Im glad you have a positive experience with this, but I need to correct you on a few things so that people don’t get confused

1/ Omega only caters for Greater Auckland, so is not much help outside of that. They require you to be “eligible to work in New Zealand”, so it’s nice to know that on Silver Fern you are considered eligible. However it’s worth knowing that even outside of that, people with or without a Silver Fern Visa should be networking – its the best way to get a job.

2/ It’s really not that simple to say that IT will give you a “lift”. Whether someone can get a job or not, with or without a Silver Fern Visa is just not that easy to pin down. It wasn’t that easy with a Job Search Visa, and from reports, its no easier with a Silver Fern Visa. Many people have lost everything via this route.

3/ The Silver Fern Practical Experience Visa you get once you get a job offer is in no way “very close to residency”, any more than a Work To Residence visa. A residence visa is Cast Iron. Anything other than that is not, and you can be sent packing at the end of your time with absolutely no come-back.

I hope you continue to have a great experience and wish you all the best. Unfortunatly many who went down this route have not been so fortunate.

Avalon

The silver fern visa is allowing me to have much more opportunities than you are mentioning. First of all, most of visitors are not even consider for skilled jobs because of their condition (only some needed sectors like IT will give you a lift).

The Silver Fern is very close to residency. And for that you can get mentoring and more worshops (Omega organization for example).

The 2nd stage doesnt cost much: 200 nzd. And you dont have to present much documentation, since most of what they need, you already submitted at the 1st stage.

The ability to work more than 3 o 6 months with whoever hired you, with the quick possibility to get the 2nd stage as soon as you are hired (with no pool to be choose from), overpasses the work and holiday visa.

The silver fern visa its a great idea and its helping me a lot (I got it on 2011).

I arrived in new zealand seven months back. Since then I have been constantly trying to find a job relevant to my profession even after getting my qualifications and competencies assessed by professional organization which on paper reported as equivalent to NZ Standards i get similar responce .
After applying for almost any related vaccancy or meeting job agencies / consultants in my finding a job as a civil engineer I could see that there may be heaps of jobs in construction sector but practically the employers are not very keen to offer a job and are very hesitant to employ some one who does not have a ” NewZealand Experience “. This is where job search visa contradicts its cause,
As theoretically it may look easy to find relevant job even if you have been assessed as proffessionaly similar to NZ Job Market but practically it is not.

I may suggest If NZ government really wants to fulfill some part of its skills shortage through silver fern policy, little modification like
One on One Intervew of applicants with the companies who are short of skilled people as per desired skill set before granting applicants with silver fern work visa may prove fruitfull for both job market and applicants.

I some time feel that i have lost it both ways financially and professionally as left my home country job for one that is not there.

Anyways my job search will continue till last date .

Cheers!

Im afraid this is a personal blog and in no way associated with Immigration New Zealand, so I have no idea what thier processing times are.

I am also not allowed to answer any questions you have on immigration. It is illegal in new zealand to do so without a licence, and answering any questions can get me fined up to $100,000 and seven years in jail.

All you can do is contact INZ direct and ask them.

Sorry

Avalon

Thanks & Regards,
Jagdeep Sehgal
sehgaljagdeep@yahoo.co.in

Not that this is about taxation, job creation for civil servants or anything like that.