24 August 2021
45 Pipitea Street, Wel ington 6011
Phone +64 4 495 7200
dia.govt.nz
Nick Sampson
fyi-request-16223-
[email address]
Dear Nick
Official Information Act 1982 request 2122-0088 – Citizenship processing timeframes
Thank you for your Official Information Act (Act) request received by the Department of Internal
Affairs (Department) on 27 July 2021.
You requested –
1. How many applications were received in October 2020 for the fol owing three
categories?
•
In-person applications received (Please provide a breakdown by the city of
application):
•
Online applications received:
•
Postal applications received:
2. How many applications received in October 2020 have been processed? Please provide a
breakdown as per the three above-mentioned categories.
•
In-person applications processed (Please provide a breakdown by the city of
application):
•
Online applications processed:
•
Postal applications processed:
3. Statistics on the processing times of applications received in October 2020 by the three
above-mentioned categories:
•
Mean, median, maximum, and minimum processing time of In-person
applications processed (Please provide a breakdown by the city of application):
•
Mean, median, maximum, and minimum processing time of Online applications
processed:
•
Mean, median, maximum, and minimum processing time of Postal applications
processed:
4. Do you maintain a single queue for processing all citizenship applications regardless of
which method is used for submission? If you prioritized one application category over
another, then how do you plan to redress the discrepancy? Given that all applicants pay
the same application fee, it is unfair that the application method should dictate how
quickly the application is processed.
5. When wil you start processing online applications received in October 2020?
6. Why does the Citizenship website not provide statistics on applications that have been
received to date, the average processing time by category, and the median processing
time by category? This is a simple update to the website. The counter can be updated
daily providing greater accountability, transparency, and clarity on how applications are
being processed. The statement - It takes 9 to 14 months to find out if your application to
become a New Zealand citizen has been approved - does not provide much detail.
In response to your request, I can provide you with the fol owing information.
Questions one, two, and three
Please refer to Appendix A, attached. Appendix A provides you with the following information
for citizenship by grant applications received:
•
Table one – Breakdown of online and paper applications received in the month October
2020
•
Table two – Breakdown of processing times for total number of paper applications
received in the month October 2020
•
Table three – Breakdown of processing times for paper applications received in the
month October 2020, by office location
•
Table four – Breakdown of processing times for total number of online applications
received in the month October 2020
•
Table five – Breakdown of processing times for online applications received in the month
October 2020, by office location
It is important to explain that the Department does not track how many of the paper
applications are received via post or over the counter. Because of this, I am only able to provide
you with the total number of paper applications received, and a breakdown of their processing
times.
Question four
Paper and online applications are both processed in order of payment, however they are
managed through two different systems.
The Department recently introduced and transitioned to a new Customer Centred Management
System (CCMS) that supports a fully online process. This is a centralised system so does not
differentiate between office location and a case officer picking up new work, will take the next
available application in the queue.
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The applications that are received via paper however, are processed through the Department’s
old application system called COS. Paper applications are entered and processed in COS
throughout three office locations in New Zealand, Auckland, Wel ington and Christchurch.
It is helpful for me to explain that the Department is currently in the process of hiring additional
temporary staff who wil focus on reducing the backlog of paper applications, freeing up most
existing staff to work exclusively on online applications.
We expect that the time taken for staff to process in the online system should reduce as they
become more familiar with our new system. We are also continuing to develop this new system
and train more existing staff to process citizenship applications. Taken together the range of
initiatives should see a significant decrease in the backlog in coming months.
However, I note that the current change in COVID-19 alert levels does impact the Department’s
ability to recruit new staff, train existing staff, and process citizenship by grant applications.
Question five
I can advise that as at 19 August 2020, the Department is working on citizenship by grant
applications that were received in mid to late October 2020.
Question six
I appreciate that the information currently available online is not as comprehensive as it could
be. The Department is currently looking into providing updated statistics and information about
citizenship processing timeframes on our website, as ensuring accessibility of information and
transparency for our customers is a priority. While I am unable to provide an exact date for this,
we are planning to do this as soon as possible.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely
Julia Taylor
Manager Operational Policy and Official Correspondence
Service Delivery and Operations
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