this post was submitted on 27 Jul 2025
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US Immigrant looking for advice (lemmy.blahaj.zone)
submitted 1 week ago by mjsaber@lemmy.blahaj.zone to c/newzealand@lemmy.nz
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Hi, apologies if this isn't allowed. I'm a US citizen looking to move to NZ. I have all the technical stuff taken care of, just waiting on my documents to be processed and approved.

Basically I am looking for groups I can reach out to to help me get build a social group, and hear what others think about different areas of the country. I am LGBTQ, so it seems like Auckland or Wellington will be my best bet. If I'm in a big city, I would prefer not to have a car.

I'm a nurse, and it looks like salaries are good but not great (between 70-90k/year is what I seem to be finding).

Is this reasonable? Is NZ easy to settle into? Any other expats that can offer advice? Am I going to be broke all the time (I also have a cat I am bringing unless I am physically unable to)?

I did some research prior to applying, but I find more and more opposing views on where the country is headed. I guess I am just looking for some folks that had a similar situation to see how it worked out for them. I had a fair bit of options in where I could go, but the culture in New Zealand just seemed like the best fit. Thanks for taking the time to read or reply.

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[โ€“] Dave@lemmy.nz 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I've just had a browse through this PDF explaining the process.

I actually thought the quarantine was much longer than 10 days, but it seems there's a huge amount of work prior to this in getting vaccinations and tests at the right time and get a rabies antibody test at the right time, among other things but it seems rabies is the biggest concern. I'm assuming you're not coming from Hawaii, the only part of the US that's on the category 2 (rabies free) list.

It mentions that some airlines won't even let you fly your pet unless done through a pet travel service, so it seems like a no brainer to let them work it out if you have to pay them anyway ๐Ÿ˜