Dear Department of Internal Affairs,

I am writing to make an official request under the Official Information Act (OIA) regarding the categorization and processing of submissions to the Minister by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). My specific queries are as follows:

In previous OIA responses from the DIA, submissions to the Minister are divided into three categories: recommend to approve, recommend not to approve, or no decision yet. I seek clarification on why submissions under the "approve" category require ministerial approval and are not handled on a scheduled basis.

For submissions under the "Intention to Reside" category, where applicants did not satisfy the DIA that they clearly intended to reside in New Zealand, from 01/01/2023 to 18/06/2024, I request the following information:
-The number of applications approved.
-The number of applications declined.
-The recommendation provided by the case officer for each application.
-The mean, median, maximum, and minimum time taken by the Minister to make a decision after submission.

For submissions under the "English" category, from 01/01/2023 to 18/06/2024, I request the following information:
-The number of applications approved.
-The number of applications declined.
-The mean, median, maximum, and minimum time taken by the Minister to make a decision after submission.

Yours faithfully,

Mark White