W
MINISTRY OF BUSINESS,
I ! 11 INNOVATION & EMPLOYMENT
1
HIKINA WHAKATUTUKI
14 December 2020
Daniel
[email address]
File No: DOIA 2021- 0997
Dear Daniel
Thank you for your email on 13 November 2020, requesting the following information under the
Official Information Act 1982 (the OIA):
Total number of SMC non-priory application which submitted before 2nd July 2019 now in
queue waiting a/location for a case officer
Our response
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has Skilled Residence queues containing Skilled Migrant Category and
Resident from Work visa applications that are pending allocation to an immigration officer for
assessment. The applications are not separated by type.
I can advise that as of 1 December 2020, INZ held a total of 663 Skilled Residence visas which had been
submitted before 2 July 2019, which were non�priority and pending allocation to an immigration
officer for assessment. Of those, 459 applications were from applicants who were offshore. As per the
priorities stated at Immigration Instructions A16.1, INZ is prioritising residence class visa applications
where the applicant is onshore, over those who are offshore. These are therefore held in separate
queues
I can advise generally that the New Zealand Residence Program (NZRP) Planning Range sets the upper
and lower number for residence visa approvals. The last NZRP ran from 1 July 2018 until 31 December
2019 and included a Planning Range of 50,000 to 60,000 residence approvals,
The Government is currently reviewing its approach to the 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 same volume and with the same
level of resourcing as the previous NZRP allowed for. The INZ website remains the best place for up
to-date information on processing timeframes:
https:ljwww.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/waiting-for-a-visa/how-long-it-takes-to
process-your-visa-application
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, please contact Chung Man
Charmaine Ho, Business Advisor, Operations Support, Immigration New Zealand at
Charmaine [email address].
Yours sincerely
Nicola Hogg
General Manager Border and Visa Operations
Immigration New Zealand
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment