Tired of hearing reports of MPs cheating tax payers? Exhausted by the constant claims that we're living in 'broken Britain'? If so, then it might be time to start thinking about New Zealand immigration, as the 'Land of the Long White Cloud' was named the world's least corrupt nation earlier this week. 

New Zealand topped Transparency International's list of 180 countries, displacing Denmark from the top. The aim of the list is to rank 180 countries on a scale of zero to 10 according to 13 independent surveys (with 0 being perceived as 'highly corrupt' and 10 as having 'low levels of corruption').

The top five countries and their scores were as follows:

1. New Zealand - 9.4
2. Denmark - 9.3
3. Singapore - 9.2
4. Sweden - 9.2
5. Switzerland - 9.0

Still feeling the fallout from the furore over MPs' expenses, Britain only just scraped into the top 20, coming 17th in the list with a score of 7.7. However, it could have been worse; on the other end of the scale were countries left unstable or impacted by war and ongoing conflicts, with the list giving the bottom five countries and their scores as follows:

1. Somalia - 1.1
2. Afghanistan - 1.3
3. Myanmar - 1.4
4. Sudan - 1.5
5. Iraq - 1.5

Commenting on the list was Huguette Labelle, chairwoman of Transparency International, who said: "Stemming corruption requires strong oversight by parliaments, a well-performing judiciary, independent and properly resourced audit and anti-corruption agencies, vigorous law enforcement, transparency in public budgets, revenue and aid flows, as well as space for independent media and a vibrant civil society."

So, while the chief appeal of New Zealand might still be its epic landscapes, gorgeous beaches and laid back lifestyle, it's also nice to know that when you apply for a visa to work in New Zealand, it's a little less likely that your taxes will end up paying for a politician's duck house.

- Tom Blackett is Online Editor for the New Zealand Visa Bureau

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

We received news last week that changes are set to be made to New Zealand immigration policy on 30 November. You can see the full list of changes by clicking here, but the most pertinent piece of information for anyone looking to make an application for a New Zealand work visa is the following:

"Minimum income requirement for dependent children of Essential Skills work visa or permit holders

A minimum income threshold requirement has been added for work permit and visa holders under the Essential Skills policy in order for their dependent children to live in New Zealand. This is to ensure that the children have a appropriate level of financial support, given that these families are not eligible for state-funded income support."

This essentially means that anyone migrating to New Zealand on an Essential Skills policy work visa with dependent children must have a minimum income to be granted the visa. Through further investigation into the legislation, I have found that the minimum income threshold is NZD$33,675 gross p/a (which converts to approx. GBP£15,000 gross p/a), based on today's exchange rates.

A further caveat is that this income must be met and maintained wholly by the salary or wages of a parent or parents holding an Essential Skills work visa/permit.

Evidence must be provided of the Essential Skills work permit holder’s current salary or wages to satisfy a visa or immigration officer that the applicant’s parent/s meet the minimum income threshold.

- Jodie List is Casework Department Manager for the New Zealand Visa Bureau.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

If you are planning to immigrate to New Zealand chances are you have been anxiously watching the exchange rates.  Halo Financial Director, David Johnson, looks at the reasons behind the current situation and what we can look forward to in the near future.

There are some very obvious reasons for the Sterling - New Zealand Dollar exchange rate languishing at near 25 year lows.

What is less clear is just what it is going to take to make the Pound rally enough to ease the financial pain of those migrating to New Zealand.

The reasons for NZ Dollar strength largely fall into three camps. Firstly, New Zealand has a base interest rate of 2.5% whilst the UK base rate is just 0.5% and the US, EU, Japan and almost every other industrialised country is keeping its base rate historically low in order to stimulate domestic growth. Consequently, investors can borrow money at virtually zero interest rates elsewhere and invest in Kiwi assets for a guaranteed yield advantage but they need to buy NZ Dollars to do so and that strengthens the currency. 

Secondly, the global recovery is starting on New Zealand’s doorstep in the Far East; creating a very healthy market for NZ exports as evidenced by this month’s improved dairy auction prices. And thirdly, the New Zealand economy has fared far better than equivalent western hemisphere economies during these troubled times and even though unemployment hit a 15 year high last month, most analysts would agree that unemployment lags the recovery and doesn’t alter the fact that NZ is already out of recession.

On the UK side of things, well the Great British Pound is a bit of a misnomer these days. The weakness in Sterling means it can hardly be described as "Great" but it is still British and it is certainly getting pounded. The astronomical size of UK government debt is the main concern because it will take decades for Britain to rid itself of this black hole and the cost of servicing all that debt will weigh on government spending for many years to come. That acts like a trailing anchor on growth and is perhaps one of the reasons why the UK is the only G10 country that has not yet recovered from recession.

In response to this lack of growth, the Bank of England announced a further £25 billion expansion of their cash creation program, a process which goes by the pseudonym "quantitative easing". Now that’s a case of calling a spade a "manually operated soil relocating implement" if ever I saw one.

Room for recovery

So on the face of it, it would seem utter folly to expect the Pound to strengthen against the New Zealand Dollar but we have to remember where this exchange rate was just a year ago. In October 2008, this pair was trading up around NZ$2.90. There was an unexpected spike to NZ$3.00 after the collapse of Lehman Brothers but that lasted no more than a matter of hours. Since then, we have witnessed a slide to NZ$2.13 and we have seen a grinding recovery to NZ$2.30 at the time of writing.

A fall of 77 cents followed by a bounce of just 17 cents would suggest there ought to be more room for recovery. Traders around the globe watch mathematically calculated retracement levels which suggest we ought to see NZ$2.42 and perhaps even NZ$2.51 in the months ahead. The key is not necessarily knowing when this might happen but having the resources to take advantage of such a move whenever it does occur and whether it happens on the very day you need to convert your funds or a few months before all your funds are available.

Take advantage with the right tools

At Halo Financial our role in your migration is to make sure you are aware of the market movements, are able to take advantage of advantageous exchange rate movements and have the tools at your disposal to secure the best exchange rate available within your time frame.  That exchange rate will comfortably better high street bank rates as will the level of service you will receive. So however and whenever the Pound recovers, with Halo Financial as your currency partner, you are in prime position to take advantage.  

- Halo Financial is a leading specialist provider of commercial foreign exchange services for both international business and private individuals who require foreign currency and need expert assistance in successfully managing their foreign exchange exposures. They are a partner of New Zealand Visa Bureau, an independent company specialising in helping applicants emigrate to New Zealand.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

The New Zealand Immigration Service (NZIS) recently announced a number of changes set to come into effect on July 27 that will impact both the temporary and permanent New Zealand visa categories.

The most important of these changes are those set to be made to the List of Skilled Occupations and the Long Term Skills Shortage List (LTSSL). In an effort to have the lists align the revised version of the Australia and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), both lists will see:

• The removal and addition of new occupations;
• The addition of specialisations within occupations;
• Occupation title changes;
• Occupation scope changes; AND
• The merging of occupations.

What does this mean for my New Zealand visa application?

The changes to the List of Skilled Occupations and LTSSL have the potential to change the eligibility of an applicant for a New Zealand visa, depending on whether their nominated occupation is added or removed from either of the lists.  However NZIS have also made provision in their policy for applicants whose occupation is removed from the LTSSL but have already had their Expression of Interest (EOI) selected from the pool. These applicants will NOT be affected, and they will continue  to be considered as if their occupation had not been removed.

However, what I advise all applicants to do is please remain calm. We are currently in the process of reassessing all our clients, but should you be trying to complete the process without the aid of a licensed immigration advisor, I advise that you take the time to research the changes and get a full and correct understanding of how they will affect you before taking action.

What other changes are coming to New Zealand immigration?

To summarise the other changes coming to New Zealand immigration, we can expect the following further changes to be made on July 27:

• A new policy called Supplementary Seasonal Employment (SSE) has been established and replaces the Transitioning to Recognised Seasonal Employer (TRSE) policy. As a result, some TRSE changes have been made as a reaction to the introduction of SSE policy. For more detailed information on these changes see the following news item on the NZIS website: 'New seasonal work policy for horticulture and viticulture businesses and amendments to Recognised Seasonal Employer policy'.
• A special Visitor policy has been introduced for work permit holders who have received a dismissal notice within the 90-day trial period.
• The Essential Skills work policy has been amended to limit the visa and permit length to one year for lower skilled workers. Additionally, a note has been added to state that self-employment does not meet the Essential Skills policy objectives.
• All New Zealand working holiday visa holders may now undertake more than one course of study, which must not exceed three months in total during their stay in New Zealand. Working holidaymakers from Canada, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and Taiwan may study more than one course not exceeding six months in total.

- Jodie List is Casework Department Manager for the New Zealand Visa Bureau

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

With breath-taking natural surroundings, a relaxed lifestyle and competitive salaries, it's unsurprising that there's been a boost in new arrivals who emigrate to New Zealand via the country's skilled migration programme. While we see many of our clients travelling to the larger cities and towns in the North Island, there are a huge number of opportunities in the less well known pockets of New Zealand, such as the Southland Region. Fighting back, one Southland Mayor is now waging war against NZ's larger cities, in a new drive to bring skilled workers to the southernmost parts of the country.

In the most recent figures released by Statistics New Zealand, the number of permanent and long-term migration arrivals from the UK increased yet again and the majority of them headed straight for the big cities: Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. There's no denying the attraction to these cities - Auckland is the country's economic hub, Wellington is NZ's culture capital and Christchurch is a comforting reminder of the Motherland left behind.

However, according to Auckland's ex-Mayor Tim Shadbolt, the Southland region is now the region that many migrants should be considering. His views could be seen as biased, considering he's since become Mayor of Invercargill (the Southland region's principal city), but the recent economic reports seem to back him up.

Boasting about the region's economic status, Mayor Shadbolt stated that "If Southland was a country it would be near the top of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development for economic growth)".

So, it must come as some reassurance to Mayor Shadbolt that workers are starting to acknowledge the appeal of the Southland. While Auckland has traditionally taken the lion's share of skilled workers arriving to New Zealand, the trend is now reversing. Immigrants on a New Zealand skilled visa and Kiwis alike are now choosing using Auckland and other major cities as a stepping stone before migrating south.

Obviously keen to continue drawing skilled workers down to the Southland, Mayor Shadbolt has announced another offensive against his old home town, stating his intent to set up a career village to compete against Auckland's Your Career Expo to lure as many workers as possible to his region. Will it be a success? We'll have to wait and see, but in the meantime, the NZ skilled worker civil war rages on...

- Tom Blackett is the Online Editor for the New Zealand Visa Bureau

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

Regardless of your situation, when you're in the midst of lodging a visa application, it can sometimes be difficult to keep a perspective on your situation and see your visa grant as a tangible reality. Even with the support of a migration agent, there's always the possibility that a new life in Australia can feel further away than it actually is.

With this in mind, it's refreshing to see the return of the BBC's Wanted Down Under, which is currently being repeated on BBC2 on weekdays at 5:15 PM. Not only does it show the light at the end of the tunnel by showcasing the gorgeous locations of Australia, it doesn't shy away from exploring the difficulties that the average Brit family faces as they pursue a new life Down Under.

I've always found that the best option to take with clients is to be completely honest and upfront about the visa process. While on paper it can seem like a straightforward application, there are often hidden hurdles, and Wanted Down Under is a programme that goes beyond the simple aspirational melodrama of other relocation shows.

In a time when television is undergoing something of a 'crisis of faith', we can testify to the validity of the subjects featured in Wanted Down Under, as some of the show's 'stars' in the first series were Visa Bureau clients. What's more, we're delighted to report that they've since successfully made the switch and are now happy Australian residents.

Also, the programme does well in acknowledging that 'Down Under' doesn't just mean Australia; the second series also follows Brits as they look to emigrate to New Zealand, making it ideal for any Kiwi-minded migrants.

Tune in for yourself to see it, or catch up on the BBC iPlayer - it's definitely worth your while!

- Lauren Mennie is the Casework Department Manager for the Australian Visa Bureau.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

It's summertime in Britain and (surprise, surprise) it's cloudy again.  But, we mustn't complain because we are not alone in the world of the dark and gloomy weather.  Storm clouds have covered New Zealand for some time now, but instead of moaning about it, the Kiwis are begging them to stay.

In New Zealand there's a different kind of cloud cover at this time of year – a much more refreshing, more exciting, more exhilarating cloud; a cloud which has left skiers and snowboarders to revel in the best snow conditions in eight years.

Already thousands of Kiwis and Aussies have hit up the country's Southern Alps to play on the new world-class terrain parks and explore the famous back-country slopes.  Mount Hutt, the southern hemisphere’s highest ski field, is wallowing in a nearly 2.5m base with a soft powder surface. Nice. As the Ski Area Manager of Mount Hutt put it so perfectly, "the snow gods have truly blessed us this winter."

It doesn't seem to be a one-eyed opinion either - skiing superstar and World Cup champion Bode Miller, along with the Norwegian and Austrian downhill ski teams, have caught on to the rush and headed to Mount Hutt to train. 

If the thought of missing out on that fun strikes a chord of jealousy, then you’ll be pleased to hear New Zealand offers extended working holiday visas for UK nationals.  Even though the season has already started, if you are keen to hit the slopes than a NZ working holiday visa is the best way to do it.  You'll be able to work, ski, and travel for 12 months, and then apply for an 11 month extension if you find it too hard to tear yourself away. 

In a place like Queenstown, where adventure sports thrive all year round and snowfields turn into hiking playgrounds, leaving to come home won't be as easy as you thought.

- Jessica Bird is a writer for the New Zealand Visa Bureau, and has spent more than her fair share of time on the slopes.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

If Amanda and her team were excited about the new changes to the Australian working holiday visa last week, then it is the New Zealand Visa Bureau's turn to breathe a big sigh of relief.  After many months of consultation, the UK Government has finally decided to continue running the New Zealand ancestry visa program and allow free access for Kiwis for up to six months.  Phew!

The British Home Office are having a big clean-up of their immigration system, and have been looking at the policies of other countries, mainly Australia, to base their new "simplified" structure on.  Although they're more interested in a new "Path to Citizenship", where migrants have to "earn" their right to become a UK citizen, they were also looking to restrict access to the UK for Commonwealth citizens.

Here in the New Zealand Visa Bureau, we all feared the Home Office would listen to suggestions to restrict the six month visa-free access to three months, or cancel rights to get a five year UK ancestry visa.   Thousands of New Zealanders live, work, and play in London already - city life just wouldn't be the same without the Kiwi contingent! 

Luckily for New Zealanders, the doors have stayed open.  Those who have grandparents born in the UK can still apply for a five-year working and residency visa, and the six month visa-free access is out there for the taking. 

Apparently, PM Helen Clark has been batting for New Zealand so that young Kiwis can keep flying to the UK.  In a press release, she told the country she understands how important it is for young people to have an OE in the UK, and went directly to Gordon Brown to ask him to reconsider.  

And so she should.  The New Zealand Immigration policy has been more than welcoming to UK citizens.  UK travellers also have six month visa-free access to New Zealand, and Brits on a working holiday visa are entitled to 23 months in NZ (everybody else in the working holiday program only get 12 months!). 

Imagine having that much time to see all the breathtaking sights New Zealand has to offer, or watch the adrenaline-pumping activities in the country's adventure capital Queenstown change to match the season.  You could even catch a full live season of the Super 14s Rugby Union competition, or just chill out in a batch for six months on the Coromandel. 

It's no wonder Britons make up the second largest source of tourism for the Land of the Long White Cloud – I think they're getting a pretty good deal!

Thanks to the announcements this week from Ms Clark, it gives me great pleasure to tell our NZ and UK clients they can still go on their well-deserved holiday to the other end of the world, just as their brothers, sisters, mates, parents (even myself) have done before them.  It just wouldn't be fair if the fun stopped here!

- Andy Harwood is the CEO of the Visa Bureau.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2010

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.