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Our current government is run by a bunch of leftie vote buyers.
They bought their way into power with free university education and a bunch of other policies they are now realising can't be funded.

One of those vote buying policies was making it harder for foreigners to buy residential property, because they did a survey of people at some house auctions and there were a lot of "Asian sounding names" - so they're blaming foreigners for our high house prices.

Anyone can get medical assistance for accidents here. I doubt there are many firmware engineer jobs though.
https://www.immigration.govt.n...

I'd like to highlight this point. To anyone thinking of coming to New Zealand: Yes, it's looking pretty good right now, but the fundamentals of civil society (innocence until proven guilt, free speech, mens rea, financial privacy) are under heavy assault as a people that like to joke about how bad the US is simultaneously swallow all the legislation the US exports to them. New Zealander's are absolutely not the kind of people that will stand against oppression, they're more laid back (read: cowardly and obedient) than many other groups. I recently acquired residence here but I'm regretting not putting the same effort into another location.

Oh, and by "anyone can get medical assistance for accidents here" we mean "everyone is forced to buy medical insurance with a government". Our ACC has the efficiency and customer service of your DMV thanks to having no competition and coerced customers.

Our current government is run by a bunch of leftie vote buyers.
They bought their way into power with free university education and a bunch of other policies they are now realising can't be funded.

One of those vote buying policies was making it harder for foreigners to buy residential property, because they did a survey of people at some house auctions and there were a lot of "Asian sounding names" - so they're blaming foreigners for our high house prices.

Anyone can get medical assistance for accidents here. I doubt there are many firmware engineer jobs though.
https://www.immigration.govt.n...

Well, they're on the Long Term Skill Shortages List, so assuming competence and meeting character requirements, they're virtually guaranteed a work visa and a following on residence visa if they apply... :-)

Yeah -- the Long Term Skill Shortage List Residence Visa has a cut off at 55; and that's probably the reason for it.

(LTSSL is the list of jobs that NZ immigration deems we need, so if you've got skills on that list you can get residence a LOT more easily -- and, yes, Programmers are on the list - as are radiographiers and a bunch of other professions.)

Yeah -- the Long Term Skill Shortage List Residence Visa has a cut off at 55; and that's probably the reason for it.

(LTSSL is the list of jobs that NZ immigration deems we need, so if you've got skills on that list you can get residence a LOT more easily -- and, yes, Programmers are on the list - as are radiographiers and a bunch of other professions.)

You can also have profession exceptions - e.g., here in New Zealand we have skill shortages lists, and if you can successfully argue a position is in the Long Term Skill Shortages List, one can basically work in NZ without much visa paperwork and is a good way to head to residence in NZ. It allows Essential Skills Work Visa and Skilled Migrant Visa approaches to getting into NZ.)

But offering a position that isn't on that LTSSL is quite difficult. It CAN be done, but typically it's very niche or very top of the field. (e.g., it's hard to argue restaurant waitstaff should be hired from offshore, for example, but it can be done for the absolute top fine dinning where there aren't any really experienced kiwis. Such a visa would be in this category. And notice how you have to essentially prove you tried to hire a local first?)

Obviously, this requires giving your immigration authority enough resources to make the judgement decisions.

You can also have profession exceptions - e.g., here in New Zealand we have skill shortages lists, and if you can successfully argue a position is in the Long Term Skill Shortages List, one can basically work in NZ without much visa paperwork and is a good way to head to residence in NZ. It allows Essential Skills Work Visa and Skilled Migrant Visa approaches to getting into NZ.)

But offering a position that isn't on that LTSSL is quite difficult. It CAN be done, but typically it's very niche or very top of the field. (e.g., it's hard to argue restaurant waitstaff should be hired from offshore, for example, but it can be done for the absolute top fine dinning where there aren't any really experienced kiwis. Such a visa would be in this category. And notice how you have to essentially prove you tried to hire a local first?)

Obviously, this requires giving your immigration authority enough resources to make the judgement decisions.

To be eligible for residence under SMC you must: be 55 or under be healthy be of good character speak English.

I think most slashdotters would qualify, but there is a calculator you can use to check if you would you could get a visa under this category.

Disclaimer: I am a proud Kiwi/New Zealander who would welcome more geeks.

To be eligible for residence under SMC you must: be 55 or under be healthy be of good character speak English.

I think most slashdotters would qualify, but there is a calculator you can use to check if you would you could get a visa under this category.

Disclaimer: I am a proud Kiwi/New Zealander who would welcome more geeks.

Please note: New Zealand law prohibits any person on a temporary visa including a Working Holiday Scheme work visa, from providing commercial sexual services, or operating or investing in a business which provides such services.

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/work/workingholiday/unitedstatesofamericaworkingholidayscheme.htm

Get a working holiday visa. http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/work/workingholiday/unitedstatesofamericaworkingholidayscheme.htm

Go to New Zealand.

Enjoy the best year of your life.

Go home.

Start your career.

Everything you need to know about migrating to NZ is here.

I retired and moved here, which is not easy to do for most folks unless they have buckets of money (I don't). I happen to be married to a NZ citizen and was able to ride in on her coattails. Being retired, I have not personally dipped my toe into the job market here. There are lists of "needed" skills which the government keeps, and you will need to fit one or more of those to get residence.

The worldwide recession has bit NZ, too, though apparently not as bad as the US. The job market is very tight now. The newspapers report signs of recovery, but it is slow. On a brighter note, housing is cheaper than it has been in several years and mortgage rates are lower right now.

I have heard that NZ is not all that anxious to let foreigners immigrate (same as here in the US BTW). If you have enough money you can buy your way in, yet this is getting harder. And if you are a highly skilled migrant you can get in. But I suspect during a global recession the urgent need for migrant labor might be diminished.

This is, unfortunately, not something as easily done in America once you get here, and the number of options for emmigration are practically none once you get an American passport.

1. Why does getting an American passport reduce the options that he has through his British passport?

2. BS on your whole point. It's easy for Americans to emigrate. In most European countries, all you have to do is hold down a job for 3-5 years and then you can naturalize. New Zealand will take anyone with a pulse.

And BS on that point. New Zealand does have restrictive immigration policies... http://www.immigration.govt.nz/nzopportunities/williqualify/

As long as you are healthy, have significant personal funds and have relevant skills it can be done, but the bar is quite high.

Well the issues are small, well more correctly very unlikely to affect you.

But the OP seems a bit paranoid, so probably big issues for him!

I don't know much about New Zealand, but a quick google gave me this which outlines all the various ways the NZ government can deport you if you are convicted of a crime.

This is a perfectly valid policy, I imagine governments would be delighted to get rid of all their criminals in this fashion.

But it does underline my point, you have less rights as an immigrant. If you and a natural kiwi both did something stupid, the consequences for you could be far greater.

When I meet new immigrants that don't take in to consideration a wide variety of factors in deciding whether or not a country is right for them they inevitably end up disappointed. Emigrating is huge emotional and financial commitment so I'd recommend spending an extended period of time in the country, either on a work visa or studying. On top of that the amount of paperwork to immigrate to any country is crazy unless, even for just a work visa. If you do settle for a long term work visa there's always the unsettling feeling that you can't truly lay down roots in a country which can be stressful.

If you're considering particularly New Zealand (I don't know if you are but we get a large number of poms coming over here) there are some specifics to think of:

-We're small so if you like big cities our biggest is pretty small by most country's standards.
-Internet and technology is expensive here. Our iPhone plans (just as for comparison) on Vodafone are the most expensive in the world
-We are a multicultural society, Maoris, Europeans, Asians and many others call this country home, if you're intolerant you'll have a hard time here
-Wages are lower here and taxes are higher, you get a lot for it, including a good health care system and a no-fault society accident coverage, but you're disposable income will probably be less then what you make for the same work in other countries
-New Zealand is a long ways away from other countries, it's expensive to get anywhere from her

Things are nice here and I love it. I don't regret it at all. If you're interested in learning more about New Zealand immigration check out http://www.emigratenz.org/ and http://www.immigration.govt.nz/ It'd probably also be advisable to speak to an immigration lawyer, but unless you've got the extra cash, you can definitely do all the paperwork on your own.

New Zealand. You don't need one, strictly speaking, but NZ uses a points-based system and having a recognized degree gets you a lot of points.

A recognised qualification - A qualification gives you a lot of points. We accept a variety of trade certificates, diplomas, bachelors degrees and post-graduate qualifications, from the institutions on our List of Recognised Qualifications. We also accept qualifications that the NZQA considers equivalent to an acceptable New Zealand qualification.

For comparison, having close family in NZ gives you 10 points, ten years of work experience gives you 30 points, and an undergraduate degree gives you 50 points.

I've been wondering exactly the same thing as yourself, and here are some of the conclusions I've come to.

First of all, language. I would guess that the other employees at almost any job you would want would speak English, so that's not a problem. However, it would be nice to speak with the locals, too. Here's a measure of English ability. The summary is that the best English speaking countries are UK, Ireland, Holland, Denmark, and Sweden. I'll add Germany to the list because I've known several people who've gone there and said they had no problems. English is ok in tourist destinations anywhere. For example, you don't need to know French to live in Paris, but the rest of France would be tough. Of course, being an American, learning Spanish would be very helpful, so you might want to put Spain on your list, just to force yourself to improve, but English/non-Spanish speakers I know said Spain was difficult.

Second, actually getting a job can be difficult. I have been looking around to see if I could maybe get a job somewhere like Sweden (where most of my ancestors were from), but it looks like the Northern European countries have very strict labor laws for other Europeans, and so it's even harder for a non-European to get a job and a visa. It's much easier for them to come here, than us to go there, unfortunately, even though a skilled worker can make more here. However, as I understand, most countries are quite open to educational opportunities. There are probably quite a few programs that are affiliated with your school. For example, studying abroad and postdocs are probably the most common. You might consider Fulbright scholarships. Here's a list of contacts that someone at my school told me about:

***

BUNAC (British Universities North American Club) up to 6 months work visa in the UK, and varying times for work in Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland http://www.bunac.com/ Note that the 4 month Irish work visa and 6 month UK work visa can be combined for 10 months split between the two countries.

CIEE (Center for International Educational Exchange) a number of countries and length of work visa varies: http://www.ciee.org/

Alliance Abroad has a number of internship, teaching and volunteer opportunities abroad http://www.allianceabroad.com/

Spend a Year In New Zealand http://www.immigration.govt.nz/ or go to http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/work/workingholiday/workopportunities/ for working holiday information.

For summer up to year long technical placements IAESTE is the best (and I believe the only) group that arranges such opportunities for students or graduating seniors. Go to http://www.iaeste.org/

***

As far as getting a job goes, think about who you might work for. If it's a multinational company (the most likely people to hire you), ask yourself why they'd hire you to work in a more expensive country, with more labor restrictions, when they can hire a local with probably roughly equivalent skills. Some of the things I've been reading say that this route can be done, but to do it, you'd join a multinational company here in the US, and after a couple years request a transfer. One obvious possibility, as an American, is to go as an employee of the Government (e.g. the Foreign Service).

You might also consider broadening your scope a bit to include other English speaking countries -- you'd probably do ok in most Commonwealth countries (e.g. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa)... I've seen lots of ads about working in New Zealand.

In summary.... it's really hard, unless you can do it via academia

I've been wondering exactly the same thing as yourself, and here are some of the conclusions I've come to.

First of all, language. I would guess that the other employees at almost any job you would want would speak English, so that's not a problem. However, it would be nice to speak with the locals, too. Here's a measure of English ability. The summary is that the best English speaking countries are UK, Ireland, Holland, Denmark, and Sweden. I'll add Germany to the list because I've known several people who've gone there and said they had no problems. English is ok in tourist destinations anywhere. For example, you don't need to know French to live in Paris, but the rest of France would be tough. Of course, being an American, learning Spanish would be very helpful, so you might want to put Spain on your list, just to force yourself to improve, but English/non-Spanish speakers I know said Spain was difficult.

Second, actually getting a job can be difficult. I have been looking around to see if I could maybe get a job somewhere like Sweden (where most of my ancestors were from), but it looks like the Northern European countries have very strict labor laws for other Europeans, and so it's even harder for a non-European to get a job and a visa. It's much easier for them to come here, than us to go there, unfortunately, even though a skilled worker can make more here. However, as I understand, most countries are quite open to educational opportunities. There are probably quite a few programs that are affiliated with your school. For example, studying abroad and postdocs are probably the most common. You might consider Fulbright scholarships. Here's a list of contacts that someone at my school told me about:

***

BUNAC (British Universities North American Club) up to 6 months work visa in the UK, and varying times for work in Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland http://www.bunac.com/ Note that the 4 month Irish work visa and 6 month UK work visa can be combined for 10 months split between the two countries.

CIEE (Center for International Educational Exchange) a number of countries and length of work visa varies: http://www.ciee.org/

Alliance Abroad has a number of internship, teaching and volunteer opportunities abroad http://www.allianceabroad.com/

Spend a Year In New Zealand http://www.immigration.govt.nz/ or go to http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/work/workingholiday/workopportunities/ for working holiday information.

For summer up to year long technical placements IAESTE is the best (and I believe the only) group that arranges such opportunities for students or graduating seniors. Go to http://www.iaeste.org/

***

As far as getting a job goes, think about who you might work for. If it's a multinational company (the most likely people to hire you), ask yourself why they'd hire you to work in a more expensive country, with more labor restrictions, when they can hire a local with probably roughly equivalent skills. Some of the things I've been reading say that this route can be done, but to do it, you'd join a multinational company here in the US, and after a couple years request a transfer. One obvious possibility, as an American, is to go as an employee of the Government (e.g. the Foreign Service).

You might also consider broadening your scope a bit to include other English speaking countries -- you'd probably do ok in most Commonwealth countries (e.g. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa)... I've seen lots of ads about working in New Zealand.

In summary.... it's really hard, unless you can do it via academia

Immigration New Zealand might disagree with you on that... New Zealand is actually VERY MUCH a migrant country.

I agree completely that literacy can't be summed up in such a simple way, but as far as I'm aware, most countries that measure literacy of the population do so taking in to account language differences and so on, not merely "how well can a random sample of people comprehend a particular piece of text"

I'll grant that, given the situation, but my comment was more that literacy rates do seem to be lower than they should be, not that they are lower than any particular country. I only used New Zealand as an example (which, according to the percentages I showed, isn't actually a very good example anyway, and most likely due to many of the factors you've referred to). Also note that I actually assumed US literacy at a much higher percentage than the 99.0% figure that I quoted.

As an interesting side note, I wonder how much the literacy rate is affected by the amount of homeless people that have been homeless for a great deal of their lives - such a thing is extra-ordinarily rare (to the point of practical non-existence) in New Zealand, however unfortunately as far as I've seen, most major US cities have at least a small percentage (probably well under 1%) of people that fit this category.

I wonder how hard it is to emigrate to New Zealand?

You can find out here

You must be crazy to think I'm going to click that link with /them/ watching.

You can find out aere

>> From what I hear it is next to impossible to emingrate to New Zealand

I didn't find it difficult - but judge for yourself : http://www.immigration.govt.nz/

The policy has toughen in recent years, especially if you are a poor English speaker. You need a certain number of points.

Excellent info can be found at http://www.immigration.govt.nz/.
Probably have a good chance with the skilled migrant category.

Luckily I was born here. I would hate to apply, I see the lines at the immigration office winding all the way out the door and onto the street every morning, hours before it even opens.

The policy has toughen in recent years, especially if you are a poor English speaker. You need a certain number of points.

Excellent info can be found at http://www.immigration.govt.nz/.
Probably have a good chance with the skilled migrant category.

Luckily I was born here. I would hate to apply, I see the lines at the immigration office winding all the way out the door and onto the street every morning, hours before it even opens.

Immigration NZ lists a lot of IT jobs as being "Priority Occupations". These make it pretty easy to come into the country and work.

There are heaps of really good recruitment companies that help with a lot of this sort of stuff if people want to come on over. Here is the directory listing of recruiters in nz Google NZ Recruiters

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migration/index.htm l Score your chance to migrate to New Zealand. If you have IT experience and a degree, you're pretty much in.