Be warned, you're in for some price shocks. Cost of living in NZ is nuts atm. Best of luck tho, it's a solid place.
this post was submitted on 22 Jan 2025
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Did you get a job before moving? Just curious about the logistics of a visa
It hadn't really occurred to me to seriously ask where an American could leave to and become a citizen. I've got a degree in Information Systems and I work I.T., which I would think would be relatively valuable somewhere.
"IT" as in operations, networks, security, support, or? I mean a suitable background in networks and you'd make 130k USD plus pension as a networking consultant in Denmark. IDK about citizenship though. As with all the rest of Europe, we've seen a rise in right wing populism and are now suffering from its resulting inane immigration laws.
But if you're in for the adventure, then you could look outside the list of English speaking countries. There's The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, we all speak English and we all have healthcare... But don't go to Sweden, they suck :-)
There are a shit ton of companies in my area that are looking for IT people here in Germany, and I think thats the case all over Europe.
I looked into moving to Germany a few years ago, I also work in IT. The part I had an issue with was figuring out how much I need to get paid to have a similar life style there. Taxes and cost of living is was different, especially if you want to live near a city.
The other issue is my wife works in health care but her job seems to be covered by nursing with a specialty in respiratory therapy. Here in the states we have people that are only respiratory therapists, couldn’t figure out how that would move over.
Your wife's job is going to be hard to translate to other countries. But if she has an education in healthcare, and it's nursing adjacent, maybe reach out to the nurses unions in your target countries, they could maybe help you move forward. Everybody are screaming for healthcare professionals, so maybe the local health authorities would be able to help as well.
I have no idea about other countries, but in Denmark we have an agency of international recruitment and integration. They're mostly involved with deportations, or so it would seem based on the news stories, but guiding potential specialists in translating their qualifications should be in their purview. Maybe other countries have something similar.
Nice, NZ will welcome you here.
So I've been seriously thinking about NZ for a while now, was filling out the application and figuring out banking and such until they changed their immigration policies about a year ago. When did you start your process? How long did it take? Is it a work visa? If so how did you find an employer willing to sponsor?
skilled migrant route. got a residence class visa before getting on the plane. My partner and I are STEM and medical so SMV seemed a good route.
That's great, I'm STEM too and had been looking at the same thing but seemed like you had to get a job before you could get the VISA and trying to line that up seemed like a chicken and egg situation with employers wanting people who were already work authorized?
Good luck man!
As someone that left the US a decade and a half ago, here's some things to go ahead and start getting answers to so you don't have to figure it out when the time comes:
- Figure out how to get a bank account (hopefully you've already worked this one out before arriving)
- Where to buy toiletries and medicine. Specifically deodorant. The UK is mostly spray deodorant where as I'm a stick deodorant person. At one point I was just bringing 4 sticks of deodorant back with me after every trip home. I'm not sure which way NZ leans but it was definitely something I hadn't considered before
- Where to buy socks and underwear you're comfortable with
- Figure out how the health service/insurance works. Go ahead and book dentist and doctors appointments 6 months in advance if possible so you get in the habit.
- Figure out how paying taxes works
- If you're a US citizen, remember you're still required to file taxes with the IRS every year.
- Learn how to make friends. I still haven't figured this one out. Let me know if you do.
- Call or go to a Kiwibank, ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Westpac bank branch in any mall in which ever city you land at (probably Auckland but could be Christchurch)
- Supermarket for toiletries. Pharmacy for medicine. Some larger supermarkets have pharmacies in them. Supermarkets are Pac'n'Save, New World, Woolworths, Freash Choice, 4Square. Pharmacies are Unichem, Chemist's Warehouse, Random mum and pop one off pharmacy
- Both types of deoderant (stick or spray) are readily available. Lynx is typically known as Axe in other parts of the world.
- The Warehouse or Kmart for cheap socks and undies. Farmers for midrange stuff. Boutique stores for high range
- Public health care for emergancy and accute need. GPs are roughly $35 to $70 for a checkup or general appointment
- get an IRD number from the IRD, work out your tax code (its probably 'M') then tax is mostly automatically deducted and paid by your employeer
- really!? Sounds like a double tax whamy... Ouch
- join clubs, hiking club, cricket club, soccer club, rugby club. Pubs and drinking are popular too. Most pubs run a quiz once a week ask the announcer about joining a random team
Excellent list, I hope OP see's it!
Also, I should have added a caveat to that last bullet: learn how to make friends without becoming an alcoholic. Meetup.com is usually the answer for finding readily available like minded people interested in the same physical activity as you, but meeting a whole bunch of new people at once can be overwhelming.
The deodorant availability trauma is real and brings untold migrant suffering every year.
He's getting out!
Quick, drag him back in!
Nah, I want to see his dash cam later.
Nicest people in the world... until they get behind the wheel and turn into violent psychopaths. But then again, I drove mostly around Auckland.
If he's leaving over Trump, odds are good he's on the saner half of US drivers. The real road ragers with their emotional issues probably the most likely to fall for the rage-based fascist propaganda and all that.
Congratulations
good luck on your journey.
Good choice
Congratulations! Made it to the UK from the US yesterday myself. Let's hope our new lives will be great!
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congrats.
Congrats on having a backbone. Hope you enjoy the vast experiences in your new life!
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How does one move to New Zealand?
Asking for a friend.
If you're serious then here you go
Take a look at the skills shortages list as well, because if you can get a job in something on that list, you'll have a much easier time. We desperately need Healthcare workers
You will be welcome here for the most part, but I have started noticing some things that are starting to annoy me, and I know I'm not alone, so fair warning:
Please remember why you're coming here. Nothing annoys me more than Americans who move here and then never shut up about how things were better back home. We have no 2a, our stores are small, and we don't tip. I consider those to be GOOD things. Also, even our right wing party (National) would be considered center left over there. (Sadly that seems to be changing)
If you're just looking for what America was 15 years ago, Australia is what you're looking for. That's not a joke either, I mean that very seriously, Australia is a better fit. It's the USA of the southern hemisphere (sorry Aussies, but tell me I'm wrong)
It's a process, but it can be done! Good luck!
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NZ? You a billionaire?
Sorry for everything you had to leave behind. Good luck in your new life
Hope down under treats you better
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