Ref: 2021-1016

Dear Santiago,

On behalf of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment I
acknowledge your email of 17 November 2020 requesting under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act), the following:

“I would like to request the following information regarding resident
class visa applications:

 

1) Total number of non-priority (off-shore included) resident class visa
applications accepted (on-hand) to date discriminated in Skilled Migrant
Category, Talent (Accredited Employer) Resident Visa and Others.

 

2) Number of ON-SHORE non-priority resident class visa applications
accepted (on-hand) to date discriminated in Skilled Migrant Category,
Talent (Accredited Employer) Resident Visa and Others.

 

3) Monthly list with number of non-priority (off-shore included) resident
class visa applications lodged between January 2019 to date discriminated
in Skilled Migrant Category, Talent (Accredited Employer) Resident Visa
and Others.

 

4) Monthly list with number of ON-SHORE non-priority resident class visa
applications lodged between January 2019 to date discriminated in Skilled
Migrant Category, Talent (Accredited Employer) Resident Visa and Others,
listed per month.

 

5) Monthly list with number of ON-SHORE resident visa class applications,
discriminated in priority and non-priority, allocated to a Case officer
between August 2020 to date.

 

6) Average processing times for Talent (Accredited Employer) Resident
Visas before the new prioritisation criteria came into effect on February
24th 2020.

 

7) A comprehensive and detailed description of the internal procedures
followed by Case Officers to process Skilled Migrant Category and Talent
(Accredited Employer) Resident Visas.”

Your request is being processed in accordance with the Act and a response
will be sent to you in due course.

Please note, due to ongoing COVID-19 response work, requests are currently
being triaged and those relating to Covid-19 processed as a priority.
Remaining requests are being assessed as per the Ombudsman’s guidance
(which can be found here:
[1]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/news/chief-ombudsmans-statement-official-information-response-times-during-covid-19-emergency)
and processed accordingly.

If you have any enquiries regarding your request, or its urgency, feel
free to contact us via email at [2][MBIE request email].

Nâku noa, nâ

MINISTERIAL SERVICES

Corporate, Governance and Information

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment

Level 4, 15 Stout Street, PO Box 1473, Wellington 6140

NZBN 9429000106078

 

[3]www.govt.nz - your guide to finding and using New Zealand government
services

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References

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1. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/news/...
http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/news/...
2. mailto:[MBIE request email]
mailto:[MBIE request email]
3. http://www.govt.nz/

hide quoted sections

Dear Santiago,

 

I will be responding to your official information request regarding
resident class visa applications.

 

Could you please clarify the following:

 

When you ask information relating to ‘other’ resident visas, do you mean
the other resident from work(RFW) resident categories? e.g.  RFW – Talent
Arts, Sport Culture, RFW – Long Term Skill Shortage List, RFW – Religious
Worker, RFW – South Island Contribution.

 

Question 6 - are you happy to receive the processing times for Talent
(Accredited Employer) Resident Visas for the 12 months before 24 February
2020. So it will be from 24 Feb 2019 to 24 Feb 2020.

 

Could you please provide an answer before 5:00pm 20 November 2020.

Kinds regards

Adam Jones

Business Advisor

Border & Visa Operations - Immigration New Zealand

Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
[1][email address]|

[2]www.immigration.govt.nz  | 

 

NZBN 9429000106078

[3]http://thelink/how/PublishingImages/MBIE...

 

[4]www.govt.nz - your guide to finding and using New Zealand government
services

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Any opinions expressed in this message are not necessarily those of the
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. This message and any
files transmitted with it are confidential and solely for the use of the
intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient or the person
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References

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2. http://www.immigration.govt.nz/
4. http://www.govt.nz/

hide quoted sections

Dear Santiago,

I was going to follow up with your previous email. The Family/Humanitiaran categories are not broken into the same queues as the skill residence applications are. Thank you for clarifying with me.

I have followed up with the office processing the business category residence visas entrepreneur/investor. They have advised that they do not break these down into priority/non-priority, onshore/offshore.

They follow the allocations rules laid out in Immigration instruction A16.1 https://www.immigration.govt.nz/opsmanua...

I will request the information for the skilled residence queues listed below, however for all other categories, as they are not separated in the same way, we will not be able to report this in the form you have requested.

Kind regards
Adam

-----Original Message-----
From: Santiago Novillo [mailto:[FOI #14148 email]]
Sent: Thursday, 19 November 2020 1:53 p.m.
To: Adam Jones
Subject: Re: DOIA 2021-1016 [IN-CONFIDENCE:RELEASE EXTERNAL]

Dear Adam Jones,

I want to rectify my previous message regarding the following question:

When you ask information relating to ‘other’ resident visas, do you mean
the other resident from work(RFW) resident categories? e.g. RFW – Talent
Arts, Sport Culture, RFW – Long Term Skill Shortage List, RFW – Religious
Worker, RFW – South Island Contribution.

By "Other" resident visas I mean all resident visas other than SMC and Talent Accredited in the Business/Skilled category, which would exclude family and humanitarian categories.

Yours sincerely,

Santiago Novillo

-----Original Message-----

Dear Santiago,

 

I will be responding to your official information request regarding
resident class visa applications.

 

Could you please clarify the following:

 

When you ask information relating to ‘other’ resident visas, do you mean
the other resident from work(RFW) resident categories? e.g.  RFW – Talent
Arts, Sport Culture, RFW – Long Term Skill Shortage List, RFW – Religious
Worker, RFW – South Island Contribution.

 

Question 6 - are you happy to receive the processing times for Talent
(Accredited Employer) Resident Visas for the 12 months before 24 February
2020. So it will be from 24 Feb 2019 to 24 Feb 2020.

 

Could you please provide an answer before 5:00pm 20 November 2020.

Kinds regards

Adam Jones

Business Advisor

Border & Visa Operations - Immigration New Zealand

Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
[1][email address]|

[2]www.immigration.govt.nz  | 

 

NZBN 9429000106078

[3]http://thelink/how/PublishingImages/MBIE...

 

[4]www.govt.nz - your guide to finding and using New Zealand government
services

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]%7c
2. http://www.immigration.govt.nz/
4. http://www.govt.nz/

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Hi Santiago,

No issue, I have added this question in with the others. Just to be aware as we have finalised the request and an additional question has been added, the 20 days for response will begin from today.

An amended date for response will be 18 December 2020.

Kind regards
Adam

-----Original Message-----
From: Santiago Novillo [mailto:[FOI #14148 email]]
Sent: Friday, 20 November 2020 1:22 p.m.
To: Adam Jones
Subject: RE: DOIA 2021-1016 [IN-CONFIDENCE:RELEASE EXTERNAL]

Hi Adam,

Would it be possible to add one more point to the request please?

8) Total number of Talent (Accredited Employer) WORK visas granted from February 24th 2018 to February 24th 2020.

Thanks again.

Kind regards,

Santiago Novillo

-----Original Message-----

Dear Santiago,

I was going to follow up with your previous email. The Family/Humanitiaran categories are not broken into the same queues as the skill residence applications are. Thank you for clarifying with me.

I have followed up with the office processing the business category residence visas entrepreneur/investor. They have advised that they do not break these down into priority/non-priority, onshore/offshore.

They follow the allocations rules laid out in Immigration instruction A16.1 https://www.immigration.govt.nz/opsmanua...

I will request the information for the skilled residence queues listed below, however for all other categories, as they are not separated in the same way, we will not be able to report this in the form you have requested.

Kind regards
Adam

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hide quoted sections

Hi Santiago,

This has been noted.

Kind regards
Adam

-----Original Message-----
From: Santiago Novillo [mailto:[FOI #14148 email]]
Sent: Friday, 20 November 2020 3:16 p.m.
To: Adam Jones
Subject: RE: DOIA 2021-1016 [IN-CONFIDENCE:RELEASE EXTERNAL]

Hi Adam,

Of course, I understand.

Sorry, I would like to rectify the previous point (instead of a total I'd like a monthly list please):

8) Monthly list of Talent (Accredited Employer) WORK visas granted from February 24th 2018 to February 24th 2020.

Kind regards,

Santiago Novillo

-----Original Message-----

Hi Santiago,

No issue, I have added this question in with the others. Just to be aware as we have finalised the request and an additional question has been added, the 20 days for response will begin from today.

An amended date for response will be 18 December 2020.

Kind regards
Adam

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Good morning Santiago,

I was hoping you might be able to clarify something else for me.

With your question for "A comprehensive and detailed description of the internal procedures followed by Case Officers to process Skilled Migrant Category and Talent (Accredited Employer) Resident Visas".

Is there any way you could narrow down this question what you are looking for? For example, are you wanting the training material which the Immigration officers are provided before they begin assessment? Or what is available to Immigration Officers when they are assessing these applications?

Thanks
Adam

-----Original Message-----
From: Santiago Novillo <[FOI #14148 email]>
Sent: Friday, 20 November 2020 3:16 PM
To: Adam Jones <[email address]>
Subject: RE: DOIA 2021-1016 [IN-CONFIDENCE:RELEASE EXTERNAL]

Hi Adam,

Of course, I understand.

Sorry, I would like to rectify the previous point (instead of a total I'd like a monthly list please):

8) Monthly list of Talent (Accredited Employer) WORK visas granted from February 24th 2018 to February 24th 2020.

Kind regards,

Santiago Novillo

-----Original Message-----

Hi Santiago,

No issue, I have added this question in with the others. Just to be aware as we have finalised the request and an additional question has been added, the 20 days for response will begin from today.

An amended date for response will be 18 December 2020.

Kind regards
Adam

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Dear Santiago,

Please find attached the response to your official information request.

Kind regards
Adam

-----Original Message-----
From: Santiago Novillo <[FOI #14148 email]>
Sent: Monday, 7 December 2020 1:19 PM
To: Adam Jones <[email address]>
Subject: RE: DOIA 2021-1016 [IN-CONFIDENCE:RELEASE EXTERNAL]

Hi Adam,

What I would like is something like a list of the steps that a residence application has to go through in order to be processed.

For example, I understand that SMC applications must first go through an Initial Assessment, then a verification of claims for skilled employment, then a PPI letter, case summary, second person check, final decision, etc. I am not sure about Talent (Accredited Employer) Resident Visa applications though. I want to know exactly what steps a Case Officer has to follow (and a description of those steps) to process both SMC and Talent (Accredited Employer) Resident Visa applications so I can have a better understanding of the differences in complexity and processing instructions between both streams.

Hope that helps but please let me know if you need further clarification.

Kind regards,

Santiago Novillo

-----Original Message-----

Good morning Santiago,

I was hoping you might be able to clarify something else for me.

With your question for "A comprehensive and detailed description of the internal procedures followed by Case Officers to process Skilled Migrant Category and Talent (Accredited Employer) Resident Visas".

Is there any way you could narrow down this question what you are looking for? For example, are you wanting the training material which the Immigration officers are provided before they begin assessment? Or what is available to Immigration Officers when they are assessing these applications?

Thanks
Adam

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