29 September 2022
P Thakkar
[FYI request #20461 email]
DOIA 2223-0446
Dear P Thakkar
Thank you for your email of 4 September 2022 to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
(MBIE) requesting, under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act), the following information:
I wish to know,
1. How many days does it currently take for INZ to manually link passports verified by VFS to
the existing visa applications? It seems to be taking awfully long time from the time an
applicant submits their passport to VFS til it is updated online.
2. How is INZ planning to reduce phone call wait times for those trying to get in touch? I have
tried calling each day of a working week and seem to wait forever. I haven't been successful
in speaking to any of INZ representatives. The estimated wait times paint a different picture
than what actually happens once you are on hold.
Is INZ planning to provide any alternative means of communication to help alleviate excessive
wait times?
Our Response
Question One
As at 8 September 2022, Visa Application Centre (VAC) scans are being actioned within 48 hours from
being received in the VAC mailbox.
Question Two:
We acknowledge that there is high demand for our services following the Reconnecting New Zealand
and the border reopening announcements.
We are actively working to improve wait times in the Immigration Contact Centre (ICC). At present we
are experiencing high volumes of calls, and the nature of cal s can be complex, and this means the cal
itself is longer by nature. We are working together across MBIE to find ways to improve our services.
This has included, for example, having more Client Services Advisors (CSAs) on higher demand queues
and recruiting for the increased call volumes.
ICC begun the process of planning and recruiting for the expected workload in September 2021. Since
the beginning of this year, we have recruited more than permanent 60 CSAs, and we have another 11
CSAs in the process of being onboarded at the time of writing this response.
As an alternative means of communication, we encourage people to check the Immigration website first,
before calling the ICC. The website contains comprehensive information which addresses the vast
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majority of questions that customers have. This includes exploring visa options, applying or waiting for
a visa, as well as options for moving from one type of visa to another. This information can be found at
the following link:
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas
Once an application has been submitted, an applicant can also check the status of their application
online. The contact page of the website is structured so that most customers can find the information
they require, without the need to make a phone cal . This information can be found on the contact page
at the following link
: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/contact
For people who do need to speak to our team, wait times can be shorter in the evenings (New Zealand
time), so we recommend trying then. Our ICC is operational from 8.00am to 10.00pm Monday to Friday
(NZT).
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, or if you require any further assistance,
please contac
t [email address]
Yours sincerely
Nelowfar Ghumkhor
National Manager, Immigration Contact Centre
Engagement and Experience branch
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