17 February 2025
Wendy Yang
[FYI request #29782 email]
File No: DOIA-REQ-0008226
Tēnā koe Wendy,
I refer to your request(s) under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) received on 17 January 2025
requesting the following information from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
(Ministry):
“I would like to request the medical assessor guidelines for all categories of medical
conditions, with a distinction made between temporary applicants and residence applicants.
Specifically, I am particularly interested in detailed information regarding the conditions
listed under “A4.10.1 Medical conditions deemed to impose significant costs and/or demands
on New Zealand's health and/or education services.”
Our Response
The
Immigration New Zealand Guidelines for Medical Assessors (INZ 1378) are attached in Appendix
1. Within these guidelines, reference is made to supplementary guidelines for some medical
conditions. The Immigration Health Team has yet to update a number of the supplementary guidelines
referred to in the
Immigration New Zealand Guidelines for Medical Assessors (INZ 1378). Therefore,
the guidelines being provided to you listed in the table below and attached in Appendix 2 are a mix of
current supplementary guidelines and guidelines dated 2017 and 2018 which wil be replaced. The
guidelines which are dated 2017 and 2018 have been released to you as extracts from a document
called
Management of Common Medical Conditions (version 2, December 2018). This document is no
longer in circulation amongst the Medical Assessors and has been replaced by the
Immigration New
Zealand Guidelines for Medical Assessors (INZ 1378).
Cardiovascular Guidelines for Medical Assessors: Cardiovascular conditions (version 27 June
diseases
2024)
Cochlear
Cochlear Implants Information for INZ Medical Assessors (version 1 October
Implants
2017)
Diabetes
Diabetes (version 1, December 2018)
Haemophilia
Guidelines for Medical Assessors: Haemophilia (version 1 June 2023)
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B Guidelines HAT Update (version September 2018)
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C Guidelines for Immigration New Zealand Medical Assessors
(version 2, October 2017)
HIV
Guidelines for Medical Assessors: HIV (version 1 June 2023) and associated
Appendix
Non
Guidelines for Medical Assessors: Non Tuberculosis Mycobacterium (version
Tuberculous
1 June 2023)
Mycobacterium
Renal failure
Renal failure (version 2, December 2018)
and dialysis
treatment
Syphilis
Guidelines for Medical Assessors: Syphilis Screening (version 1 June 2023)
TB
Immigration New Zealand Medical Assessor Management of Active TB
(version 4, December 2018)
Applicants who Guidelines for Medical Assessors: Special education needs and Ongoing
may have
Resourcing Scheme (ORS) funding (version 1 June 2023)
special
education
needs
Applicants who Full Time Care Extract (version December 2018)
may need full
time care
Urinalysis
Guidelines for Medical Assessors: Urinalysis (version 1 June 2023)
Blood test
Guidelines for Medical Assessors: Blood test results (version 3 October 2022)
results
Chest x-rays
General advice on Chest X-Rays Extract (version December 2018)
Please note that the documents being released which pre-date 2022 do not necessarily reflect medical
advancements, current costs of medication, or changes to immigration instructions that have been
made in the interim. For example, the current financial threshold of $81,000, which determines
whether an applicant's medical condition is likely to impose significant costs on New Zealand’s health
services, may not be reflected in these documents.
You have asked that distinction be made between guidelines for temporary entry and residence
applicants. The documents will in some cases be applicable to both temporary entry and residence
applicants or may only be applicable to one or the other. The guidelines should general y note whether
the advice pertains to a temporary entry or residence application.
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 contact
[email address].
Nāku noa, nā
Richard Owen
General Manager – Immigration Risk and Border
Immigration New Zealand
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
