10 March 2021
Sonu
[FYI request #14718 email]
Ref: DOIA 2021-1553
Dear Sonu,
Thank you for your email of 18 February 2021 requesting under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
OIA), the following information:
“Could you please let me know, How many onshore SMC applications are waiting for case
officer before 10 march 2020. Can you please provide information about the number of
application received each month? Like (jan, feb, March)”
Our Response
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) does not have a specific Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) queue but one
for skilled residence applications. The applications in this queue are SMC and Resident from Work (RFW),
and are not split into two separate queues based on the application category.
The SMC and RFW Category applications will be prioritised for allocation to an immigration officer if the
principal applicant is in New Zealand and:
• is paid twice the median wage or higher (currently NZD $51 an hour or NZD $106,080 a year), or
• works in an occupation where registration is required by immigration instructions and holds that
registration.
Applications that do not meet the criterion for prioritisation are allocated to an immigration officer in
the order they are received. Applications however, can be prioritised or deprioritised if an applicant’s
circumstances change.
As of 25 February 2021, INZ is allocating:
• Non-prioritised SMC and RFW applications received in July 2019, and
• Prioritised SMC and RFW applications within two weeks of the application joining the priority
queue.
Please refer to the table below which provides the number of SMC applications on hand as at 20
February 2021 in the onshore non priority queue that are yet to be allocated to a case officer, and were
accepted for processing prior to 10 March 2020. This has been broken down by the month the
applications were accepted.
Month
Number of
Accepted applications
Jul-19
3
Aug-19
471
1
Sep-19
607
Oct-19
637
Nov-19
689
Dec-19
700
Jan-20
554
Feb-20
886
Mar-20
349
Any updates in regards to the allocation of applications can be found via the following link:
www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/media-centre/news-notifications/how-we-prioritise-resident-visa-
applications/smc-and-rfw-timeframe-information
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, please contact Lautalie Leausa Vaa,
Senior Business Advisor, Operations Support, Immigration New Zealand at
[email address].
Yours sincerely,
Nicola Hogg
General Manager - Border and Visa Operations
Immigration New Zealand
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