4 June 2020
Tammy
By email: fyi‐request‐12883‐[email address]
File No: DOIA 1920‐1648
Dear Tammy
Thank you for your email of 25 May 2020, requesting the following information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the OIA):
Is there any plan this government has to allocate case officers to SMC applications from non
priority que?
Its been almost 17 months since tehre is no movement here, is there any consideration given
to an applicant's mental health who has been in limbo for a while now?
Our response
In March 2020 Immigration New Zealand (INZ) made changes to how we process Skilled Migrant
Category and Residence from Work Category applications to make the prioritisation process more
transparent, and to ensure non‐priority applications continue to be assessed.
As of 26 May 2020, INZ is allocating:
non‐prioritised Skilled Migrant Category and Residence from Work applications received in
December 2018, and
prioritised Skilled Migrant Category and Residence from Work applications received in
November 2019.
While INZ’s visa processing capacity was limited during Alert Level 4, our capacity has now increased
significantly with 97% of onshore Immigration Officers currently able to work. Skilled Migrant
Category visa applications are processed onshore. All offshore offices remain closed. INZ are
currently prioritising applications where the applicant is in New Zealand over applications where the
applicant is overseas.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, please contact Anna McLachlan,
Business Advisor, Operations Support, Immigration New Zealand at [email address].
Yours sincerely
Nicola Hogg
General Manager
Border and Visa Operations
Immigration New Zealand
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment