Kelsey – Medical Physicist

My name is Kelsey, I am from Montana, USA, I moved to NZ with my husband, Michael, in 2021. The most challenging part of the process is preparing for your move and finding a place to live once you arrive. Knowing what to bring vs what not to bring with you can be challenging, and finding a place to live was difficult until you are in-country. Anything shipped from your home country will probably arrive weeks to months after you do, so be prepared to go without or buy duplicates in the meantime.

My adviser was Sanjeev Singh, who was very helpful in following up on our applications and getting quick results!

My first impression of NZ was that it is amazingly beautiful and the people are very friendly. What I miss from home is some foods, especially Mexican cuisine, and some snacks! I get family and friends to send me snacks in exchange for NZ goodies like Whitakers chocolate, and order ingredients online to make my own Mexican food at home.

My advice to other migrants is to ask to be connected with other migrants in your intended destination to get a better idea of what to expect and provide advice on settling in, especially if you can find someone who came from the same country as you

One thing I wish I knew before I moved was that it’s much easier to wrap up things like credit cards, bank accounts, cell phones, memberships, and subscriptions while you are still in your home country rather than after you move.

Living in NZ has been great so far! An international move is never easy and always stressful, but having immigration advisors makes the visa process much, much easier than doing it on your own.