Migrants Working in Aged Care

Immigration New Zealand has developed this helpful and comprehensive Guide for Migrants Working in Aged Care with very useful information.

This guide will help you understand what it is like to work in aged care in New Zealand and where to get advice and support if you need it. It also explains some of the differences you may experience living in New Zealand.

Krizia Visda & Lloyd Bunag are a couple who emigrated from Saudi Arabia to join Cambridge Resthaven in 2022. Read their story about their experience of coming to work at Resthaven - from visa processing  through to onboarding and everyday life in Cambridge.

Meet Krizia and Lloyd...
Spending eight years of our life in the fast-growing city of Riyadh, the country of Saudi Arabia had been our second home. However, last year we made an enormous decision to move to another country, get to know another town, meet new friends, and explore the world. Cambridge Resthaven offered us an opportunity to join their team, and who doesn’t want to move to a country with postcard-perfect scenic views, picturesque landscapes and friendly people?

We can vividly remember the feeling we had when we were offered jobs and about to start the visa application. It felt surreal! The Resthaven team is well-prepared and organised and it took us only three weeks to get our visas.

We had been excited about exploring New Zealand but we also felt worried about the daunting task of moving to another country. Fortunately, from day 1 of visa processing until onboarding, Resthaven made it easy for us. The team has been very supportive, going above and beyond what is expected, and their simple gestures created a positive impact.

Working in an aged care facility is very new to us as we used to work in hospitals with different specialities. As we spend our time working with the team and getting to know the residents, it makes us feel how rewarding this role is. Being able to improve older people’s wellbeing, and be their family in their ‘home’ is so fulfilling, plus there’s the bonus of free hugs from residents every day!

Working in a resthome is not an easy job but it gives a different perspective about nursing by providing a meaningful difference in the lives of the people who are in the later stages of life.