17 March 2021
45 Pipitea Street, Wel ington 6011
Phone +64 4 495 7200
Email [email address]
Daniel
Website dia.govt.nz
fyi-request-14230-
[email address]
Dear Daniel
Official Information Act 1982 request 2021-0453
Thank you for your Official Information Act (Act) request received by the Department of
Internal Affairs (Department) on 18 February 2021.
You requested—
When is the case officer is assigned to the application after submitting the citizenship
application?
In response to your request, please refer to Appendix A, attached. Appendix A provides you
with the average length of time for citizenship applications to be assigned by a case officer.
Appendix A il ustrates the impact of COVID-19 coinciding with the implementation of a new
system, on the average wait time for Citizenship by Grant applications to be picked assigned
by case officers.
As with any new system there were teething issues that created outages and delays, which is
unfortunate but not unexpected. The Department has successfully deployed updates to this
system over recent months, which we anticipate will enable us to deliver more timely
outcomes in the citizenship space.
You also sent the Department a fol ow up email on 25 February 2020, raising a number of
concerns relating to processing timeframes and asking for the following information:
Is 5-7 months’ time the whole completion process for citizenship application?
It is important to reiterate the Department’s response provided to you for your request OIA
2021-0305; that the citizenship application processing timeframes you have referred to are
indicative only. There is no set standard processing timeframe for citizenship application
because every application is different. For that reason, there is no ‘normal’ timeframe.
The processing timeframe covers the entire application process, which starts when an
applicant submits their application. The application then undergoes an assessment,
validation & a decision on the outcome is made. Only when an applicant receives their
Citizenship certificate (or confirmation that their application has not been approved) is the
process complete.
Most applicants wil be advised of the outcome from their application within 7 to 12 months
of submitting a correct and complete application, which is consistent with the information
provided to you by the Department’s contact centre.
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.
Yours sincerely
Julia Taylor
Manager Operational Policy and Official Correspondence
Service Delivery and Operations
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