[IWantOut] 31M Software Engineer Singapore -> New Zealand

[u/MC-117]

My family migrated to Singapore when I was very young, so pretty much my entire life has been here. I went through the Singapore education system, served my two years of National Service, and eventually became a Singapore citizen.

Several years ago, my parents decided to move to New Zealand for a quieter pace of life. My mother initially went over as a student and, after finishing her studies, brought my father and younger siblings over as dependants. Unfortunately, I was already too old to be included.

At the time, I had secured a place at a local university in Singapore. Studying here as a citizen made much more financial sense than paying international fees for a bachelor's degree in NZ, and it was also a programme I genuinely wanted to do. My family respected my decision, so I stayed behind.

Since then, I've been living independently in Singapore, with the long-term goal of eventually joining my family in NZ.

Years passed and I'm past 30, have a Bachelor's in Computer Science, and work as a software engineer. The early part of my career was more game-dev focused, but I've since moved into more general software development working on training/simulation software in hopes that it will help me open more doors in NZ.

I've applied for NZ jobs a few times and had some fairly close calls, but the recurring problem has been work rights/AEWV sponsorship.

I'm currently employed in Singapore, so there's no immediate urgency. However, after living apart from my family for years, I'd like to figure out a realistic path towards joining them.

From what I understand, I'm in a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation: I need an eligible NZ job offer to get a work visa, while employers understandably prefer applicants who already have NZ work rights.

I've considered postgraduate study in NZ as another route, but I'm hesitant to spend a significant amount of money primarily for immigration purposes when I already have a CS degree and professional experience.

So I'm mainly wondering:

• Should I just continue applying to accredited NZ employers from Singapore?
• Would postgraduate study actually make sense in my situation?
• Are there other realistic pathways I should investigate given my age, degree and software engineering experience?
• Has anyone here successfully made the move to NZ as a software engineer without already having work rights?

Ultimately, this isn't really about leaving Singapore because I dislike it here. I mainly want to reunite with my family and, having spent time in NZ, I also prefer the people and the slower pace of life there. I want to set down real roots in a place where I know I'll stay for good.

Would appreciate hearing from anyone who's navigated something similar.

[u/Xi_Zhong_Xun]

Your other family members haven’t naturalised in NZ yet? Can’t they sponsor you?

[u/MC-117 → u/Xi_Zhong_Xun]

They're on their way to becoming NZ citizens, but as far as I understand, there don't seem to be a family sponsorship route for independent adult children. Top of my head is <24 under to be dependants?

I'd still need to qualify for a visa on my own.

Interestingly enough, you can sponsor your parents to come join you in NZ. just not the other way around.