A video version of my immigration story.

MP3 version of the video above

How to move to NZ

I’m not an advisor, I’m not involved in the immigration business, and I can’t give any professional help with immigration. I’m just an engineer who moved to New Zealand. I know the details of my own case (post, video), but my overall knowledge about immigration is average.

Still, people ask me about it. So I decided to write down everything I know about immigration to NZ to help those people.

Every case is different, so there are two ways to figure out what works best for you:

➖Read all the information available, then ask about tricky outstanding questions online.

➖Pay professionals for the information part, but you'll still handle most paperwork and bear the cost of any mistakes. So, even if you hire advisors, it's best to understand things yourself.

Almost all immigration information is available online for free. And nobody will study your case better than you. If you start asking before reading, your questions will be too general and hard to answer. For example, “how much does immigration to NZ cost?” The only honest answer is anywhere from zero to a few million dollars. Zero, if you get a job offer and the company supports your move, and a few million, if you’re an investor.

Now to the point. Let’s review the main ways of immigration to NZ. I’ll exclude all exotic visas (investors, entrepreneurs, talents, etc.) because I don’t know anything about them. These are the paths most people take:

▪️Find a job in NZ from your home country. Zero cost, low chances, but I’ve seen people succeed. The main places to start are seek.co.nz and linkedin.com. On Seek, add the keyword “accredited” to your search so you’ll only see accredited employers - those who are allowed to hire foreigners.

▪️Come on a tourist visa and try to find a job. Low cost, limited time, employers aren’t usually keen on hiring people without a work visa, low chances - I met one guy from South Africa who managed it, and it was tough. You cannot commence work until you have obtained the appropriate work visa, and you might also have to leave the country and return before you can start work.

▪️Come for language courses and look for a job. Medium cost, more time (around 6 months), better chances - a noticeable number succeed, though definitely not everyone. Trying to bring your family with you may reduce your visa chances.

▪️Study in NZ for 1–1.5 years and then look for a job. High cost, plenty of time, you’ll get a local qualification and a 1–3 year post-study work visa. Your partner gets a work visa, and your kids can go to NZ schools. There’s a good chance of finding a job, but some people still fail to finish their studies or land a job.

▪️Skilled Migrant Visa - a points-based visa where age, education, English level, work experience, job field, etc. earn you points. If your score is above the threshold set by INZ, you can apply and wait to be selected. The wait can be long, but if you’re picked, you become a resident straight away. When I moved, it was hard to qualify without a job offer. I don’t know what it’s like now (there is a statistic published by INZ periodically). You can check the criteria and estimate your chances in an evening - anyone can try it on the INZ website.

*I’m not an advisor and could be wrong on some details, so double-check everything.

So, what should you do if you want to plan your immigration yourself? You should do the following: ...

(Continued in comments)

The future is here

Just got an email saying that soon my videos will be dubbed into other languages. English will probably be the first.

In my case, it's going to be simple - there’s no face in the videos. Just translate my speech and voice it over - that’s it. Some viewers might not even know which language the videos were originally made in. The voice and emotions will still be mine - AI mimics them easily. Can’t wait to hear how it sounds!

Next, I think they'll automatically sync the dubbed voice to the speaker’s lips - it'll be useful for those who talk on camera.

And then YouTube will start doing it in real time. You’ll upload a video, and it’ll instantly be available in any language, fully lip-synced.

Eventually, we’ll get the same kind of instant translation for live conversations.

So, congratulations, everyone! The future is here! And we’re the lucky generation that gets to watch it all happen. There’s never been a better time to be alive.

(Russian)

Socialisation

I’ve never liked parties. Birthdays, weddings, corporate functions, barbecues - I never enjoyed them. At these gatherings I usually watched the people around me - they got drunk fast, turned on music, danced, behaved wildly and looked happy. At the same time I felt completely out of place, probably because I’m not much of a drinker. I never needed more than a couple of glasses of wine.

When I tried to keep up with them it was even worse - still no fun, just alcohol poisoning and a hangover the next morning. Instead of drinking I’ve always preferred talking, having long one-on-one discussions with a drink or two.

As a result, I usually skipped parties and stayed at home spending time with my family, gaming, watching shows, reading, or working out. I still went to some parties, but just to maintain some social connection with friends and colleagues.

Eventually, I decided that I’m an introvert. And to some extent, that’s probably true - I can easily live for weeks or months alone. Aside from my family, I don’t really need many people around.

That seemed perfect for immigration. I didn’t need parties or society, and I wouldn’t miss them. I could keep in touch with relatives and close friends online - long conversations wouldn’t suffer.

With that in mind, I moved to NZ. And it turned out I was completely wrong.

First - Kiwi parties are different. No heavy drinking, no sitting at a long table, no toasts, no wild stuff. People just eat and drink a little, move around with their plates and glasses, and talk. Yes, talk. They meet to talk. Exactly as I’ve always liked. Just their parties are usually short - two, maybe three hours max. I’d prefer them to last longer, but it’s fine. Still good.

Then, the music at NZ parties is perfect for me - Pink Floyd, Deep Purple (proof), Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, etc. For Kiwis, it’s probably like Soviet classics are for Russians - everyone knows the major songs.

After my first few parties here, I immediately knew I’d go to all of them. I actually enjoy them.

Now, about Russian parties. At first I avoided Russian parties. I assumed I’d dislike them, and I didn’t want to get stuck in an immigrant bubble.

But once, my wife made me go to one - there was something she found interesting, so I had no choice. And… I actually liked it! Russian parties here are not just good, they’re even better than Kiwi ones. The best of both cultures: little alcohol, plenty of talking, and they to late into the night. We talk, play board games, joke, and sometimes play music.

So, for the first time in my life, I felt comfortable at a Russian party - here in New Zealand.

Here’s why I think that is:

Firstly, not all Russians want to move to the West, only those who like, or at least have nothing against, Western values. For instance - we’ve never even discussed Russian politics with Russians here because there is just no point. We have very close views on Russia and its politics. Some of my friends were even political activists, and I really respect that.

Secondly, not all Russians can move to the West - it’s quite hard to accomplish. Everyone here usually has an interesting background. They’ve all achieved something. They are professionals. They have a lot of information to share.

Thirdly, they are living in New Zealand - so they all have hobbies, just like anyone else in the country. Tennis, surfing, squash, swimming, hiking, jogging, football, climbing, etc. We discuss and try out each other’s hobbies and it creates more reasons to meet.

So, as a result, Kiwis, Russians, and others are always dragging me out. Every weekend something new comes up. I just wanted to come to NZ, sit at my computer and play games. Turns out, that’s easier said than done in such a socially active environment. I’m not sure if I like it or not yet. We’ll see. But yes, that’s just how it is - I’m not an introvert now.

PS Maybe it's just my immigrant bubble. I can't guarantee you'll meet the same kind of people. But this has been my honest experience.

(Russian)

Kiwano (horned melon)

Bought this for $6 at the grocery. It's a fruit. The texture is like that of big cucumbers grown for seed - soft, with lots of seeds in a jelly-like mass. The green jelly inside, including the seeds, is all edible. The orange part is edible too, but it's just fibre with no flavour. The green jelly tastes like a mix of cucumber and kiwi - watery, sour, and a little aromatic, but not much.

Interesting fruit, but I wouldn’t buy it every day.

(Russian)

Rocket Lab

I was surprised to learn that there is a private aerospace company founded in New Zealand by a Kiwi. The company is called Rocket Lab.

Here are a few interesting facts about them:
- They built the world’s first private rocket launch site, located just a 7-hour drive from Auckland
- They’ve launched 63 rockets so far, including 6 in 2025
- They launched NASA’s CAPSTONE lunar mission
- They developed the world’s first 3D-printed rocket engine
- They launch reusable rockets

They’re now establishing additional launch sites in the United States, but the majority of their rockets are still launched from New Zealand. Small but mighty New Zealand!

(Russian)

2022 immigration result

Around 15 of my friends and colleagues, like me, left Russia in September 2022. Most went to countries with easier visa processes - Armenia, Turkey, Georgia, Thailand, Kazakhstan, etc. A few who already had visas went to the EU.

I was in those countries only to wait for NZ visas. At the same time, many others tried to settle there. They looked for jobs, started businesses, and enrolled their kids in local schools.

Almost all of them eventually returned to Russia.

I think the overall trend is similar. I was reading many immigrant chats on Telegram at the time - most people there returned too.

Here are my thoughts on why so many who tried to settle eventually returned:

1️⃣ Limited knowledge of the country. Most moved spontaneously to whichever country would take them, then tried to settle there. As a result, they mostly had to learn the hard way - by losing time and money. The points below expand on this.

2️⃣ Poor language skills. All the “easy entry” countries aren’t English-speaking. You can live there without the local language in the short term - paperwork and websites can be translated - but living long term without the local language is very inconvenient.

There’s a strong correlation - the better someone speaks the local language, the better they do in every aspect of life.

3️⃣ Lack of long-term planning. Many people hadn’t planned to leave. Some had just finished building homes or buying apartments or cars in Russia. So, it was very hard to rent them out or sell them - not everyone was ready to abandon a carefully built life and start over from scratch.

4️⃣ Not mentally prepared for immigration. Memory tricks us - over time, the bad fades and the good remains. That’s why older generations often say things used to be better.

The same happens with immigrants. Without a clear understanding of why they left, they slowly start to idealise Russia - they feel like the trees were taller, the grass greener, and so on.

5️⃣ Unprepared partners. I saw several situations where a partner or the children didn’t like the new country. That usually ends the whole attempt - a constantly unhappy partner quickly drains morale and motivation.

Often the partners don’t speak the local language well, which adds to their unhappiness. They stay home and isolated, watching or reading Russian news, and becoming more nostalgic.

6️⃣ Not ready for lawlessness. Most “easy entry” countries (excluding the EU) aren’t fully democratic. This leads to weak rule of law - unclear rules and arbitrary decisions based on bribes and personal connections.

For example, I saw hundreds of Russians in Turkish chats who’d signed 1-2 year rental agreements and paid upfront, hoping to get residency, and were denied. Why? Just because a local autocrat decided so.

Another example is from Thailand and Georgia. In their chats, “visa run” results were a frequent topic - people crossed the border and returned the same day to reset their visas. It was technically legal, but never guaranteed. The border officer could simply refuse entry. Why? Just because. And I saw it happen a lot. People went on visa runs from these countries each time without knowing if they'd be allowed back in.

So if you pick an unstable or autocratic country, expect that.

7️⃣ Sanctions against Russians. Many countries (especially in the EU) treated those who left Russia in 2022 like criminals - restricting visas, blocking payments, freezing assets, and making travel difficult. They did this to keep importing oil, gas, and other resources from Russia, while loudly declaring sanctions.

As a result, EU politicians (mainly left-wing) blocked people and money from leaving Russia while sending fresh money in. Without their strong support, things would’ve been much harder for Russia - this must not be forgotten.

In conclusion,
The 2022 immigration wave seems to have failed, mostly because people didn’t have time to prepare. But those who started getting ready back then, and now follow channels like this one, are far more likely to be prepared and succeed.

(Russian)

Nothing special - just felt like sharing the winter evening vibe in central Auckland. The place is here.

Net immigration

The chart shows the difference between the number of people entering and leaving each country. Interactive version here.

As you can see, New Zealand’s population growth has remained relatively steady over the past 60 years, and the population has doubled in that time without major issues. There have been no reports of knife attacks in the streets, cars driving into crowds, ethnic gangs, enclaves, etc. New Zealand society has absorbed this influx well, and even left-wing politicians supported it at a consistent level. That’s a positive fact.

Australia’s situation is a little less stable, but overall things don’t seem too bad.

Meanwhile, Canada and the UK keep ramping up their immigration intake. At the same time, reports of problems with immigrants (especially illegal ones) are becoming more common. It’s starting to feel quite concerning.

(Russian)

Winter

A typical winter day in New Zealand: around 20°C during the day, 14°C at night, and more rain. Sometimes it rains all day (like today). Other days are mixed - with sun and heavy showers taking turns. Some days are just sunny.

The ratio of rainy, mixed, and sunny days is about 33%/33%/33% in winter. The main difference between summer and winter is that there are far more sunny days in summer (sometimes several weeks without any rain), and far fewer rainy or mixed ones. The temperature difference between summer and winter is only about 5°C, but winter feels colder because of the higher humidity.

Kids often go to school in shorts and Crocs during winter, sometimes even barefoot.

If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s my video about New Zealand’s climate.

(Russian)

A new video on the challenges of immigration (based on this post)

MP3 version of the video above

Tax refund

New year, new tax refund. IRD recalculated my taxes and, just like last year, sent me back a four-digit sum.

Sure, tax is theft and it's my money - but still, this kind of attitude softens you. It's getting harder and harder to dislike a government like that.

Must hold the line!

(Russian)

Back to normal

There’s a crisis in New Zealand right now. Lots of redundancies, and it’s hard to find work.

Here are my five cents on the topic.

The economy has massive inertia. It doesn’t react fast. There’s always a delay between actions and their effects. The effects of what today’s leaders do will take place in 2-5 years. What we’re seeing now is the result of decisions made by those in power 2-5 years ago. So yes - the crisis comes from the last government.

First of all, it is because of covid hysteria - printing money while strangling businesses. A double hit to the economy. That alone would’ve been enough. But it wasn’t just covid. There was more.

Here’s another example. For decades, NZ had its own gas and oil production. It was fully self-sufficient in gas, which also provided about 20% of electricity. Oil was exported, mostly to Australia and Asia, bringing in revenue.

In 2018, the New Zealand government, led by the Labour Party, announced it would stop issuing new offshore oil and gas exploration permits. The goal was to transition to a low-carbon economy and meet climate targets.

Their logic seemed undeniable: oil is black and sticky, gas is smelly. Obviously, they’re not eco-friendly - someone clearly buried them in the ground as a trap for humanity. Without them, there’ll be less CO2 emissions. Trees that feed on CO2 will just go to the supermarket and get something else. Sounds good, right?

No.

Here is what followed:
- gas and oil investment stopped
- gas production fell, prices rose, including power prices (link)
- more coal was burned to make up for the lost gas - emissions went up (link)
- gas reserves reduced (link)
- NZ came to a point where it may have to import gas (link)

Good intentions gone wrong.

In 2023, a new National-led government was elected and removed the ban. It’ll take time to get back to normal. And we already know how long - 2-5 years.

(Russian)

Video version of my post about how I study English.

MP3 version of the video above

AI dubbing test

Just as I expected a few posts back, my most recent video from yesterday has received automated English dubbing. Surprisingly, it took YouTube only about 30 minutes after upload to generate it. The quality is decent - a few odd sentences here and there, but overall, it’s now possible to watch my video in English. You can try it yourself - just click on the video and switch the audio track to English.

That said, the dubbed voice is quite different from my real one. At least to my ear, it sounds too robotic. I compared it with a top YouTuber, MKBHD, and in my opinion, his dubbed voice sounds much better. Here’s a link if you’d like to compare.

It looks like this feature is currently implemented differently depending on the size of the channel. Big channels like MKBHD’s seem to get top-tier quality - probably with more processing involved. Smaller ones, like my cosy little channel, get a simpler version.

Also, unfortunately, there’s no way to edit the script - it auto-generates English text from the original Russian audio and dubs it as is, with all the mistakes that occur in the process. The English script can’t be changed.

Still, it’s something. I’m sure it’ll improve quite soon.

(Russian)