CASE STUDY: RIES QUIN
CARPENTER
RESIDENCY VISA
What initially appealed to you about New Zealand?
I first wanted to come to New Zealand as I had read an article on it and seen photos, plus I had a school friend who came from New Zealand. I first went to New Zealand on a Working Holiday Visa and after 5 years of living in NZ I knew I wanted to make it more permanent.
What were the initial steps you took?
I was referred to Migration Associates by a New Zealand recruiter who were happy to help me find employment but needed to make sure I would be able to obtain the correct visa. I met with Borey in the Surrey offices and went through everything I needed, paperwork, and docs. The process was made very easy. As I am already in New Zealand and Borey now has an office in NZ, I was able to meet with him face-to-face to finalise the Residency Visa.
As you're a Carpenter, can you tell us about the current demand for work in New Zealand at the moment? What's different to the UK work?
There is still a demand for Carpenters in NZ, Christchurch and Auckland especially. There's still much work to be done in Christchurch after the earthquakes and with rising population houses, and commercial buildings will always be needed. Work in New Zealand does differ from the UK in some ways, for instance different timber species and some different materials that we don't use in the UK, but on the whole it's very similar.
What made you choose to live in Christchurch?
I love Christchurch, it's an amazing city, with a friendly and vibrant feel to it, after the quakes it bought the city closer together. After travelling around New Zealand I got to Christchurch and knew that I wanted to stay and settle. Now I have my permanent residency it feels amazing, no more worrying about having to sort out another work visa. I couldn't be happier with life in NZ, the best move I made. The future looks good, just been made a Foreman for an architectural housing company, i'm living with my kiwi partner, and generally living the kiwi dream!