Grant Johnson
[FYI request #19260 email]
Ref: DOIA 2122-2079
Dear Grant Johnson,
Thank you for your email of 3 May 2022 requesting under the Official Information Act 1982 (the OIA), the
following information:
1. What is the number of Expressions of Interest (EOI) that are currently in Skilled Migrant Category
(SMC) pool?
2. Of those EOIs, how many are there, in which the primary applicant on the EOI is represented in a
One-Off 2021 Resident Visa (RV21), either as the primary applicant of the RV21 application or as the
secondary applicant/partner?
3. Of the remaining number of applications in the SMC EOI pool who are not represented in a RV21
application (i.e. answer to question 1 less the answer to question 2), how many applications are there
in which the primary applicant was present in New Zealand on September 29, 2021 on visa that
qualifies for the RV21 (INZ Operational Manual section S6.10.1) and who also met the "Settled" criteria
(described in INZ Operational Manual section S6.15.1) of the RV21?
4. Of the remaining number of SMC EOI pool who are not represented in a RV21 application and do not
meet the settled criteria for RV21 (i.e. the answer to question 1 minus the answer to questions 2 and 3),
how many of them were present in New Zealand on September 29, 2021 on a visa that qualifies for the
RV21? For this last group, can you please break the numbers down by the visa type they held on that
day?
On 9 May 2022 we sought clarification of your request (part 2) which was confirmed on 10 May
2022 to be the following:
2. Of those EOIs, how many principal applicants have applied for a RV 2021
or have been included in a RV21 application.
Our Response
As of 7 May 2022, the total number of Expressions of Interest (EOI) in the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC)
selection pool was
11,692.
We are unable to provide the data to questions 2, 3 and 4 because the information requested is not held
in a reportable format and therefore cannot be made available without substantial collation. To find out
how many principal applicants in the SMC EOI pool have applied for a 2021 Residence Visa, or are
included in a 2021 Residence Visa application, we would need to manually check each of the 11,692
EOIs. We are therefore refusing this portion of your request under section 18(f) of the OIA. Providing
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this information would remove Ministry staff from their core duties and therefore the greater public
interest in the effective and efficient administration of the public service would not be served. I have
considered whether the Ministry would be able to respond to your request given extra time or the ability
to charge for the information requested. I have concluded that, in both cases, the Ministry’s ability to
undertake its work would still be prejudiced.
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.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, please conta
ct [email address]. Yours sincerely,
Nicola Hogg
General Manager - Border and Visa Operations
Immigration New Zealand
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
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