4 August 2020
Basant Chaudhary
[FYI request #13344 email]
Ref: DOIA 1920-0149
Dear Basant Chaudhary
I refer to your request under the Official Information Act 1982 received on 17 July 2020 requesting
the following:
1) I would like to know when exactly my RV application is going to be picked up?
2) how many RV applications are being allocated to CO everyday for non priority queue and which
date lot is in progress as of today?
3) Are they being picked up on first come first serve basis?
4) Will I get refund for the payment I made to extend my last visa in the month of June?
Our response
I note you refer to Residence Visa (RV) applications in your request and your current residence
application with Immigration New Zealand is a Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) residence application.
This application was accepted by Immigration New Zealand (INZ) on 8 March 2019 and at this time I
am not able to give an indication for when it will be allocated to an officer.
INZ does not have a specific SMC queue but one for skilled residence applications. Skilled residence
applications include two categories, the SMC and Residence from Work (RFW) category and both are
processed in the Manukau office. The applications are not split into two separate queues based on the
application category but are separated based on whether the application meets the priority criteria as
describ
ed at A16.1
Immigration Instructions A16.1 sets out the order of visa processing for both residence and temporary
entry class visa applications.
For those applicants who have submitted a skilled residence application (SMC and RfW) priority is
given to applicants in New Zealand and if the:
Application includes a job offer with an hourly rate equivalent to or higher than twice the
median wage (currently $51.00 per hour or an annual salary of $106,080 or more); or
Application includes a job offer which requires occupational registration where occupational
registration is required by immigration instructions.
Second Priority will be given to residence class visa applications where the applicant is offshore.
Applications are processed in date order of lodgement. However, A16.1 (f) allows for the allocation
of other applications when individual circumstances warrant this. This includes applications returned
by the Immigration Protection Tribunal (IPT) for re-assessment, applications requiring reassignment
due to staff movement, and those escalated through the Employment Visa Escalation (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
Allocations of applications to immigration officers occur weekly and the number of applications that
are allocated is dependent upon processing capacity.
As at 14 July 2020, the oldest application in the non-priority queue is dated 20 December 2018.
The table below displays the number of applications allocated from the non-priority queue each week
for the month of June. It is not possible to break this down further to display the number of
applications allocated each day.
Date
1 June 2020
8 June 2020
15 June 2020
22 June 2020
29 June 2020
Non – Priority
13
13
10
12
33
Allocations
Any updates in regards to the allocation of applications can be found at the following
link
www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/media-centre/news-notifications/how-we-prioritise-
resident-visa-applications/smc-and-rfw-timeframe-information
The visa application you submitted in June has been assessed and finalised so you are not eligible for
a refund on this application. Refunds are only available in limited circumstances. Please see the INZ
website for more information on
fee refunds. If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, or if you require any further
assistance, please contact Matt Burden, Senior Business Advisor, Operations Support at
[email address]
Yours sincerely
Nicola Hogg
General Manager - Border & Visa Operations
Immigration New Zealand
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
