22 March 2021
Kwanjira Chanthawas
[FYI request #14768 email]
Ref: DOIA 2021-1635
Dear Kwanjira Chanthawas,
Thank you for your email of 26 February 2021 requesting under the Official Information Act 1982 (the OIA),
the following information:
“My name is Kwanjira Chanthawas. I am currently residing in New Zealand. I'm writing you
today to request the official information on the allocation of SMC and RFW applications.
1. The number of SMC and RFW applications that have been allocated. Breakdown by
weekly basis from 4th February 2021 to the date this OIA request gets a response.
Categorized by priority application and non-priority application.
2. The number of applications in the queue waiting for allocation. Breakdown by month.
Categorized by priority application and non-priority application.
3. The number of applications that the decision has been made and finalized from July
2020 to the date this OIA request gets a response. Breakdown by month. Categorized by
priority application and non-priority application.”
Our Response
Question One: “The number of SMC and RFW applications that have been allocated. Breakdown by
weekly basis from 4th February 2021 to the date this OIA request gets a response. Categorized by priority
application and non-priority application.”
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has one queue for skilled residence applications. The applications in this
queue include Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) and Resident from Work (RFW), and are not split into two
separate queues based on the application category.
Allocations of applications to immigration officers occur weekly and the number of applications that are
al ocated is dependent upon processing capacity. The Government is currently reviewing its approach to
the New Zealand Residence Programme (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 will
continue to process applications at the same volume and with the same level of resourcing as the previous
NZRP allowed for. This has an impact on the number of applications that can be al ocated and the timeliness
of application processing.
Please see Table one below which provides the number of skilled residence applications that were allocated
from the onshore non priority and priority queue, between the periods 01 February 2021 to 08 March 2021.
Please note that in February 2021, the Auckland region moved into Alert Level 3 twice which had an impact
on the processing of skilled residence applications, and the capacity for immigration officers to be allocated
new applications. With reduced processing capacity and reduced ability for some staff to access INZ offices
during the COVID-19 response, for several weeks the INZ Manukau office had limited numbers of staff
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processing skilled residence applications from the office and reduced productivity for those working from
home.
Table One:
Allocation
Onshore
Priority
Date
Non Priority
Queue
Queue
1-Feb-21
129
41
8-Feb-21
177
17
15-Feb-21
17
60
22-Feb-21
49
21
1-Mar-21
30
35
8-Mar-21
0
52
Question Two: “The number of applications in the queue waiting for al ocation. Breakdown by month.
Categorized by priority application and non-priority application.”
Applications that do not meet the criterion for prioritisation are allocated to an immigration officer in the
order they are received. Applications however, can be prioritised or deprioritised if an applicant’s
circumstances change.
As of 09 March 2021, INZ is allocating:
• Non-prioritised SMC and RFW applications received in August 2019, and
• Prioritised SMC and RFW applications within two weeks of the application joining the priority
queue.
Table two below provides the number of unallocated skilled residence applications in the onshore non
priority queue and priority queue as at 09 March 2021, broken down by the month the applications were
accepted for processing. Please note as applicants’ circumstances change, some non-priority applications
may meet the prioritisation criteria (current occupational registration where registration is required by
immigration instructions or an hourly rate at or above twice the median wage). Such applications will be
moved to the priority queue and allocated within two weeks.
Table Two
Month
Onshore
Accepted Non Priority Priority Total
Aug-19
448
0
448
Sep-19
603
0
603
Oct-19
653
1
654
Nov-19
803
5
808
Dec-19
801
6
807
Jan-20
616
1
617
Feb-20
961
2
963
Mar-20
971
2
973
May-20
93
0
93
Jun-20
1,619
10 1,629
Jul-20
1,176
7 1,183
Aug-20
212
0
212
Sep-20
742
2
744
Oct-20
440
1
441
2
Nov-20
482
1
483
Dec-20
280
0
280
Jan-21
412
4
416
Feb-21
205
18
223
Mar-21
14
4
18
Question Three: “The number of applications that the decision has been made and finalized from July
2020 to the date this OIA request gets a response. Breakdown by month. Categorized by priority
application and non-priority application.”
Please see table three below which provides the number SMC and RFW applications decided by INZ during
the period 01 July 2020 to 09 March 2021, broken down by the decision month.
Table Three:
Decision Number of
Month
Decisions
Jul-20
732
Aug-20
744
Sep-20
788
Oct-20
769
Nov-20
1,194
Dec-20
815
Jan-21
745
Feb-21
541
Mar-21
88
Any updates in regards to the allocation of applications can be found via 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 Lautalie Leausa Vaa,
Senior Business Advisor, Operations Support, Immigration New Zealand at
[email address].
Yours sincerely,
Nicola Hogg
General Manager - Border and Visa Operations
Immigration New Zealand
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