How long are the visa processing times?

Immigration New Zealand has updated the expected processing times in May 2018!

Unfortunately these news are not good for migrants and New Zealand employers!

What are the visa processing times?

Processing times describe the time needed by Immigration New Zealand, the Government agency in charge, to process your visa application once we have lodged it.

The times given by INZ are meant to help you to estimate the time needed by them to process and complete your application. They are indicative only and different for each visa type.

Individual processing times will depend on the complexity of an application, on the need for further information, and on the number of other applications received.

In May 2018 Immigration New Zealand has updated the expected processing times.

While the processing time for work visa applications previously was at around 23 days, it has now been increased to 69 days!

INZ has stated that 90% of Essential Skills Work Visa applications are currently completed within this time.

Unfortunately these news are putting additional pressure on migrants and their families who have successfully secured a job offer and want to start working as soon as possible!

New Zealand businesses are not impressed either, as they need the new staff member to work for them without any delays.

Our Licensed Immigration Advisers and their support team are doing their best to keep any additional delays at bay.

Anticipated visa processing times from May 2018 onwards, published by INZ:

Work Visas

Visa Type	75% of applications completed within:	90% of applications completed within:	95% of applications completed within:
Essentials Skills	48 days	69 days	87 days
Partner of a New Zealander	64 days	3 months	5 months
Partner of student	27 days	48 days	74 days
Partner of worker	47 days	71 days	3 months
Post-study work visa - employer assisted	47 days	63 days	75 days
Post-study work visa - open	18 days	32 days	42 days
Variation of conditions on a work visa	38 days	50 days	62 days

Visitor Visa

Visa	75% of applications completed within:	90% of applications completed within:	95% of applications completed within:
Visitor (General)	11 days	21 days	31 days

Residence Class Visas

Visa Type	75% of applications completed within:	90% of applications completed within:	95% of applications completed within:
Partner of a New Zealander	7 months	9 months	11 months
Permanent Resident Visa	13 days	17 days	21 days
Skilled Migrant	7 months	10 months	15 months
Transfer of visa to new passport	12 days	14 days	16 days
Variation of travel conditions on a resident visa	9 days	15 days	22 days

In Comparison - Previously INZ had anticipated the following processing times:

Temporary visa applications

Visitor visas	20 days
Student visas	20 days
Work visas	23 days

Resident visa applications

Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa	6 months
Partnership Resident Visa	4 months
Dependent Child Resident Visa	3 months
Parent Resident Visa	7 months
Investor Plus (1) Investor 2	90 days 8 months
Residence from Work visas : Talent (Accredited Employer) Resident Visa Talent (Arts, Culture and Sports) Resident Visa Long Term Skills Shortage List Resident Visa	3 months
Other	6 months

Can you influence the processing time of your visa application?

To understand what you can do to speed up your application, it is important to look at the process:

1. Submission of visa application

After you have submitted your application it will be scanned by a receiving officer, who will check whether all documents have been submitted in the prescribed manner.

Delays will occur if your documents are not complete and your application is returned to you as a consequence.

2. Lodgement and allocation of visa application

Once your application has been formally accepted, it is lodged and allocated to an immigration case officer who will be in charge of deciding whether you will be granted the visa.

3. Eligibility Check and Verification of visa application

The case officer will assess your eligibility and determine whether you have proven that you are in fact eligible for the specific visa type you have applied for.

If applicable the case officer will also confirm the details you have given about your partner and/or children.

If the your case officer questions your eligibility under the policy you have chosen or is not convinced that you have provided sufficient evidence for meeting all the criteria of that policy, you will be given a chance to explain yourself and submit further documents.

Over the years we have seen major delays when important documents, for example police certificates and qualification or work related documents were not at hand when requested by Immigration New Zealand.

In many cases documents have to be obtained from the migrant's home countries which can be difficult and very time consuming.

Any request for further information or evidence will delay your process for several weeks.

It is needless to say that requests for clarification and verification will not only cause delays but also increase your stress levels.

What can you do to speed up your visa process?

Choosing the right visa type right from the start and submitting a complete visa application will be your best way to speed up your visa application process.

We have seen work visas issued within a couple of days, much to the delight of our clients and their new employers of course!

Competent visa advice and careful preparation are the key to a smooth visa application process, regardless of which type of visa you are applying for.

Ask our Licensed Immigration Advisers

If you want to find out more about obtaining the right visa for New Zealand, contact Julia Cooke, Licensed Immigration Adviser at NZIC.

Ask Julia for a Free Assessment