So, few months ago (28th of September to be exact) when the news of the company closure was announced. It was sort of like the final nail to the coffin. We have been tinkering with the idea of migration for a few years now but never had the guts to actually get around to do something.
And how did we end up with NZ? To be honest, there weren't much choices or we are just plain unadventurous! It was mostly between Australia and NZ. Both had its pros and cons. Australia is nearer, and we actually own an Australian degree which gives us some extra points and also Australia is less boring (??). But to maintain an Australia PR, we have to be there every 2 yrs of 5 years, which is a bit rigid.
NZ on the other hand, we did enjoyed ourselves in NZ, love the people there, the scenery, the environment but it's a bit quiet. When we were there 3 years ago, we could even hear crickets chirping at night! Like 8pm at night!
So after much weighing between the 2 options, we decided to go ahead with NZ. The other reason being, in order to gain sufficient points to submit our EOI (Expression of Interest) for the Australian resident visa, we have to sit for IELTS and get a MINIMUM band 8! so NZ it is!
I submitted my EOI on the 27th of October 2015 with a points of 150 (min points for automatic selection is 140), and got my EOI selected on the 28th of October 2015. The cost of EOI submission at this point of time is NZD510. Then on the 16th of November, i received my ITA (invitation to apply) via email. The ITA is basically the green light for you to start submitting all your relevant documents proving what you have claimed points for in the EOI. This is when the scramble begins.
Luckily, I still keep all my job offer letters and even pay slips! But i also had to write back to my first boss for a letter proving my employment at the company. So boys and girls, very very important, dont burn bridges! Hehe...after that it was the medical check. We did ours at Adventist hospital Penang at the wellness center. It was pretty smooth flowing and pleasant.
Bought bank draft (my first time!) for the ITA submission. We were "unlucky" enough that the ITA fee increased just a week before our submission. FML! It went up from USD2065 to USD2222. BAH! Submitted our ITA on the 11th of December. Not too bad mah...less than a month since we got our ITA. hehe...they actually gave us 4 months. And now keeping fingers crossed and my eyes peeled for status updates on the webpage. Argh!
Will blog more when i get more updates!
