Same-day service
Same-day service will only be offered for the following application types.
- Urgent visas for travel within 14 days where permit held
- Returning resident's visa applications
- Label transfers
For all other application types, please post your application to us, or place the application in the drop box in our reception area.
Processing times for temporary applications
We are actively working through a high volume of temporary applications. Please be assured that we are doing everything we can to enable a timely decision to be made on your application. To assist us during this time, it would be appreciated if you could restrict your contact with our branch unless your query is urgent.
If your application includes full and accurate documentation and there are no complications arising (eg health referrals), we will meet the following standards.
- Work to Residence (Talent and Long Term Skill Shortage) applications and applicants with jobs on the skills shortage lists – up to 10 working days
- Work visas/permits – up to 30 working days
- General visitor visas/permits – up to 10 working days
- Student visas/permits – same as the primary application
- Returning resident's visas (RRVs) – up to 10 working days.
Where we cannot process applications within these timeframes, we will contact you if you have supplied us with your email address or mobile phone number.
We will receipt all applications and lodge them into our computer system within 24 hours.
Permanent residence applications
Processing permanent residence applications can be a time-consuming process, and can be delayed by a number of factors. We have provided the information below as a general guide to when you can expect a decision from us.
Skilled Migrant Category processing times
The Pool draw, which may allocate your Expression of Interest (EOI) to Christchurch branch, occurs every two weeks.
An immigration officer will make an initial assessment of your EOI within two to eight weeks of the pool draw, however at times this may take longer. Your case officer will then contact you, either inviting you to apply for residence or requesting further information.
If you are successful in your EOI you will receive an Invitation To Apply (ITA) pack. Please read the instructions carefully and contact your case officer if you have any problems.
Once your residence application has been lodged with Immigration New Zealand (INZ) it will be given priority. Your application may take between three and six months, and sometimes longer, for a final decision to be made, however in the majority of cases a decision will be made within three months. Processing times depend to a large extent upon whether you have supplied your case officer with everything they have requested in your ITA. Delays can occur if you do not provide all the documentation requested.
Things that may delay a Skilled Migrant Category application
- An existing medical condition (see 'Medical and chest X-ray certificates' below).
- A criminal conviction listed on your police certificate (please give a written account outlining the circumstances surrounding the offence).
- Work references which do not list your position and the start and end dates of your complete employment history.
- Any custody issues surrounding children that may be included with a residence application.
- The time needed to carry out verification work.
- The time for New Zealand police certificates to be processed (these may take up to six to eight weeks).
Family Category processing times
Within New Zealand’s Immigration Programme, priority is given to residence applications under certain categories in preference to applications under other categories. Applications that will be processed in preference to any other Family Category are:
- Family Partnership where the sponsor is a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident who holds an indefinite returning resident’s visa and has been absent from New Zealand for a period of at least two years prior to the date of the application being accepted for consideration, apart from short visits within that period, and
- Dependent Child applications.
These prioritised Family residence applications will normally be finalised within 12 months of being accepted.
Other Family Partnership applications (ie not expatriate) will normally be allocated to a case officer within 12 months.
All other types of Family Category applications (Parent, Adult Sibling, and Adult Child) will not be given priority. These Family residence applications will normally be allocated to a case officer within 18 months of being accepted.
Medical and chest X-ray certificates
In November 2005 Immigration New Zealand introduced new guidelines concerning the medical status of people applying for visas and permits to visit, study, work, or live in New Zealand.
If you have an existing medical condition or there are questions arising from the Medical and or Chest X-Ray Certificate (NZIS 1007) that you have submitted with your application for a visa/permit, we are required to refer your documents to an independent medical assessor for their opinion on your health.
Certificates referred to an assessor can take four weeks to return to us. Following this you may be asked to provide additional information in the form of specialist reports clarifying the nature and prognosis of your condition.
Please be aware that no decision can be made on the outcome of your visa/permit application until all questions regarding your medical status have been resolved.