7 December 2021
Ref: DOIA 2122-1021
Meera S
Email:
[FYI request #17413 email]
Tēnā koe Meera S
Thank you for your email of 1 November 2021 to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
(MBIE) requesting, under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act), the following information:
1.
Processing time for Critical Purpose Visa (Partner of NZ Citizen) and Partner Visitor Visa of NZ
citizen as of 01/11/2021
2.
Can an off-shore applicant expect communication from a case officer or only on-shore
applicants are being communicated for more information /documents for the Visa processing
for critical purpose Visa and partner visitor Visa of nz citizen.
3.
What is the current queue of processing critical purpose Visa for
a.
assigning a case officer
b.
and duration of completing the remaining process
4.
Once approved, does the critical purpose Visa needs to get stamped in the passport or a
separate visa document will be issued to the applicant?
Please find our response to your questions below:
Question One: “Processing time for Critical Purpose Visa (Partner of NZ Citizen) and Partner Visitor Visa
of NZ citizen as of 01/11/2021.”
Processing times for Critical Purpose Visa (Partner of a NZ citizen) and Visitor Visa -Partnership
applicationsfor the period 1 August 2021 to 31 October 2021.
Application type
50 per cent of
75 per cent of
90 per cent of
applications completed
applications completed
applications completed
within:
within:
within:
Critical Purpose Visa -
19 days
34 days
56 days
Partner of a NZ citizen
or resident
Visitor Visa -
83 days
219 days
530 days
Partnership
Question Two: “Can an off-shore applicant do expect communication from a case officer or only on-
shore applicants are being communicated for more information /documents for the Visa processing for
critical purpose Visa and partner visitor Visa of nz citizen.”
Immigration instruction E7.15.1 describes information which Immigration New Zealand (INZ) considers
potentially prejudicial to an applicant outside of New Zealand. If an applicant did not provide sufficient
evidence to support their application for an immigration officer to make a decision, INZ is under no
obligation to request further information and the application may be declined. This is determined on a
case-by-case basis and the Immigration Officer may use their discretion to request further information if
they choose.
Question Three: “What is the current queue of processing critical purpose Visa for a) assigning a case
officer b) and duration of completing the remaining process”
INZ does not collate data on the time taken from submission of an application to allocation to an
Immigration Officer, or from allocation to an Immigration Officer to completion. As such this information
is not available in a reportable format and I am refusing your request under section 18(f) of the Act, as it
would take substantial manual collation to provide this information.
In accordance with s18B of the Act, I have considered whether consulting with you would remove the
reason for refusal, however, in my view it would not as to obtain the specific information would involve
the manual search of the electronic records of all critical purpose visa applications decided.
Providing this information would remove Ministry staff from their core duties and therefore the greater
public interest in the effective and efficient administration of the public service would not be served. I
have considered whether the Ministry would be able to respond to your request given extra time or the
ability to charge for the information requested. I have concluded that, in both cases, the Ministry’s ability
to undertake its work would still be prejudiced.
Question Four: “Once approved, does the critical purpose Visa needs to get stamped in the passport or
a separate visa document will be issued to the applicant?”
When a critical purpose visa is granted the applicant is issued with an electronic visa in lieu of a physical
visa label.
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.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, please conta
ct [email address]. Nāku noa, nā
Nicola Hogg
General Manager – Border and Visa Operations
Immigration New Zealand