Incredibly Long Process for a Parent/Grandparent Multiple Entry Visitor Visa
AP made this Official Information request to Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
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From: AP
Dear Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment,
Please explain why the visa processing times for the above mentioned category take over 5 months? It is a visitor visa after all. The medical assessment part of the application is excruciatingly slow. Responses from the medical assessment teams and delays in the process itself make this process extremely frustrating. I am referring to my parent's visa. It has been going on for 5 months, with mistakes committed, and medical team continuously requesting for extra reports. It feels like I made a big mistake asking them to apply for this visa and now there is no way out of this mess. All future applications will require medicals from here on. Imagine the amount of diseased people entering this country every day on normal visitor visa. You have no control on them at all.
When I am responsible for their health expenses why is this such an issue? Do I have the right to question their request and demand for more explanation? This eventually affects the application timeframe as they don't care about delays. It is ok for them to say that delays are due to extra applications and not apologize. Never once have I received an apology from the medical assessor or immigration officer for delays caused by their end. It is a service being provided at a premium cost and should be treated like one at least.
No other developed country is so fussy about issuing a multiple entry visa as NZ. I can understand acceptable standard of character makes no exceptions but health should factor advanced ages of parent's and grandparent's.
Also what option does it leave for the child in NZ. Logically they can't visit me due to this ridiculously fussy application process, so either i visit them or if i ever wish for my parents to visit me, i move out of NZ. Giving up on this country for such redundant and bureaucratic process would be a shame but the only option.
Yours faithfully,
AP
From: *OIA
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
Thank you for your email.
Please note that this email address is not used for immigration process
and policy queries.
Instead, please send your query to your nearest Immigration New Zealand
office. A list of all offices and locations can be found on the
Immigration New Zealand website -
[1]http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/g...
You can also contact our immigration contact centre which operates 24
hours a day, seven days a week.
Outside New Zealand: +64 9 914 4100
In New Zealand
o Auckland 09 914 4100
o Wellington 04 910 9915
o Everywhere else in NZ 0508 558 855
Or send us an email via the [2]Online query link on our Knowledge Base.
Kind regards
Ministerial Services
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
-----Original Message-----
From: AP [mailto:[FOI #3494 email]]
Sent: Friday, 18 December 2015 11:15 p.m.
To: *OIA
Subject: Official Information Act request - Incredibly Long Process for a
Parent/Grandparent Multiple Entry Visitor Visa
Dear Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment,
Please explain why the visa processing times for the above mentioned
category take over 5 months? It is a visitor visa after all. The medical
assessment part of the application is excruciatingly slow. Responses from
the medical assessment teams and delays in the process itself make this
process extremely frustrating. I am referring to my parent's visa. It has
been going on for 5 months, with mistakes committed, and medical team
continuously requesting for extra reports. It feels like I made a big
mistake asking them to apply for this visa and now there is no way out of
this mess. All future applications will require medicals from here on.
Imagine the amount of diseased people entering this country every day on
normal visitor visa. You have no control on them at all.
When I am responsible for their health expenses why is this such an issue?
Do I have the right to question their request and demand for more
explanation? This eventually affects the application timeframe as they
don't care about delays. It is ok for them to say that delays are due to
extra applications and not apologize. Never once have I received an
apology from the medical assessor or immigration officer for delays caused
by their end. It is a service being provided at a premium cost and should
be treated like one at least.
No other developed country is so fussy about issuing a multiple entry visa
as NZ. I can understand acceptable standard of character makes no
exceptions but health should factor advanced ages of parent's and
grandparent's.
Also what option does it leave for the child in NZ. Logically they can't
visit me due to this ridiculously fussy application process, so either i
visit them or if i ever wish for my parents to visit me, i move out of NZ.
Giving up on this country for such redundant and bureaucratic process
would be a shame but the only option.
Yours faithfully,
AP
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From: AP
Dear *OIA,
I believe Immigration is in denial of these shortcomings hence an external party needs to intervene to make them realise what is going on.
Except Immigration NZ who can help in this case?
Yours sincerely,
AP
From: *OIA
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
Dear AP
Could you please supply us with your Immigration Client Number or your Application Number.
Kind regards
MINISTERIAL SERVICES
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
www.mbie.govt.nz
-----Original Message-----
From: AP [mailto:[FOI #3494 email]]
Sent: Monday, 21 December 2015 10:34 p.m.
To: *OIA
Subject: RE: Official Information Act request - Incredibly Long Process for a Parent/Grandparent Multiple Entry Visitor Visa [UNCLASSIFIED]
Dear *OIA,
I believe Immigration is in denial of these shortcomings hence an external party needs to intervene to make them realise what is going on.
Except Immigration NZ who can help in this case?
Yours sincerely,
AP
-----Original Message-----
Thank you for your email.
Please note that this email address is not used for immigration process and policy queries.
Instead, please send your query to your nearest Immigration New Zealand office. A list of all offices and locations can be found on the Immigration New Zealand website - [1]http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/g...
You can also contact our immigration contact centre which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Outside New Zealand: +64 9 914 4100
In New Zealand
o Auckland 09 914 4100 o Wellington 04 910 9915 o Everywhere else in NZ 0508 558 855
Or send us an email via the [2]Online query link on our Knowledge Base.
Kind regards
Ministerial Services
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #3494 email]
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
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www.govt.nz - your guide to finding and using New Zealand government services
Any opinions expressed in this message are not necessarily those of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. This message and any files transmitted with it are confidential and solely for the use
of the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient or the person responsible for delivery to the intended recipient, be advised that you have received this message in error and that any use is
strictly prohibited. Please contact the sender and delete the message and any attachment from your computer.
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From: AP
Dear *OIA,
I really appreciate your offer to look at it.
Application No. 13855226
Yours sincerely,
AP
From: *OIA
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
Thank you. Your request has been forwarded to the appropriate team, who will be in touch with you soon.
-----Original Message-----
From: AP [mailto:[FOI #3494 email]]
Sent: Tuesday, 22 December 2015 10:19 a.m.
To: *OIA
Subject: RE: Official Information Act request - Incredibly Long Process for a Parent/Grandparent Multiple Entry Visitor Visa [UNCLASSIFIED]
Dear *OIA,
I really appreciate your offer to look at it.
Application No. 13855226
Yours sincerely,
AP
-----Original Message-----
Dear AP
Could you please supply us with your Immigration Client Number or your Application Number.
Kind regards
MINISTERIAL SERVICES
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment www.mbie.govt.nz
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #3494 email]
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
If you find this service useful as an OIA officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
www.govt.nz - your guide to finding and using New Zealand government services
Any opinions expressed in this message are not necessarily those of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. This message and any files transmitted with it are confidential and solely for the use
of the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient or the person responsible for delivery to the intended recipient, be advised that you have received this message in error and that any use is
strictly prohibited. Please contact the sender and delete the message and any attachment from your computer.
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Viktor Vaas left an annotation ()
Good on you AP for reporting this. I am going through the same for my parents. what a shameful service it is especially from the medical team. I'm sure those people have older parents who would want to visit overseas. It'll be interesting to see how they feel if they were harassed the same way. Its not a service its harassment. What's even more painful is after all this wait when they do issue a visa, the customs wont let your parent carry medications for their entire stay (180 days at a time). It's like the government saying we don't like to be tormented for the medical expenses of your parents but we will torment them for the second half of their stay to spend money here. For God's sake not a single GP has an appointment available in the next 4 weeks. Wake up NZ.
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