits alongside your recruiter who also has the employer relationship. This way, you and the employer are dealing with single party and there are few gaps in processes or communication to allow delays or declines.
Follow the money – for visa applications, you’ll pay adviser costs, & INZ application fees.
- Payment for adviser services is made into a trust or escrow account, from which advisers are paid only when services are rendered.
  - This means the balance in trust is yours to take elsewhere if you wish. Advisers can rightfully charge for the initial consult which comes out of trust but you should ask for the charge advisers as this shouldn’t be a disproportionate amount for this 1st step. Some use this as a means to keep you from going elsewhere.
- Also, when looking at charges, make sure that the pricing notes whether INZ fees and gst are included.

The best place to start is to get in touch with us. If you have a job offer and need immigration support, you can contact our LIAs HERE

If you’re looking for a job, we specialise in certain industries (notably Boating, Trade/Tech/Engineering, Healthcare and Dairy Farming) by sending us your CV through an application HERE.

If you fit any of our current or potential roles, we’ll get in touch with you to discuss your options and answer any questions you may have.