Summer in NZ
33 days left until Christmas (34 for some of you reading this) and as we head in to the holiday season, with the weather warming up, days getting longer and the thought of some time off on most people’s minds, there will be plenty of others, considering a summer in New Zealand - not a bad idea at all. If you were however planning to spend time here over the holidays, taking in the sights or visiting family and you need a visa, then securing that before the end of the year could be a bit tricky.
INZ has various peak periods during the year, usually centered on the holiday season (this one coming up) and the influx of students at various start dates, with February and Marching being the most significant. So securing a visa now, with timeframes where they are might be challenging. If you are looking to come over and do need to apply, then my advice would be to file in a hurry or you might end up having to delay that trip.
Of course many people who do come over for a visit, find that they actually want to stay longer term and it’s not hard to fall in love with the place, even after a few days here. While visiting New Zealand can lead to a longer-term move, its important to understand that visiting the country and living here day to day are very different things. So if you are considering a trip over to see what NZ is all about and you think that might lead to something longer-term, there are a few ways you can adjust your trip to get a better sense of what life might be like here, if you were to make the permanent move.
Come For A Visit - Stay For A Lifetime
When I consult with prospective migrants, I am usually told that one of the reasons, they are keen to make the move is due to a previous trip (or several trips) here. I have had applicants who were married in NZ, studied here previously and plenty more that enjoyed a winter skiing or a summer touring vineyards. It’s not hard to see why people who spend a little time in New Zealand, might then decide to make that permanent at some stage.
Look, See & Decide
Visiting NZ can often be the start of a longer-term love affair with the country, and even a permanent move.
However, how you experience New Zealand on a holiday will differ greatly to what it will be like to live and work here and so its important to balance the equation a little.
I also have clients who want to move here, having never set foot in the country and whilst they are still usually very successful, I often encourage them to do a trip first, just to get a bit of a feel for the place. You wouldn’t buy a new house without checking it out first, and moving country is no different. There is of course a lot of information available online to help give you a basic idea as to how things operate, but nothing substitutes some time on the ground, in the country, meeting the people and seeing how it all works in real life.
For some, a holiday here can easily become a research trip, and a good chance to figure out if New Zealand is somewhere they might want to live long-term. However it can be tricky trying to work that out when you are spending time on the beach, sipping our fine wines or celebrating a family reunion.
Do The Right Research
It is tempting to want to stay after a brief visit, but visiting NZ and living here are very different things.
There are however a few easy ways to get a better sense of daily life in New Zealand and whether that daily life might work for you.
For example, if you have access to a car, take a day to travel in to the city during peak traffic. You might even try and use public transport, to get a sense of how these things work and how a morning as a local, might function. You can do the same in reverse in the late afternoon, joining the masses as they make their way home between 5 and 6 pm. It is obviously not the same as ‘a day in the life of’, but it will give you a sense of how to navigate your way around a city or town.
You should also explore not just the usual tourist spots, which are obviously lovely to go to, but if you get a chance, drive around the city or town you are in and see as much of it as you can, including the not so nice parts. NZ cities and towns, like every other location on the planet, has its good spots and then the spots you might not want to spend too much time in. These are still generally safe places to go, and you will get a much more realistic picture of life here, if you explore it fully.
Ask locals questions, particularly if you have friends or family here. Ask them to explain how life works, what they enjoy but then also what drives them a bit nuts. You will likely find that the things we see as challenging are probably pretty minor compared to other parts of the world, but its good to understand that things do still challenge us.
Avoid too much media and particularly social media on the top of “living in NZ”. There are no shortage of chat groups and forums sites that will give you a very skewed perspective of life in NZ and these are usually driven by people who have tried to relocate but failed (inevitably finding fault with almost everything).
Do some math - when you are here, you can easily get an estimate of what your earning potential might be, and then you can calculate what your daily expenses might look like. Do a weekly shop with friends or family, have a look at utility costs and so on. You wont get an exact number, but yo will get at least a sense of what the financial side of life here might stack up like.
It doesn’t take too much to turn a holiday in to a research trip and one that can then give you a clearer picture of what a longer term move might look like.
It All Starts Here
Of course, for those that do come over and decide that NZ is the next stop on life’s journey, the next step should be to establish which visa pathway might work for them. For those that are skilled, employable and under 56 years of age, there are a variety of options that will either secure Residence right away or at the very least create a pathway to the same.
There are options for family, particularly parents, who often travel over to visit their children and grandchildren, deciding that they would like to remove that geographic distance once and for all. However for parents, the process can be a bit of a waiting game.
Partners who come over with a New Zealand citizen or resident often make the call to settle here permanently, particularly when it comes time to raise a family, and there are various temporary and resident visa options available to make that process work. We are in fact dealing with several right now, trying to make the move before the summer season officially starts.
Whatever your end goal, if you come out here to enjoy a Kiwi summer and decide that this place feels like it could be home, a little research, and then a thorough assessment of your options might be the best Christmas present you could ever receive.
Until next week!
Remember - Our last seminar for the year will take place on 08 December 2024 (via Zoom). Register here to attend.
