5 ms·

Citizenship is hard, residency takes forever and must be applied to from outside, and buying a place if you aren't either of the above is now quite difficult.

by jively 6y ago

thespoonbends 6y ago
Not sure if you're rich, as Gabe is. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/29/new-zealand-gave-peter-thiel-citizenship-after-spending-just-12-days-there https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/29/new-zealand-ga...
- jively 6y ago
  That was under a government that played monopoly with our housing market. Bit different now
ericmay 6y ago
Why? It should be easy to immigrate to New Zealand and gain citizenship.
- jively 6y ago
  Why should it be easy? I live here and it was a PITA just getting residency.
  - ericmay 6y ago
    Why shouldn’t it? I see lots of complaints about the US being difficult. But you and others are saying New Zealand is difficult too?
    - jively 6y ago
      NZ is pretty tight about who they let in, similar to Australia. There's a high bar for an experience/expertise based visa and its limited to certain industries (digital graphics for example - movies are a big deal in the South Island). The only thing it's easy to bring in are seasonal workers from the Pacific islands to pick fruit / work the vineyards. Otherwise it's sponsorship, marriage, or family. Residency (not citizenship) needs to be applied to while outside the country, and the application can take up to a year to be processed (you get a dedicated case worker, you need medical checks, xrays and all kinds of evidence - I needed to submit photos of my wife and I to prove our relationship was legit as well as a bunch of tax records and existing residency proof - it was a lot - also, very expensive!), citizenship requires several years of actual residency. The NZ passport is like the UK one and they can compel you to relinquish existing citizenship if you naturalise. I don't think that will happen with Gaben, Covid has stranded many temporary visa holders here without work or without access to benefits so there's a large policy question about what to do with those that are stranded. But anyone hoping to just emigrate over here because we seem to have our shit together (we don't) is delusional. A big reason that they are so careful about handing out permanent residency is that permanent residents (not temporary visa holders), can vote in parliamentary elections. Which is awesome - no taxation without representation - but gets the local right riled up because any govt can boost their voter count by opening immigration up, which means in general, there's downward pressure on immigration from all sides.
      - ericmay 6y ago
        Jeez. Sounds like it's even worse than the US!

Citizenship is hard, residency takes forever and must be applied to from outside, and buying a place if you aren't either of the above is now quite difficult.

by jively 6y ago

Citizenship is hard, residency takes forever and must be applied to from outside, and buying a place if you aren't either of the above is now quite difficult.

thespoonbends 6y ago

Not sure if you're rich, as Gabe is. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/29/new-zealand-gave-peter-thiel-citizenship-after-spending-just-12-days-there https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/29/new-zealand-ga...

jively 6y ago
That was under a government that played monopoly with our housing market. Bit different now

ericmay 6y ago

Why? It should be easy to immigrate to New Zealand and gain citizenship.

jively 6y ago
Why should it be easy? I live here and it was a PITA just getting residency.
- ericmay 6y ago
  Why shouldn’t it? I see lots of complaints about the US being difficult. But you and others are saying New Zealand is difficult too?
  - jively 6y ago
    NZ is pretty tight about who they let in, similar to Australia. There's a high bar for an experience/expertise based visa and its limited to certain industries (digital graphics for example - movies are a big deal in the South Island). The only thing it's easy to bring in are seasonal workers from the Pacific islands to pick fruit / work the vineyards. Otherwise it's sponsorship, marriage, or family. Residency (not citizenship) needs to be applied to while outside the country, and the application can take up to a year to be processed (you get a dedicated case worker, you need medical checks, xrays and all kinds of evidence - I needed to submit photos of my wife and I to prove our relationship was legit as well as a bunch of tax records and existing residency proof - it was a lot - also, very expensive!), citizenship requires several years of actual residency. The NZ passport is like the UK one and they can compel you to relinquish existing citizenship if you naturalise. I don't think that will happen with Gaben, Covid has stranded many temporary visa holders here without work or without access to benefits so there's a large policy question about what to do with those that are stranded. But anyone hoping to just emigrate over here because we seem to have our shit together (we don't) is delusional. A big reason that they are so careful about handing out permanent residency is that permanent residents (not temporary visa holders), can vote in parliamentary elections. Which is awesome - no taxation without representation - but gets the local right riled up because any govt can boost their voter count by opening immigration up, which means in general, there's downward pressure on immigration from all sides.
    - ericmay 6y ago
      Jeez. Sounds like it's even worse than the US!