Tiaong Archive Blog

How different would it be, really, to live in New Zealand? A paradise, they all say. A beautiful country--with snow! And jobs! I watch them on television, those Pinoys in New Zealand. They could be in any European country, with snow.

Two officemates told me about the TV show, Pinoy Abroad, on channel 7 last Wednesday night. They're featuring New Zealand, they said. It must be a sign.

Last year, channel 7 had another show on New Zealand, when they followed the Filipino mountaineers who were training there, in preparation for their 2007 Mount Everest climb. This time, they showed Filipinos actually living there. Lots of nurses, an office assistant, a politician, an architect. Most of the Filipinos are in Auckland. And there's a small Rizal Reserve (at Wingate, Avondale, Auckland), courtesy of the Philippine Embassy and former President Estrada.

Last Friday, my Visa Officer told me that she "recommended my WTR Application for approval". What does that mean? my wife asked. I'm not sure, I said, but it sounds positive. Processing was supposed to have taken two months, so I should have received my visa last November. Their new promise is end of February. Or earlier.

"Sayang," said my friend, who's now in Wellington. "There's an immediate requirement in my company for a project manager."

I would love to jump to the conclusion that we got it. But the wait has been too long and too agonizing for me to do any jumping. If I had my way, I should have been in Christchurch three months ago--that was the plan. I could have been there last December. That was the hope.

So I won't believe anything until our passports are in our shaking hands, each with that infamous WTR visa.

Meanwhile, dozens of WTR Applicants have actually been approved and are now in New Zealand, mostly in Auckland. Some have jobs, some are still looking. Some have generously shared their experience at the Backpack New Zealand Forum on Immigration & Working.

Here are some things we learned from them for this final step:

1. Waiting Game

In most cases, if you have passed the interview and have been invited to apply for a Work To Residence visa, then all you have to do is to complete the application and wait.

For a lot of us, it has been a very long wait--so long that rumors about people who actually got a visa have been treated as urban legends. Always secondhand, thirdhand information. But in the last few months, one by one, members of our online forum began to share the news that they got their visa.

About ten people shared the key dates of their journey. Based on their experience, I came up with some averages. From interview to getting the WTR visa, it takes 194 days (six and half months). From submitting the WTR application to getting the visa, it takes 134 days (four and half months).

Applying this to my situation, I should have gotten my WTR visa somewhere between December 9 and 20, last year. Finally, a mathematical justification for my impatience.

2. Approval Letter

The WTR visa is a blue sticker, with specific details: valid for two (2) years, no restrictions on type of work, where you work or live, and no requirement for a return ticket.

When you receive your passports (via DHL), it will come with an approval letter, brochures, and info about your K.I.T. (keeping in touch) officer. Plus your bank certificates.

3. CFO Sticker

There have been questions whether the CFO sticker is required or not. One person even recommended not attending the one-day registration and orientation. But someone said that the immigration officer in our airport will look for this sticker before letting you board your plane. Another one said that Quantas Airways will give you a hefty 40-kilo baggage allowance if you have this sticker.

My opinion: get the sticker. This is proof that you are a migrant, if nothing else.

CFO stands of Commission on Filipinos Overseas, a government agency created in 1980 tasked to "promote the welfare and interests of Filipinos overseas". They help Filipinos migrate to other countries. Therefore, before we buy our plane ticket and pack our luggage, we need to complete the CFO's Pre-Departure Registration and Orientation Seminars:

"Filipino emigrants or those leaving the country to settle permanently abroad are required to register with the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO). Part of its registration requirements is attendance in the Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) to prepare them for settlement overseas."

More:

"Country-specific pre-departure orientation seminars are conducted for departing Filipino emigrants to address their adjustment concerns in their destination countries.... CFO issues a counseling certificate as proof that the applicant has attended the guidance and counseling session."

What you need to bring: passport with visa, approval letter, photocopies, a ball-point pen, and--just in case--ID photos.

4. Plane Ticket

Remember, it's a one-way ticket.

Chantal Kreviazuk sang a memorable rendition of John Denver's "Leaving On A Jet Plane" for the soundtrack of the 1998 Bruce Willis movie, Armageddon. For this step, you should also sing this song.

Four airlines offer flights from Manila to Auckland: Cathay Pacific (via Hongkong) and Qantas Airways (via Sydney, Singapore, or Hongkong), Singapore Airlines (via Singapore), Thai Airways (via Bangkok).

You can also go to Hongkong and get an Air New Zealand flight to Auckland.

Tickets will probably cost at about 500.00-650.00 USD pax. The trip can last anywhere between 12-26 hours, because of all the connecting flights.

5. Luggage

"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go/I'm standin' here outside your door/I hate to wake you up to say goodbye"

This is another topic with conflicting opinions: You can exceed by a few kilos, so long as your baggage meets the required size. You will pay 22.00 USD per kilo for excess baggage. Migrants are allowed an excess of 10 kilos. Airlines allows a maximum of 30 kilos, even if the stated limit is only 20 kilos.

In my case, I don't plan on bringing a lot of things there at the beginning, because I plan to stay at cheap places, lugging my luggage. The lighter the better. 20 kilos is more than enough.

What you must bring to New Zealand:

- sweatshirts, long sleeves
- sandals, running shoes, nice shoes (for interviews)
- lots of sun block lotion
- pair of shades
- toothbrush, toothpaste
- nail cutter
- ear buds, cotton
- towels
- maintenance drugs or medication
- medical kit
- driver's license
- 1x1, 2x2 photos
- original documents
- photocopies of your documents (size A4)
- CDs of my personal data files
- stationary supplies
- family photos
- contact numbers

6. Money and Banking

Everyone recommends ASB Bank, a very old bank, like our own BPI. Auckland Savings Bank, as it was previously named, was established in 1847. It is now completely owned by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. ASB is part of the Cirrus network, which is available in most ATM networks in Metro Manila.

You need 500.00 NZD to open a bank account. You do not need a permanent address to open a bank account. Credit cards are hard to get in New Zealand (ASB requires a 5,000.00 NZD deposit).

Everyone also recommends bringing New Zealand dollars instead of US dollars, to save on the currency conversion.

7. Mobile Phones

You will need two (2) mobiles phones. Dual band phones will work in New Zealand. One phone is for your Globe with international roaming, and the second phone is for a Vodafone Prepay SIM pack.

Do not get the Telecom SIM pack. Telecom does not allow text messaging to the Philippines.

Here's how it works: Send text messages to the Philippines with the Vodafone, at 0.20 NZD per text message (about 8.00 PHP). Then receive text messages from the Philippines with the Globe phone, at 1.00 PHP per text message.

Your also need your Vodafone for your job hunting. Prospective employers will need to contact you on your Vodafone number.

8. PR Visa

Once you land in New Zealand, you have one goal: get your Permanent Resident visa.

First, you need to get a permanent address, so your KIT officer can update your profile in the NZIS database. Then you need a permanent job (ongoing skilled employment), not contractual work.

The approval letter states: "Once you are established in ongoing skilled employment for a period of at least three months you must let NZIS know. If your employment meets the criteria for Skilled Employment you will have demonstrated an ability to settle in and contribute to New Zealand and will have your application for residence under the Skilled Migrant Category approved. You do not need to wait for two years before having your residence application reassessed."

An "ongoing skilled employment" needs proof:

- A letter advising the NZIS that you are in ongoing skilled employment and requesting that you be granted residence.

- A letter from your employer. This letter should confirm that you are employed by the firm, that your employment is not subject to any form of probationary period. It should also provide contact details and the physical address of your workplace.

- An employment contact.

- A job description.

- Pay slips for the last 3 months of your employment or equivalent evidence.

- A summary of your earnings in New Zealand from the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) for the last two years.

SALAMAT

Most of the information above was posted in the Backpack New Zealand Forum by snooze, corex, jpe, and kidra_tristal. I thank them for being generous with their experience. I hope to meet them one day.

I would also like to mention the names other forum members who have been helpful: allan, cathey, ella, han, jmpa3cio, jvic59, Kapamilya, lucie, parvo, rainman, romlet, tolitz, tslacsamana, vdycong. Magkita-kita tayo sa Aotearoa.

There's only one place in the world that is called Tiaong. It's my hometown in Quezon Province where I spent my childhood.

In college, my friends would say, "What's in Tiaong? Take us there!"

Coconut trees, coconut farmers, coconut trucks, copra, and food made from coconuts (pan de coco, macapuno). Villa Escudero. That's it.

If I think harder, I can force some more: Tikob Lake and the old church. I can even squeeze blood from a rock: Don Claro's monument, a hot spring (Mainit), a gravel mine, an old cemetery, the local market, and train tracks cutting through rice fields.

There's Gisgis in the next town, a black sand beach on Tayabas Bay. Farther down, there's Sariaya (land of Mazapan pasalubong), Lucban (kiping kingdom), and Lucena City.

I never took my friends to Tiaong. There's nothing to see.

When I was growing up, Tiaong was never considered a tourist spot. It was a town you passed by on the highway (National Road) on your way to places like Lucena, Gumaca, or Bicol. In college, when I took the bus from Quezon City to Tiaong, it would stop in Tiaong for a few seconds, only for me, so I can jump off.

Tiaong is about 100 kilometers South of Metro Manila, exactly 115 kilometers from Diliman, Quezon City. On the border of Laguna and Quezon, right after San Pablo City. Do you know Villa Escudero?

You know you're in Tiaong when you are greeted by that indomitable arch that proclaims "Welcome to Quezon Province".

It's a rare structure, about ten meters high, leaping over the width of the two-lane highway, with enough clearance for buses and trucks to pass through, and about four meters thick. If you look closely, you will see that guardian angels are flying across the arch, blowing their trumpets, two on each side.

As soon as you pass this, a lady on a carabao will wave at you. She's on the left side of the highway and she's made of concrete. The unmistakable marker of the entrance to Villa Escudero.

Villa Escudero is an impressive resort by most standards. It presents the fantasy of provincial life with singing peasants and happy carabaos, while taking a leisurely cart ride under the coconut trees while enjoying the view of abundant rice fields. The highlight of the resort includes a tour inside a museum (displaying the riches of the Escudero clan) and a hearty lunch right beside the waterfall. Tourists can stay overnight in the air-conditioned huts by the lake.

The lake and the waterfall in Villa Escudero are actually parts of a private electric dam. During heavy downpours, to prevent damage to it, they would open the dam. Within minutes, without warning, our town, our streets, and our houses would be flooded. Furniture and appliances would be water-damaged, like our old Yamaha Electone.

According to legend, the first Escudero, a Spaniard, bought the huge parcel of land from the natives who were living there. Then he turned them into tenants to cultivate the rice fields. The Escuderos are probably the richest family in Tiaong. Also, according to legend, the head of the clan once courted my aunt, but she turned him down. ("Tita, sayang!" we used to tell her.)

Villa Escudero is where you bring your balikbayan relatives, because, other than that, there is no other reason to go back.

After Villa Escudero, back on the highway, you will pass this sharp long curve that is the site of many accidents. There are warning signs everywhere. Surviving that, you will have to slow down for the train tracks.

My aunts used to tell me that my lolo (who looks like me) died near the train tracks while riding his horse, in 1965, before I was born.

Past the train tracks, on the left, there is a road that leads to Dolores. This intersection has always been guarded by a PNP outpost. Tiaong has always been part of NPA country.

By now, you would have been impressed by the fact the highways are flanked by endless rows of impossibly tall coconut trees, so the bridge going into town would be a welcome respite. After a short roll over the bridge, my home town will greet you, with low buildings, houses, people, and tricycles--amazingly looking like most small towns across Luzon.

All I think about nowadays is New Zealand.

I received my letter from the New Zealand Immigration Service (Bangkok) last Thursday, June 30, 2005, inviting me to apply for a Work To Residence (WTR) visa. Up until then, I didn't want to think of New Zealand at all.

Ever since we got back from Bangkok, everyone has been telling me that I could get my WTR letter in a week or two, like some people who did. It was a sure way to get my hopes up. Two weeks passed and no letter arrived. "When will it come?" my wife asked. "They said two months," I replied, trying to fight the depressing idea that I might not get it at all.

The letter came as registered mail--not via DHL, as I expected. When I nervously read the two-page letter, it said nothing on the first page, nothing that sounded like "Yes, you got your visa!"

On the second page, it said:

"We are pleased to inform you that you and your partner are invited to apply for a Work to Residence visa. This is subject to medical clearance and all pending verifications return clear."

A huge sigh of relief. I called my wife immediately.

I read the requirements over and over again, disbelieving at how simple was the list. Nothing like the ITA requirements. Just four items (quoted verbatim):

1. A completed Work to Residence application;

2. Evidence of sufficient funds for the maintenance and accommodation for a period of at least three months in New Zealand, AND for the purchase of an outward ticket from New Zealand for yourself and partner;

3. Payment of migrant levy of US $400 or Baht 15000, plus courier fees (for return of documents) of US $25 (Baht 1100) which must be paid by way of a credit card OR bank draft made payable to the New Zealand Immigration Service. Please note that bank drafts in US dollars must include a bank fee of US $9;

4. Original, valid passports of you and your partner.

All due in three months, or September 15, 2005. I plan to send it next week, as soon as I get my bank certificates.

And then what?

People say that the NZIS will reply in two months and that the local New Zealand Embassy will check on the bank certificates.

"Is there a chance we will get denied?" my wife asked.

I've seen this entire process, from the EOI submission up to this final step as a steady improvement in percentage chance.

Now I make that giant, fateful leap and assume--once and for all--that I will get my WTR visa. I mean, why would they deny us, this late in the game? I feel we deserve it, simply because I gave it an entire year worth of hoping and telling myself the percentages. When I sent my EOI, it was 10% chance. When I got sent my ITA, it went up to 50%. When they invited me to Bangkok, 80%. After Bangkok, 90%.

Now, when I send in my WTR visa application next week, I will have 95% chance of getting to New Zealand--and 5% chance that my world will fall apart.

So when I get my visa, hopefully within July, probably August, I have to roll out my plans. First, I tell my family, then I tell my boss, then apply to jobs in Christchurch like crazy.

I'll end work by October and fly to New Zealand. I'll go ahead, look for a job (NZIS requires that we find a job in three months), and my wife will follow me in January 2006 for our first Kiwi summer.