19 July 2023
45 Pipitea Street, Wellington 6011
Phone +64 4 495 7200
dia.govt.nz
Engr
[FYI request #23208 email]
Tēnā koe Engr
OIA request 22/23 0961 Request for information on citizenship by grant processing
Thank you for your Official Information Act (Act) request received by the Department of Internal
Affairs (Department) on 21 June 2023.
You requested –
1. Could you please elaborate on the system logic applied to the submitted application in
order to clarify and understand the automated process?
2. In the event that an application does not pass the automatic check, why have the
applicants not provided any feedback?
In response to your request, I can provide you with the following information.
Question one
When applications are received, our systems run a series of preliminary automated checks
which are used to triage them into different workstreams. The system checks for whether the
citizenship requirements have been met, whether an application can be automatically matched
to a record held by Immigration New Zealand, whether there are any alerts or conditions
associated with the record, and whether there is any other information in the application that
would suggest further manual intervention might be needed.
When a new automated check is introduced, or an existing check is refined, it is applied to all
applications in the system, regardless of when the application was received. Within each
workstream the system allocates applications by the date of receipt of the application (and not
the date the automated check was run). This means that applicants who applied earlier are not
disadvantaged, and if the new (or refined) automated check confirms they meet requirements
they will be triaged into the appropriate workstream.
It is important to note that applications still need to go to a Life and Identity Services Officer
(LISO) for an overall assessment (in other words, the decision-making is not automated). The
LISO then makes a recommendation for the Minister’s approval about the applicant’s eligibility
for citizenship. Where the applicant meets the requirements, the Minister’s authority is
delegated to the General Manager, Services and Access.
Should you be interested, the Department proactively releases Official Information Act
responses on its website, including information about citizenship by grant processing and the
automated checks. The responses relating to your OIA request can be found here
https://www.dia.govt.nz/Official-Information-Act-Requests-2 with the reference numbers 2223-
0871 and 2223-0911.
Question two
Once an application has been placed into a workstream it will be assigned to a LISO for manual
assessment. The LISO will assess the application and contact the applicant if any additional
information is required. We are otherwise unable to share the results of automated checks.
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 its website. All 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
Kate Raggett
Manager Operational Policy and Official Correspondence
Service Delivery and Operations
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