3 February 2021
Daniel
By email: [FYI request #14412 email]
File No: DOIA 2021-1260
Dear Daniel
Thank you for your email of 7 January 2021, requesting the following information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the OIA):
May I request the total number of SMC/WTR application which submitted ON/before 5th July
2019 currently in queue waiting allocation for a case officer. Breakdown in onshore, offshore
application please.
Our response
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) does not have a specific Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) queue but
one for skilled residence applications. These applications are SMC and Resident from Work (RFW) and
are all processed in the Manukau office. The applications are not split into two separate queues based
on the application category.
The fol owing table sets out the number of skil ed residence submitted on or before 5 July 2019 that
were ‘in queue’ awaiting allocation to be assessed as at 14 January 2021, with a breakdown of onshore
and offshore applications.
Skil ed residence applications
Accepted Months
Offshore Non Priority
Onshore Non Priority
Jan-19
30
0
Feb-19
114
1
Mar-19
66
1
Apr-19
70
3
May-19
83
3
Jun-19
78
0
Jul-19
19
6
Allocations of applications to immigration officers occur weekly and the number of applications that
are allocated is dependent upon processing capacity.
INZ is currently allocating prioritised skilled residence applications within two weeks of the application
joining the priority queue, and non-priority cases which were lodged up to and including 4 July 2019.
The New Zealand Residence Programme (NZRP) Planning Range sets the upper and lower number for
residence visa approvals. The previous Planning Range was 50,000 to 60,000 residence approvals from
1 July 2018 to 31 December 2019. The Government is currently reviewing its approach to the NZRP
and is considering replacing the planning range with a more targeted approach that focuses on
management of specific residence visa types. In the meantime, INZ wil continue to process
applications at same volume and with the same level of resourcing as the previous NZRP allowed for,
this does have an impact on the number of applications that can be al ocated and the timeliness of
application processing.
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. 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