Residency

A week after receiving my Approval In Principle, I took another phone call: this time from Malcolm Pacific to tell me that my passport was now available for collection. So I am now a resident of New Zealand. So far as I can see from elections.org.nz, this means that I will be eligible to vote in the General Election later this year, and in two years’ time (subject to some not-very-onerous restrictions), I’ll be eligible to apply for full citizenship. This takes five years in total.

For the time being, though, it opens up much more of the job market as many companies won’t employ people who aren’t residents, except on short-term contracts. It also means I have better access to healthcare and other such benefits.

It also means, paradoxically, that I can leave NZ (my previous work visa was only eligible as long as I remained in the country). So maybe we can pop across the ditch at some stage – although not at the moment, as flights are grounded due to the Chilean volcano ash cloud currently covering the country.

(Thank you National Geographic)

Approval In Principle

This morning I received a phone call on my mobile. I recognised the number and it was, indeed, my Migration consultant calling to tell me that he has received “Approval In Principle” for my Residence application.

I went along to their offices at lunchtime to give them my passport and complete a form for the final payment of the migration levy. This all gets sent off to Auckland and, so I’m told, should be processed in about two weeks’ time.

It’s all taken a bit longer than we’d been led to believe, but soon I shall be officially resident in New Zealand – woohoo!

Visa

I have a visa! Woohoo!

The Health Issue

I went to see the doctor yesterday, and got the results of my blood tests. And it’s official – I am 100% healthy! The liver function tests, which in the UK had been – to  use the medical terminology – “mildly deranged”, are now back inside the normal parameters. I took the forms round to Malcolm Pacific, together with the immigration forms – one for a work visa, and one for residence based on family. So the immigration process is now properly under way for me, and should take about 4 weeks, according to our immigration advisor…which is just as well, as I have an interview on Tuesday, and I’ll need to be able to tell them when I will be available to start work.

To celebrate, we went out and got riotously drunk.

In other news, Nicola’s cello turned up yesterday – it was air freighted from the UK. It’ll need to be retuned, and possibly restrung. We’re taking it down to a music shop today to find out. 

Medical Mayhem

When Nicola originally applied for a visa to come and live in New Zealand, we both went for medicals as part of the visa application process. Unfortunately, medical certificates only last for 3 months, so I have to be re-evaluated, and have a new chest x-ray and blood tests.

At the behest of Malcolm Pacific, our immigration consultants, I went along to the INZ-approved doctor yesterday. The good news is that my weight, blood pressure and cholesterol are all down – I reckon it’s all the walking around hilly Wellington. This morning I went to get the blood tests done, and should have the results when I go back to the doctor on Friday. I’ll then be able to get my application properly underway.

Weather Forecasting

Despite what the weathermen keep predicting on the news every evening, for the last two days it’s “turned out nice again, guv” – so much so that I was walking around yesterday morning in t-shirt, jumper, scarf and leather jacket, but by mid-afternoon was feeling distinctly uncomfortable and had to shed the scarf and jacket! The wind has dropped to the default setting of a gentle breeze (I’m not sure that it’s ever completely still here) and it’s really quite pleasant out in the sunshine.