3 July 2025
45 Pipitea Street, Wel ington 6011
Phone +64 4 495 7200
dia.govt.nz
Seenivasan Ramasubbu
fyi-request-31196-
[email address]
Tēnā koe Seenivasan
OIA request 24/25 1166 Request for information citizenship processing timeframes
Thank you for your Official Information Act (Act) request received by the Department of Internal
Affairs (Department) on 3 June 2025.
You requested –
I would like to raise a question on slow progress on approving Citizenship applications from
March 2025.
From the data provided in DIA website, until February 2025 on average over 2000 application
approved for the past 12 months and suddenly from March 2025 the approved applications
number is declined to 423 in March, 190 in April, and very few in May.
1.
What is the reason of decline trend in Citizenship application approval?
2.
What is the reason of increase trend in Unassigned application status?
3.
Does Automated checks has anything to do with this latest trend?
On 6 June 2025, you were contacted to clarify your request. You responded on the same day
and clarified your request as:
1. What is the reason of decline in Citizenship application approvals?
2. What is the reason of increase in Unassigned application status?
3. Does Automated checks have anything to do with this?
In response to your request, I can provide you with the fol owing information.
Question One
It may be helpful for me to explain that the graph you have obtained through data.govt.nz -
https://catalogue.data.govt.nz/dataset/status-of-citizenship-by-grant-applications-by-date-
received-at-dia/resource/712409ae-d154-4ac9-a511-75627d4a9eb0 , is updated on a monthly
basis.
The graph does not show the number of applications received and processed each month. It
shows the current (as at the date of publication of the graph) status of applications received,
listed by month in which they were received by the Department.
Please find attached Appendix A which shows a comparison between the graph
Current Status
of Citizenship by Grant Applications as at 3 June 2025 and the same graph with the status as at
27 June 2025.
The ‘Approved’ applications in the graph are the number of applications approved at the time of
the data being published, listed by month in which they were received by the Department.
Below is an example of the applications approved, depending on the date that the data is
compiled. The data below shows the number of approvals increasing over time, calculated
according to the month the application was received.
Citizenship by grant data approvals as at 27 June 2025 and at 3 June 2025
April 2025
May 2025
June 2025
Approved as at 3 June 2025
190
-
-
Approved as at 27 June 2025
223
188
46
Caveats:
1. The data was collated on 27 June 2025 and is accurate as at this date.
2. As the data is extracted from dynamic systems, there may be small variances when
compared with prior or future datasets.
Question Two
I can advise that there has not been an increase in unallocated applications.
As applications are received, it is represented in the graph you refer to as unassigned.
Applications are then picked up by staff member and processed which moves the applications to
the processing stage. Applications are picked up only when a staff member has the capacity to
pick up new work. When they do so, the oldest unal ocated application on hand is picked up.
Currently the oldest unassigned work on hand is from March 2025.
Question Three
I can advise that the automated checks in assessing citizenship by grant applications have not
changed.
As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, the Department has
decided to proactively release a copy of this response on the DIA website. Al requestor data,
including your name and contact details, will be removed prior to release. The released
response will be made available here
: https://www.dia.govt.nz/Official-Information-Act-
Requests-2.
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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.
Ngā mihi
Julia Taylor
Manager Operational Policy and Official Correspondence
Regulatory and Identity Services
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