15 December 2010

Silver Fern Job Search Visa... Approved!

Note: This is in the series of blog posts I wrote about my preparation to move to New Zealand. The original date stamps will give you an idea of how time-consuming migration takes. The 'New Zealand' tag will bring up all related posts.

[Originally written on 2/8/2010]
9 months of preparation led me to the moment where I handed over all my stuff to the lady behind the glass partition at INZ Singapore. I have prepared all the required documents as such:
  • Passport: Certified copy
  • Medical/X-ray INZ 1007: Original (X-ray film not required if no abnormal findings)
  • Certificate of Good Conduct: Original
  • IELTS Test Report Form: Certified copy
  • NZQA International Qualification Assessment: Certified copy
  • Evidence of sufficient funds: Certified copy (I printed quarterly statement from Maybank2U and went to a branch to get it certified by bank officer for free)
She checked out that everything is fine and that concluded my application. I asked if they could delay the visa processing so that I would have a longer time to enter NZ but they were fixed on their policy of following... erm... policy.

True enough, a week later (21 July 2010) I received an e-mail stating that my visa has been approved and I have 6 months to enter NZ. I now have a month to send in my passport for the visa sticker to go on.

As my passport will expire in November 2011, I will renew my passport tomorrow and send in the new one instead. It'll be too costly to transfer the visa sticker if I wait till November 2011. In this case, I have to send in both the old and new passports. Also, I need to write a simple authorization letter to allow INZ to charge SGD20 to my credit card for the return courier.

This completes the most bureaucratic step of this journey. The next steps will be harrowing emotional steps:
  1. Breaking the news to friends
  2. Resigning from my current position (some bridges will undoubtedly be burned here)
  3. Finding a job (getting ready to deal with tonnes of rejection)
  4. Finding the cheapest air fare (more financial than emotional)
[End of original post]

If you have long hair, please make sure it doesn't obscure your eyes in your passport photos. The photographer didn't warn me about this and I had a few strands of hair covering my eyebrows. When I went to get my queue number at the Immigration Department, I was warned that my photos could be rejected on those grounds. Thankfully it was accepted without problem and I got my new passport a few hours later (the process is really efficient now!)

And this is how the visa sticker looks like on my passport:
Silver Fern Job Search Visa sample

15 comments:

IMPRATIKSHAH said...

Hi, I am from Ahmedabad,Gujarat India.I am trying to move into newzealand on Silverfern Job Search Visa.What is best option country to get secure and fast visa for putting my visa file?

Call me A.S for AkiraSabine said...

Hi Zemien,

Having returned from the NZ Working Holiday in February, I'm now looking forward to apply for the Silver Fern Visa to try my luck in seeking permanent jobs.

I'm thinking to apply for it this coming Apr. At the same time, I'll be out of the country from May till Aug for 3 months.

I'd like to know,

1. When your application was accepted, how long after Apr 27th that you were notified to send in the supporting documents?

2. Am I right that INZ Singapore only needed the certified copy of passports and not original? I will have a problem submitting the ori as I'll need it for the 3 months May - Aug travel.

3. Do we get to know the result of the application on the day of documents submission?

4. In your post, it was 1 week after the in-person submission at INZ SG that you got an email stating your visa has been approved. May I ask if it is necessary to post the original passport to SG for the visa sticker or I can paste it myself when it arrives?

I'm kinda worried that my being away in that 3 months will jeopardize the flow of the application. Thus, the list of ques above.

Thanks in advance for the posts. They're very helpful guides to me. Also, I hope NZ and working life there are treating you well too!

Hear from you soon.

Cheers!

Regards,
A.S

Zemien said...

jignesh: If you are well qualified and follow the process properly, I'm sure any country will welcome you!

A.S.: Please note that I'm not a qualified immigration adviser and thus I can only share my experience and opinion. INZ has a website where you can ask questions and an immigration officer will reply. They are usually helpful.

1. Once accepted, I had maximum 3 months to submit all docs.

2. They needed certified copy for application process, but they needed my original passport to put my sticker in. I sent in my passport about 1 week after approval. If you are approved, you can try to tell them that you will only send it to them after August.

At any rate, my visa validity started from the date I got approved, NOT the date the sticker was put on. So I don't see why you'll have any trouble there.

3. Took me about a week to know my application was approved. Note: If you are missing any documents, or they need more information, you will certainly be delayed!

4. They need to stick it themselves. You can always go to INZ Singapore yourself to get the sticker done instantly.

Hope my experience helps. BUT your own might differ significantly so it's good to just ASK INZ directly as they can tell you what should happen in your particular case.

Good luck.

Puneesh Motwani said...

Hi Zemien,

I am planing to apply for silver fern job visa. Though I don't have IELTS certificate. So do you think it will be acceptable if I appear for the IELTS exam after the application date 4-May-12.

Thanks
Puneesh

Zemien said...

Puneesh: Yes, you should do so.

Disclaimer: This is merely my opinion and should not be considered immigration advice.

Puneesh Motwani said...

Hi Zemien,

Thanks for your reply. Just wanted to share a good news. I am one of the lucky 300 this year.

Thanks
Puneesh

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Hi, may i know did u submit your online form once it reached NZ time 27 Apr?

Unknown said...

hi zemien,

im from india, and I am one of the lucky 300 this year. and i submitted my file with english medium cerficate on 16 july but not ielts. now tell me,how many days it will take for the result.

I look forward to receiving your reply .
Regards:
kamran

Unknown said...

hi zemien,

im from india, and I am one of the lucky 300 this year. and i submitted my file with english medium cerficate on 16 july but not ielts. now tell me,how many days it will take for the result.

I look forward to receiving your reply .
Regards:
kamran

krish said...

Dear, could you tell me about NZQA International Qualification Assessment? what is this?

Rajinder said...

Hello Zemien,

I am from Gujarat, India and have completed my masters with MBA and grad from Hotel Management. I have a total of 2 years of experience in Restaurant. I am considering for applying for the Silver fern visa. Is this process appropriate and reliable in terms of Job prospects in NZ. Generally what time it takes to search for a job in NZ.

Appreciate an enlightenment on the visa.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
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