14 March 2022
45 Pipitea Street, Wel ington 6011
Phone +64 4 495 7200
dia.govt.nz
Sebastian
fyi-request-18550-
[email address]
Tēnā koe Sebastian
Official Information Act request 2122-0577 – Citizenship timeframes
Thank you for your Official Information Act (Act) request received by the Department of Internal
Affairs (Department) on 9 February 2022.
You requested –
1. Is the new system good now, if not how much further time wil it take to fix the system
issues and can the financial costing in tax-dol ars on fixing these delays be shared to the
tax payers? Any new IT system that increases the processing time 4 times as compared to
the older system and cannot be fixed in two years would be a 'disaster' in an ideal IT
practice.
2. What plan does the department have to achieve the said 'goal' of processing all backlog
by mid-2022 considering the current low rate of turnaround?
3. In some replies - some applications for the months of May-July and Aug-Sept 2021 are
being processed as of Feb2022. ref:
https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dia.govt.nz
%2Fdiawebsite.nsf%2FFiles%2FOIA-releases%2F%24file%2FOIA-2122-
0439.pdf&data=04%7C01%7CSDOOfficialCorrespon%40dia.govt.nz%7Cc27f475a5a
3e4cd1ba3208d9f2434e3f%7Cf659ca5cfc474e96b24d14c95df13acb%7C0%7C0%7C6378
07193152819647%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2lu
MzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=E5PHajExU2JHJXmHvX1M
LpzOnuwhxVP3MxunUMUfIEE%3D&reserved=0
Can the department please let the people know - what type of applications are those?
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4. Confirming that the data on this page is never updated properly
https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.govt.nz%2F
browse%2Fpassports-citizenship-and-identity%2Fnz-citizenship%2Fhow-to-apply-for-nz-
citizenship%2Fapplication-
timeframes%2F&data=04%7C01%7CSDOOfficialCorrespon%40dia.govt.nz%7Cc27f4
75a5a3e4cd1ba3208d9f2434e3f%7Cf659ca5cfc474e96b24d14c95df13acb%7C0%7C0%7
C637807193152819647%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIj
oiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=WrFukWhQwWjp%
2BClAYNV%2FAB8qY9bpAYiur3%2Fu7Pf7pJI%3D&reserved=0
on top of the page it states - "The oldest applications now being assessed were submitted
in March 2021." and in the table below it shows pending Jan-Feb 2021 numbers.
Can the precise simple month wise breakdown be provided on this website - Month ||
Paper Unallocated - Paper processed || Online unallocated - Online processed? for next
six months?
5. Is the department considering providing applicants a possible month wise ETA for their
applications in future?
In response to your request I can provide you with the fol owing information.
Question one
As you are already aware, the Department has transitioned citizenship processing from a paper-
based application system supported by aging technology, to a modern customer-centred case
management system supporting a fully online application process.
The decision to transition to the new platform was made in December 2016 as a part of a wider
programme to transform the way the Department does its work. The citizenship by grant service
is the first service to be built on the new platform.
It is important to explain that this new system has at no point been broken. The new system is
being designed iteratively, with new features and functionality being developed progressively,
allowing for improvements to be made as and when is seen fit. This was intentional, and it was
expected that staff would be constantly upskil ing and training in the new system, with no fixed
period of training time, to ensure they are using it as efficiently as possible. New features that
have been and wil be released wil automate more aspects of the process and subsequently
provide faster processing times.
It may also be helpful for me to explain that with the introduction of this new system, there has
been a reduction of output in the period of the new system being introduced and the old one
phased out. Productivity has been further impacted by the training requirements of staff on the
new system, staff becoming proficient in the new system and the need for staff to work across
both systems (online and offline).
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Question two
As stated on the www.govt.nz website, the Department anticipates that the current citizenship
waiting times will reduce by mid-2022. This does not mean that the backlog of citizenship
applications will be cleared by this time.
However, it is important to explain that the Department has several initiatives underway to
reduce the citizenship application backlog, speed up processing, and improve general customer
experience.
In the immediate term this has included hiring additional temporary staff who focus on reducing
the backlog of paper applications in our old system, freeing up most existing staff to work
exclusively on online applications.
We expect that the time it takes for staff to process applications in our new online system wil
reduce as they become more familiar with it. We are also continuing to develop this new system
and train more existing staff to process citizenship applications. We expect this range of
initiatives to result in a significant decrease in the backlog in coming months.
Question three
You have indicated that the proactively released response you included in your request stated
that some applications received in the months of May-July and August-September 2021 are
being processed as of February 2022.
I can advise that while the proactively released response does not specify this, all the
applications detailed in this response, both online and paper-based, are applications for
citizenship by grant.
Question four
You have indicated that the while the webpage shows that the oldest applications now being
assessed were submitted in March 2021, the table further down the page displays pending
January-February 2021 application numbers. I must clarify that this table details the number of
unal ocated citizenship applications as at the end of January 2022, not January 2021.
The application timeframes information webpage provides our customers with the most up to
date information available. The table ‘Unal ocated citizenship applications by month’ was last
updated with the numbers as of 31 January 2022, which means it is due to be updated with the
numbers ending February 2022.
The Department has chosen to publish data that provides the best overall picture of the number
of unal ocated citizenship applications. By keeping this information straightforward it ensures
clear messaging for our customers, with additional detailed breakdowns being available via
several proactively released responses published on our website.
Question five
There is no set standard processing timeframe for citizenship application because every
application is different. For that reason, there is no ‘normal’ timeframe.
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The processing timeframe covers the entire application process, which starts when an applicant
submits their application. The application then undergoes an assessment, a recommendation,
review of the assessment and recommendation and 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.
This means that the Department is unable to provide an exact timeframe we believe that
citizenship applications will be processed in.
Further comments
It is important to explain that unlike during the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, when
citizenship processing was not deemed an essential service, citizenship processing is now
categorised as such. In addition to this, the COVID-19 Protection Framework red-light setting
al ows al citizenship trained staff to be present and working in the office.
The Department has taken precautionary measures to ensure a safe working environment for
staff, to allow the continued delivery of priority identity services such as citizenship by grant
processing. These measures include the distribution of staff at our offices in Auckland,
Wellington and Christchurch across the available working space, focusing on the physical
separation of staff who complete the same tasks across floors, and by creating zoned working
areas.
While the Department’s essential services will continue to be delivered during the current red-
light setting with these precautions in place, it is likely that the changing landscape wil have an
impact on these services. This has been factored into the planning the Department has
undertaken and continuing to provide services to our customers remains a priority.
As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, the Department has
decided to proactively release a copy of this response on the DIA website. Al requestor data
including your name and contact details, will be removed prior to release. The released
response will be made available here: https://www.dia.govt.nz/Official-Information-Act-
Requests-2 .
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.
Ngā mihi
Anne-Claire Wyseur
Manager Operational Policy and Official Correspondence
Service Delivery and Operations
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