Ana
[FYI request #16444 email]
Ref: DOIA 2122-0407
Dear Ana,
Thank you for your email of 19 August 2021 requesting under the Official Information Act 1982 (the OIA),
the following information:
“In your response to my previous enquiry ,DOIA 2021 - 1259, you wrote that as at 11th of January
2021 there were 797 EOIs submitted by parents that were onshore and that those EOIs included
1188 first and second applicants.
As for my first request ,please provide the UPDATED NUMBERS of EOIs Parent Residence Visa
Category submitted by parents that are still onshore and the number of first and second
applicants .
As for my second request, please share any document or correspondence emails that show any
discussion for PRIORITISATION OF SELECTION OF EOIs submitted by parents currently onshore”
Our Response Question One:
From 1 April 2020 the selection of Expressions of Interest (EOI) for residence under the Parent Category
and Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) was deferred until further notice. The deferrals are a temporary
measure that allows Immigration New Zealand (INZ) to focus on processing applications from people who
are in New Zealand or those eligible to travel here while border restrictions are in place.
The Government will continue to reassess when EOI selections can take place as the COVID-19 situation
develops. The best place to find updated information on the EOI selections is the INZ website, which is being
updated regularly as decisions are made:
www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/covid-19
As at 4 September 2021, there are a total of 5,462 EOI applications submitted in the Parent category pool.
Of those EOIs in the Parent Category pool, 652 EOIs were submitted by applicants who were onshore as at
4 September 2021. This relates to a total of 961 primary and secondary applicants.
Question Two:
We cannot provide you with documentation or correspondence emails regarding the prioritisation of
selection of EOI’s submitted onshore and are refusing this part of your request under section 9(2)(f)(iv) as
this work is still under active consideration.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, please contact Immigration New Zealand
at [email address]
1
Yours sincerely,
Nicola Hogg
General Manager - Border and Visa Operations
Immigration New Zealand
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
2