Just a quickie before I head off to work . . .
I checked my email just now and was happily surprised to find a new message from the New Zealand immigration people: "We are pleased to advise that your application under the Working Holiday Scheme has been approved."
Awesome!
It actually only took about two days. I sent it in on Sunday night (Hawaii time), and they apparently sent the approval email Tuesday night (Hawaii time). That was really efficient of them.
I'm supposed to go log in to the site and print out some approval paperwork, but I think I'll do it from work. Ironic, huh? Well, they do have a better printer than me. LOL
Showing posts with label working holiday visa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label working holiday visa. Show all posts
July 21, 2010
July 18, 2010
New Zealand Working Holiday Visa Submitted
I did it. I submitted my online application for the New Zealand working holiday visa (WHV) today. Since they're a day ahead, it's officially July 19th instead of July 18th.
The application questions themselves weren't too hard to fill out. There were a lot of yes/no questions, and you had to fill in your identifying information. I'm not sure if it's this easy for all countries though and can only vouch for U.S. applicants.
The NZ immigration website is kind of confusing though. First, you need to register a username and password, which is fairly easy. Next, you need to log in, which again is very straightforward. However, once inside their system actually finding the link to apply for the WHV was another story. I had to click a bunch of things before I stumbled upon it. There wasn't a link that said "Apply Here" or something obvious like that.
Other than that, things were easy peasy. I've heard that approval can come as quickly as a few days. I think the site said a few weeks. We'll see how it goes.
The application questions themselves weren't too hard to fill out. There were a lot of yes/no questions, and you had to fill in your identifying information. I'm not sure if it's this easy for all countries though and can only vouch for U.S. applicants.
The NZ immigration website is kind of confusing though. First, you need to register a username and password, which is fairly easy. Next, you need to log in, which again is very straightforward. However, once inside their system actually finding the link to apply for the WHV was another story. I had to click a bunch of things before I stumbled upon it. There wasn't a link that said "Apply Here" or something obvious like that.
Other than that, things were easy peasy. I've heard that approval can come as quickly as a few days. I think the site said a few weeks. We'll see how it goes.
July 7, 2010
Work Sucks But Not For Long
I know. It's already a week into July and I'm slacking with the blogging. I don't really have a good excuse though. Laziness would be the honest answer. Being extremely tired throughout the day but wide awake when I need to sleep is another. Is this how insomnia starts?
Work has been really tough this week. The company is doing ridiculous things and expecting us to make everything happen. We're definitely overworked. I'm starting to feel the stress as events start piling up. None have even happened yet so they seem to be backlogged and overlapping.
I am so over this kind of lifestyle. Why would people choose to live this way? No wonder people are dropping dead of heart attacks. I'm so ready to stress out about different things, like what extreme sport I should try next or how to find a cheaper hostel. I am so ready for a life of traveling.
With that said, I still have not started the Working Holiday Visa application process yet. I'm thinking I'll begin this weekend and see how far I get. I'm not sure what type of information I'll need to provide. In some cases, you'll need to see a doctor to verify your health. I hope I'm not one of those lucky peeps as you know how much I dislike the white coats.
Even though I haven't been blogging and haven't applied for the Visa yet, I can boast that I've continued my NZ homework. I've been reading up on all these different websites to help myself transition from a life in the U.S. to a life in NZ.
I must admit though that this is still causing a bit of stress. I find myself hopping from one topic to the next and never really deciding what I'm going to do. I'll start by researching NZ banks to find the one with the least amount of fees. Then I'll get sidetracked into looking for credit cards with minimum fees. The next thing I know I'm reading up about WWOOFing and Help Exchange, two different programs where you trade a couple hours of work for free accommodations and sometimes food too.
Apparently we Americans freak out about too much. We just need to do it and things will be alright. I guess it's called trust, but I'm a suspicious gal to start off with so that's not helping matters much. Add that to my somewhat Type A personality and you've got yourself a stress party.
One thing I've decided is not to take that month-long vacation to test the waters. Why waste the money for airfare and a tour? I might as well just go over there and see how things turn out. If I don't like it, I can always get a flight home.
So, the new plan is to hightail it out of here in early 2011. I've been checking one-way flights and they range from about $600 -$1000+ depending on when you fly. I can't go too early as it's peak tourist season (aka summertime in the southern hemi). I'd like to avoid a lot of the crowds so I'm looking at late February or early March. I figure people will be on their way out at that time. However, as my research continues this could change.
Work has been really tough this week. The company is doing ridiculous things and expecting us to make everything happen. We're definitely overworked. I'm starting to feel the stress as events start piling up. None have even happened yet so they seem to be backlogged and overlapping.
I am so over this kind of lifestyle. Why would people choose to live this way? No wonder people are dropping dead of heart attacks. I'm so ready to stress out about different things, like what extreme sport I should try next or how to find a cheaper hostel. I am so ready for a life of traveling.
With that said, I still have not started the Working Holiday Visa application process yet. I'm thinking I'll begin this weekend and see how far I get. I'm not sure what type of information I'll need to provide. In some cases, you'll need to see a doctor to verify your health. I hope I'm not one of those lucky peeps as you know how much I dislike the white coats.
Even though I haven't been blogging and haven't applied for the Visa yet, I can boast that I've continued my NZ homework. I've been reading up on all these different websites to help myself transition from a life in the U.S. to a life in NZ.
I must admit though that this is still causing a bit of stress. I find myself hopping from one topic to the next and never really deciding what I'm going to do. I'll start by researching NZ banks to find the one with the least amount of fees. Then I'll get sidetracked into looking for credit cards with minimum fees. The next thing I know I'm reading up about WWOOFing and Help Exchange, two different programs where you trade a couple hours of work for free accommodations and sometimes food too.
Apparently we Americans freak out about too much. We just need to do it and things will be alright. I guess it's called trust, but I'm a suspicious gal to start off with so that's not helping matters much. Add that to my somewhat Type A personality and you've got yourself a stress party.
One thing I've decided is not to take that month-long vacation to test the waters. Why waste the money for airfare and a tour? I might as well just go over there and see how things turn out. If I don't like it, I can always get a flight home.
So, the new plan is to hightail it out of here in early 2011. I've been checking one-way flights and they range from about $600 -$1000+ depending on when you fly. I can't go too early as it's peak tourist season (aka summertime in the southern hemi). I'd like to avoid a lot of the crowds so I'm looking at late February or early March. I figure people will be on their way out at that time. However, as my research continues this could change.
June 30, 2010
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
I've busy with my massive research project on New Zealand, working holidays and round-the-world traveling. However, I'm not sure this is a very effective way for me to go about this whole adventure.
As some of you know, I lean more toward a type A personality than a type B personality. Because of this, I continue to have this need to as prepared as possible. While other people would just buy a ticket and go, I am stressing out just from researching a potential trip.
The more I scour the web for information, the more I feel I am sinking under all that information. Yet, I cannot seem to stop myself from learning more. What's worse is that I hop from one topic to the next and never find a definite answer for anything. My mind is just buzzing with activity and before I know it, it's past midnight every night and I'm nowhere nearer my goal.
Each search just seems to creates more and more questions. What's the best credit and debit cards to use? Which financial institution has the least amount of fees involved with currency conversions and transaction fees? Should I open a bank in NZ when I get there? How do I go about setting up a NZ tax ID number? What's WWOOFing all about? How safe is it? Which mode of transporation should I use - public bus, backpacker bus, rental car or purchase a used car? What's the deal with travel insurance? How do you get covered for stuff like skydiving? How do you get work? Is it easy? What kind of work is available?
The questions are endless. I've started posting some questions on a New Zealand backpacker message boards and most of the advice is the same old Nike saying, "Just do it!" At some point I think I'll just be so overwhelmed with my researching that I'll end up just doing it out of frustration. The other info I'm getting through this site is pretty helpful though, and it calms my nerves because it proves other people have already done it so I'm not exactly blazing any new trails. The fear comes from the unknown, which is pretty normal, so I just need to jump this one hurdle and be done with it.
As some of you know, I lean more toward a type A personality than a type B personality. Because of this, I continue to have this need to as prepared as possible. While other people would just buy a ticket and go, I am stressing out just from researching a potential trip.
The more I scour the web for information, the more I feel I am sinking under all that information. Yet, I cannot seem to stop myself from learning more. What's worse is that I hop from one topic to the next and never find a definite answer for anything. My mind is just buzzing with activity and before I know it, it's past midnight every night and I'm nowhere nearer my goal.
Each search just seems to creates more and more questions. What's the best credit and debit cards to use? Which financial institution has the least amount of fees involved with currency conversions and transaction fees? Should I open a bank in NZ when I get there? How do I go about setting up a NZ tax ID number? What's WWOOFing all about? How safe is it? Which mode of transporation should I use - public bus, backpacker bus, rental car or purchase a used car? What's the deal with travel insurance? How do you get covered for stuff like skydiving? How do you get work? Is it easy? What kind of work is available?
The questions are endless. I've started posting some questions on a New Zealand backpacker message boards and most of the advice is the same old Nike saying, "Just do it!" At some point I think I'll just be so overwhelmed with my researching that I'll end up just doing it out of frustration. The other info I'm getting through this site is pretty helpful though, and it calms my nerves because it proves other people have already done it so I'm not exactly blazing any new trails. The fear comes from the unknown, which is pretty normal, so I just need to jump this one hurdle and be done with it.
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