Lack of language barrier "massive bonus" for New Zealand expats

The fact that the spoken language of New Zealand is English is a "massive bonus" for people choosing to move overseas, it has been suggested.

An article for online resource Shelter Offshore explains that while this is positive, complications can arise as soon as would-be expats express an interest in going to the country.

It explains that New Zealand has a "very strict" immigration policy in place, which can make it difficult to plan a relocation, suggesting that people carry out a "fact-finding mission" to the nation in order to find out more about their potential new home.

"The fact-finding mission can save you a lot of heartache and even money if it proves to you that actually, New Zealand is not right. On the other hand, it can be time and money well spent if it cements the idea of a relocation in your mind," the article continues.

Meanwhile, Simon Ripton, joint managing director of Alliance & Leicester International, recently noted that New Zealand was rated highly by expats in terms of quality of life and cost of living.