₦airaland Forum

scrollmeout:
Dear e-fam,

I'm glad to inform you that my 189 Permanent Residence Grant just landed, including grants for my wife and two kids.

Timeline:
Engineers Australia application : March 26, 2015
Engineers Australia +ve assessment: June 29, 2005
EOI lodged: August 23, 2016
Invitation received: Nov 6, 2016
Applied: Nov 12, 2016
CO contact and Meds request: Nov 23, 2016
Request to hold application : Nov 24, 2015
Baby born: Jan 10, 2016
Baby added: Jan 22, 2016
Baby meds submitted: Feb 15, 2016
Grant: March 17, 2016

It was a long wait but well worth it. Thank God

Warm thanks to @okpas 12 and his family for your encouragement and love, regards to @bellong, @Erictack203, @bossladyMo, @missymii @johnsontade @Chuckdee13 @adetoi @FutureDon @NNBB2012 @pingu2k @Ifexsco @ewagbamio @doromel @jorgan @akinnaowu and so many others numerous to mention.

Congratulations! I am very happy for you. Your story is an encouragement and reinforces the need for us to be persistent and not give up on our dreams.

May God be with you and family and remember the rest of us this year in Jesus name, Amen!

hartson:
Welldone Bros,I have been thinking on how to come up with this.You got it.let the thread flow now

Welcome bro.

Wikipedia has summarized the entire process. It tallies with what I have read so far about NZ Immigration. Enjoy reading....

The Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) is the way skilled migrants qualify to gain Permanent Residence (PR) to New Zealand. It is managed by Immigration New Zealand under the Immigration Act [2009], and currently has a target of attracting 26,000 migrants per year.

The SMC replaced in the late 1990s a seriously flawed system that had resulted thousands of supposedly skilled migrants coming into NZ, who were subsequently unable to work in their skilled professions in NZ due to various factors, such as their overseas qualifications not being recognised in NZ, were unable to get occupational registration in NZ, or were unable to speak English.

Introduction
The SMC combines both a points-based system as well as minimum requirements. While the points can vary (although the minimum points allowed under law is 100), the minimum requirements are that one be aged 55 or under, be healthy, be of good character, and speak English (or pay an English Language Tuition Bond).

The Points system
Under the SMC, points are allocated for age, work experience, employment in New Zealand and qualifications, amongst other categories.

Skilled employment
For skilled employment, an applicant gets 50 points for either skilled job offer in New Zealand, or if the applicant is already working in a skilled job in New Zealand for less than 12 months. If the applicant is working in a skilled job in New Zealand for more than 12 months, they get 60 points. If the job is outside the Auckland Region, a further 30 bonus points are allocated.

However, INZ only recognises certain jobs as being skilled, and these occupations are contained on Appendix 6 in the INZ manual. In addition, the applicant must also meet the work experience and qualifications prescribed to that job by the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO).

Qualifications
For qualifications, an applicant gets 40 points recognised level 4-6 qualification (e.g. trade qualification, diploma), 50 points for a recognised level 7 or 8 qualification (e.g. bachelor's degree, bachelor's degree with honours), and 60 points for recognised level 9 or 10 post-graduate qualifications (master's degree, doctorate).

Foreign qualifications must be verified by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority before points can be claimed, although there are numerous exceptions to this rule. This process can take several months

If the applicant has studied in NZ, they can get 10 points for either two years full-time study in New Zealand completing a recognised bachelor's degree New Zealand qualification, or completing one year of full-time study in New Zealand completing a recognised post-graduate New Zealand qualification (15 points for 2 years' post-graduate study).

Work experience in skilled employment
Under this category, one gets the following points for skilled employment anywhere in the world:
10 points: 2 years
15 points: 4 years
20 points: 6 years
25 points: 8 years
30 points: 10 years

In addition to this, the applicant can also get bonus points for skilled work experience in New Zealand, five points for one year's experience, 10 points for two years' experience, and 15 points for three or more years' experience.

If the work experience is in an area of absolute skills shortage, for 2 to 5 years' work experience the applicant gets 10 points, and for 6 or more years' experience 15 points. However, to qualify for these points, the job must be on the Long-term Skill Shortage List, and the applicant must have the prescribed amount of work experience and qualifications.

The immigration officer will need 2 forms of evidence to prove work experience, such as payslips, bank statements (showing one's pay), letters from the Inland Revenue Department (tax), Work and Income New Zealand (social security) deduction documents, work references, etc.

Age
Points for age are allocated on the following basis:
30 points: 20–29 years
25 points: 30–39 years
20 points: 40–44 years
10 points: 45–49 years
5 points: 50–55 years

Close family
Under this category, an applicant can get 10 points for having a close family member residing in New Zealand. However, the relative is limited to either an adult child or adult brother or sister, or parent of the applicant or the applicant's spouse.

The family member must also not only be a permanent resident of New Zealand, but they have done so for the last 3 years. For this category the applicant must get their relative to provide numerous banks statements, bills, etc., for each of the last 3 years as proof of residence in NZ.

Spouse
If an applicant's spouse has a skilled job or skilled job offer in NZ, they can get 20 points. Also if the spouse holds a level 4-6 qualification they can get 10 points, and if their partner holds a level 7+ qualification they get 20 points.

The Selection Process
The process commences with lodging an Expression of Interest form, either on a paper form or online, and paying the appropriate fee. As of September 2014, it costs NZ$650 to make a paper application and NZ$530 for an online application.[1]

INZ makes a selection out of the pool. Applicants with 140 points or more are generally automatically accepted without having to go into the pool.

If there are not enough applicants with 140 points or more, applicants with a skilled job or skilled job offer in New Zealand are selected. When 100 points are reached, INZ starts selecting from applicants claiming 15 points for work experience in an area of absolute skills job shortage. When all these are selected, they then go to the applicants claiming 15 points for work experience in an area of absolute skills job shortage.

Once an applicant's EOI has been selected, they are notified by mail. An immigration officer is then assigned to the application. Recently this has taken up to 3 months. By July 2014 INZ is aiming to assign a case officer within 2 weeks.

When the immigration officer is assigned, it is requested that one verifies their claims in their EOI, plus supply a medical, a police clearance certificate, and proof of English ability. Four months are given to submit all this, otherwise the application lapses.

After all this is provided and verified, one is then given a letter saying one is approved for Residence. However, residence is not granted until the applicant's passport is sent to INZ, and the prescribed fee is paid. Three months are given to do this, otherwise the offer of residence lapses.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skilled_Migrant_Category_(New_Zealand)

This topic was inspired by a slight "derailment" on the Canadian thread.

I am not very knowledgeable on the subject but I think we can exchange ideas and gradually get more information on the subject.

Let me share a few of what I have found out so far.

First, as a skilled worker hopeful, the first thing to do is to check if your skills are in demand. It is noteworthy that there are immediate skilled shortages and long-term skilled shortages.

Second is to check if you are eligible. If the finding is positive, the next thing to do is to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI).

Be ready to cough out about $530 to support the application

Let us keep the thread going with useful, relevant and practical information. Cheers!

The following links are relevant in this regard:

http://skillshortages.immigration.govt.nz/

http://skillshortages.immigration.govt.nz/assets/uploads/immediate-skill-shortage-list-2015-03-30-.pdf

http://skillshortages.immigration.govt.nz/assets/uploads/long-term-skill-shortage-list-2015-03-30-.pdf

https://www.newzealandnow.govt.nz/move-to-new-zealand/before-you-apply

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/work/skilledmigrant/default.htm

https://www.newzealandnow.govt.nz/work-in-nz/nz-jobs-industries

Looping: akeenade, hartson, mozo, justwise

hayqinsbFX:
he already said general studies....

My bad. I considered "for general studies" as part of the name of the school

In any case, if so, I find it curious that a graduate of banking & finance would consider such as the next step. I studied the course too and if I were a visa officer, I would have valid concerns about her visa application.

@blackhoney: What are your career goals in the long-term?

blackhoney:
Hello house i am a graduate of banking and fiance with a 2:1 I recently just applied to Lethbridge college for general studies wat r my chance of getting an admission

You didn't state your proposed course of study.

Does the school run a PG programme? What exactly did you apply for? Any particular reason for this choice?

hartson:
Lets not derail this thread with another matter.This is strictly for canada immigration.However,sign up with several job sites like kiwis,workhere,SEEK and other several sites

Apologies for the slight derailment. Thanks for the useful info.

Looping: mozo

hartson:
I think the best is to open a new thread on that but my fear is that I might not be able to contribute much when people start bombarding me with questions and enquiries cos I managed to revolve round and round their site before I was able to understand how it works.currently I am on 120 points.Had it being I have an offer of job or a masters degree that will catapult me to 140.The obstacle as you rightly pointed is to get an offer from an employer in New Zealand which sites like Kiwis,workhere,Aucklandjobs may be helpful.

A job offer is the way out for New Zealand. I got about 130 points too. How can one secure a job offer there while still resident in Nigeria?

Cc: mozo

akeenade:
I know o. Please don't be offended. I just can't find a New Zealand thread. Please direct if there is one.

You can create one

abekeade1:
@Royat1 I just sent d materials to you sir.

All d best!

Kindly forward to my email too. Sent you a PM. Thank you.

Good morning: Justwise, Kunlay11, Bosslady, Bellong, Manweysabi, NNBB2012, alaoeri, lawland, scrollmeout, other gurus in the house

I would like to know the chances of securing banking jobs in Australia. What are the prospects for immigrants? Any banker in the house?

I am 37 years old with over 9 years banking experience. I have had a few years experience as a Branch Manager in the banking industry. Though my role has been changed to a "Relationship Manager", I also figured that the most related skilled occupation class (CSOL) is : 149914

My overall IELTS (General) score was 7.5 and my qualifications include BSc, MBA and ACIB.

Onenigeriangirl:
Stanbic is giving PTA at the moment. You need to have applied at least 2 weeks in advance. They will always tell you no cash but you need to be persistent.

They are giving based on travel dates, so if you are travelling today or tomorrow, they will attend to you. I'm travelling on Sunday so I was treated like someone travelling tomorrow since they won't be open over the weekend. Ask to speak to either Femi or Kemi. Even if they ask you to go, just wait there. You will get.


Best of luck.

Which of their branches please?

irondome:
For IELTS Australia prefer General not Academic, however, you would still need to score 7 band in each of the modules to stand a chance of migrating. This is because your wife's occupation (Accountant and financial auditor) is highly competitive for Australia with applicants in the 65 points range stuck in the pool for several months. Bottom line, you need all the points you can get, and a 7.0 band in each module fetches you an extra 10 points, 25 for age (she is 33), 10 points for experience (8 years would have fetched her 15 points, but she has got 7 years), 15 points for degree. To shore up your point, you may also lean on state sponsorship to get additional 5 points.

The 50 point I wrote about was for Canadian PR. Applicants with a minimum of 2 or more degree ECA and a CLB band of 9 in IELTS are entitle to the 50 additional points under transferable skill. Bringing this home to your spouse situation; she has got a Masters and a CLB of (10 in listening and speaking, 9 in reading, but 8 in writing). Because of her CLB of 8 in writing (IELTS of 6.5), you guys lost 50 points. If she re-attempts IELTS now and scored (L-R-W-S --8-7-7-7), your CRS would jump to 400+ and you can easily go the PNP route.

Personally, I think the best option is for her to re-write the IELTS, considering her performance in the last attempt. She got pretty close. In fact, you guys should have considered re-evaluation before the expiration of the review window; apparently, it's too late.

In summary, which ever option you settle for (Australia or Canada), she would have to re-sit for IELTS.

Honestly, with your wife's ielts result, don't give up on Canada yet. if

Thanks a great deal. She has registered and would be writing the test in 3 weeks. God bless!

Waiting

irondome:
Try and re-evaluate your writing, you may just get it reviewed upward to band 7, which fetches you additional 50 CRS points. Honestly, she is almost there, in fact, I see IELTS as an easier route for her than MSc.

You would also need an IELTS score of band 7 across all modules for Australian Migration program which fetches you 10 points. It would be difficult to get in without the 10 points.

You mean a score of 7 across board could fetch us additional 50 CRS points? Wow!

I will encourage and support her to rewrite IELTS while keeping our eyes on Australia and maybe, New Zealand too

The only snag is that Australia prefers IELTS Academic

Thanks for the insightful information

GboyegaD:
Based on mutt experience, it is most advisable she applies directly to a PhD otherwise, she could either state she has a Masters and face the risk of been rejected outrightly or get lucky to be considered. However, her chances of funding is slimmer.

Thank you.

@bolded: do you mean funding generally for international students?

irondome:
What's your wife's IELTS score? She holds the key here; she is younger and she has got a masters degree. A good IELTS score would get you to 400, which I sincerely believe is the easiest route for you guys. If hiring a sound "ielts tutor" would help, don't hold back.

On the other hand, have you guys considered Australia. Australia awards more points for years of foreign experience and you do not lose much point on age as you grow older. Her profession is also in demand (in SOL list) in Australia. Personally, I believe it would be easier for you guys to migrate to Australia than Canada (considering your age and years of experience). Australia has a number of positives over Canada, a much higher wage rate and great weather.

Thanks for your suggestions, I appreciate.

She scored the following in December 2014 Listening-6.5, Reading-7, Writing-7, Speaking-7.5. Overall score-7

In October 2015, she attempted it again and got the following Listening-8.5, Reading-7.5, Writing-6.5, Speaking-7.5. Overall score-7.5

We have been fiddling with the thought of Australia but hesitated because of the reported higher costs of living and seemingly lower childcare benefits for immigrants. With the above recommendations, we shall consider it seriously.

Thanks again

Huzzie:
To get Msc in Accounting or finance requires GMAT, that is the starting point. During my quest to avoid GMAT I found my current school (Brock)
https://brocku.ca/business/future/graduate/maccdegrees/imacc and
UNBC http://www.unbc.ca/commerce. (master of business administration with specialization in accounting, finance etc)
Brock is in Ontario and is expensive while Unbc is in British Columbia and is extremely cheap. The challenge with UNBC is that the competition is very high because domestic and international students pay the same fee(used to be about $1700/semester for 5semesters), I know this because I applied there twice and a friend( also a nairalander) graduated from the Master of biz administration (specialization in finance) last year . But note that, starting from last year Nigerians applying to UNBC are required to write English Proficiency test. You could also check university of Saskatchewan, I think they have a good program
http://www.usask.ca/programs/colleges-schools/grad-studies/programs/accounting.php.
Tell your wife to start thinking of writing GMAT because this might be your meal ticket to cheap schools.

Hope this was helpful.
Cheers.

Thank you

zandora:
Firstly it is doable but the problem is that she already has a Master's so CIC will be skeptical as to why she wants another Master's again. My advice is for her to apply for a PhD instead to maximise her chances of being successful with the student application. Yes you would be eligible for a spousal work permit.

Thanks zandora, I appreciate

link2jb:
With 376 and 367 how did u qualify 4 crs? Did u get up to 67 in fsw eligibility?

Yes, we did. What do you have in mind?

zandora:
Firstly it is doable but the problem is that she already has a Master's so CIC will be skeptical as to why she wants another Master's again. My advice is for her to apply for a PhD instead to maximise her chances of being successful with the student application. Yes you would be eligible for a spousal work permit.

Thanks zandora for the insight.

What if we are silent on the Msc acquisition? I am thinking this way because she completed the programme as a full-time worker on a very tight and hectic schedule and no doubt, Canadian graduate programmes would be very different the Nigerian system. So I felt starting over would allow her to really be a research student to the core. Besides, commencing as a Masters student should be cheaper for a start, right?

I am open to suggestions/ideas.

Good evening. Is there anyone in the house that is currently undergoing MSc Accounting in Canada?

My spouse is fiddling with the thought of applying with the aim of eventually doing her Phd in Canada. She has already completed her Msc in Accounting here in Lagos but we are both of the opinion that she should start afresh to be able to acclimatize fully with the Canadian university system considering the fact that she worked fulltime while running the MSc.

I have done some research online but what I am really looking for is an affordable university in a province/city where both my wife and I can get jobs with minimal stress. Some of those that I have seen seem to be concentrated in Ontario. Thank you.

Good evening. My wife and I are in the pool with scores of 376 and 367 respectively. We have tried to improve our scores by rewriting IELTS but we still didn't hit the 400 mark and there is no PNP in sight yet. I am 37 while my wife would be 33 in few months time. Her NOC is 1114 while mine is 0122 though I have edited it to 4163.

Since we are determined to relocate to Canada along with our children, we are proposing that my wife should apply for an M.sc in Accounting in any province considering the following: affordable cost of living, possibility of me securing a job easily with an "spousal work permit" (hope I got it right) and affordable child care for our children.

I learned that she would be eligible for a 3 years work permit after the M.sc and there would be possibility of getting PR subsequently. I also learned that I would be eligible for a work permit while she is studying for her graduate programme. We have 9 and 7 years work experience respectively.

My wife's desire is to join the academia since she has completed her Msc in Accounting at a Nigerian University but we feel that starting all over would enable her to acclimatize before pursuing her Ph.d in Accounting and at the same be a less-stressful way of immigrating to Canada.

What do you think of the above proposal?
Does it look realistic?
Would I be eligible for a work permit during the period of her study and the anticipated 3 years work permit that follows?
What other ways can you suggest apart from the above?

I would really appreciate the input of our gurus@JesusDWay, zandora, superchi, dupyshoo, Tola73, irondome, Etfash, other gurus

manucho:
thanks bro i have someone that bank with them. Would check them out with him early tomorrow morning

Welcome. Note that not all branches are enabled for this; there are designated branches for Moneygram outbound. So, your contact should enquire which branch does this in your locality.

manucho:
Good morning house how can I send money from Nigeria here to Australia cause I've been to all the banks its either we don't do western union or moneygram or limit exceeded till may/June. Help a brother out its urgent. Thanks y'all

Union Bank still does Moneygram "Outbound" subject to a daily limit of N190,000. If you have a naira account there, you don't need to open a domiciliary account.

An alternative is if you have a close friend or relative who has an account there. The account holder would be required to fill a form and submit a copy of his valid ID.

Due to the high demand, you may have to submit early because requests are being treated on a"first come, first serve" basis and there are backlogs at any given time. The upside to this is the rate which is very reasonable.

zandora:
Either you both get the maximum scores in ielts or PNP.

zandora, I just sent you a PM please

All these universities....

The way Naira is going down, it will soon hit oil...

SlowlybtSurely:
Congrats! I honestly don't know why people on here are not keying into this Ontario nomination. It's like the Indians' fav thing and their refusal rate is low.

What did you show as ties to Ontario?

Will try to Google but please give me useful hints about the Ontario PNP. Does iy require a job offer? Sponsor?

Cc: Bcolah, zandora, JesusDWay, irondome

zandora:
To those of you wanting to post the copy of your degree certificate to WES, you could scan it and email it to me so I can post it for you as it'll be faster and way cheaper - that is if you want though (I'll do it for free obviously and send u a copy of the receipt). I'm doing this to show my appreciation to those who told me to be patient in my job search and not give up because I've now landed a nice bank job

Zandora, congratulations!

I am so happy for you. That gesture was also very thoughtful of you.

Cheers!