14/07/2020
Kuljinder Singh
[FYI request #12992 email]
Ref: DOIA 1920-1684
Dear Kuljinder Singh,
Thank you for your email of 30 May 2020, requesting the following information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the OIA):
1. I would like to know, Against how many application from non priority category are
allocating to Case officers against priority applications.
2. Have goverment or INZ made any set process to allocate appications Such as Priority
appications Vis-a-vis non Priority applications? If so, then what is that? If not, then on
what basis applications are getting allocated?
3. Also, I would like to have an update on date of submission of Last SMC file which was
allocated to Case officer from both Priority and Non- Priority Que's.
4. The total number of Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) residence applications that currently
in queue waiting for a case officer?
5. How many SMC applications are with Case officers?
6. How many case officers working on SMC files?
On 4 June 2020 you clarified question 1:
I would like to know, Like we have 100 application im Priority list and 1000 in non priority , Now
what number of application from Priority que will be allocated to Immigration officer first against
Non-Priority application.
Our response
Please note that the skilled residence applications processed in the Manukau office are made up
of Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) and Residence from Work (RFW) applications. They are not
split into two separate queues based on the application category. Once an application is
accepted for processing it is then identified as to whether it meets the prioritisation criteria, or
not, and triaged into either the priority or non-priority queue. Therefore the below data contains
both SMC and RFW categories.
Question 1
I would like to know, Against how many application from non priority category are allocating to
Case officers against priority applications.
On 4 June 2020 you clarified question 1:
I would like to know, Like we have 100 application im Priority list and 1000 in non priority , Now
what number of application from Priority que will be allocated to Immigration officer first against
Non-Priority application.
Please refer to the table below. Allocation occurs weekly and the data is for the week beginning
the date quoted. Please note that prior to May 2020 Manukau office did not record the split of
priority and non-priority applications, therefore data is only available from 18 May 2020.
Week beginning
Priority applications
Non-priority
Total
applications
18 May 2020
264
0
264
25 May 2020
0
0
0*
01 June 2020
35
13
48
08 June 2020
40
13
50
15 June 2020
89
10
99
22 June 2020
228
12
240
*
only re-allocation occurred, no applications were allocated from queues. Re-allocation occurs
when an application that had been allocated needs to be re-assigned to another immigration
officer due to staff movement.
Question 2
Have goverment or INZ made any set process to allocate appications Such as Priority appications
Vis-a-vis non Priority applications? If so, then what is that? If not, then on what basis applications
are getting allocated?
Immigration Instructions at A16.1 sets out the priority criteria for residence class visas and also
the different tiers of priority for residence processing. Further information can be found here:
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/opsmanual/#44854.htm
Question 3
Also, I would like to have an update on date of submission of Last SMC file which was allocated to
Case officer from both Priority and Non- Priority Que's.
It is my understanding that you want to know the lodgement date of the skilled residence
application that was most recently allocated to an immigration officer. Manukau office does not
record such information. However, they record the dates of the oldest unallocated applications.
As of 16 June 2020, the oldest unallocated application meeting the criteria as first priority was
received on 18 December 2019. The oldest unallocated non-priority application was received on
17 December 2018. Applications are normally allocated in date order so for example, if an
application in the non-priority queue is allocated on 17 June 2020, the lodgement date of the
application will be 17 December 2018. However it’s not always the case. For example, an
application escalated through the Employment Visa Escalation (EVE) process is allocated first
regardless of its lodgement date. This is in line with Instructions A16.1 (f) which allow immigration
officers prioritise applications when individual circumstances warrant this. This includes
applications returned by the Immigration Protection Tribunal (IPT) for re-assessment, applications
requiring reallocation due to staff movement, and those escalated through the EVE
process. Information about the EVE process can be found at the following link
www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/media-centre/newsletters/korero/korero-july-
2019/employment-visa-escalations-eve
Question 4
The total number of Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) residence applications that currently in queue
waiting for a case officer?
As of 16 June 2020, a total of 13,521 skilled residence applications are in queues waiting to be
allocated to an immigration officer.
Question 5
How many SMC applications are with Case officers?
As of 16 June 2020, 2,907 skilled residence applications are with immigration officers for
assessment.
Question 6
How many case officers working on SMC files?
As of 4 June 2020, 72 immigration officers are working on skilled residence applications.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, please contact Dongrui Pang,
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
