Within fourteen days of your application being received by London Branch you will receive an acknowledgement letter. This will give you further information about the application process, your application number and may request additional information where necessary.
The next step is for your application to be allocated to an immigration officer.
It can be difficult to give an accurate timeframe for the processing of applications, as circumstances differ. Health problems, character issues (such as a criminal record) and missing documentation can all cause delays in reaching a decision. Including an explanation of any criminal convictions, or doctors' reports on medical issues can help a case officer progress your application faster. Please note that when a file is allocated to an immigration officer for assessment you will receive further information regarding the likely timeframe for your application.
As a guideline, please use the following timeframes. Please note that the processing timeframe indicated is from the date of allocation of the file.
Demand for Capped Family residence places currently exceeds supply (the Capped Family residence steam consists of Parent, and Sibling and Adult Child categories). There is a current waiting time of 18 to 24 months for a place to become available. In practice, this means that an application will usually take 18 to 24 months to be allocated to a case officer after the time of lodgement.
New Zealand carefully plans the allocation of residence places. The Government's residence programme gives priority to skilled and business migrants and partners of returning New Zealanders. There are a limited number of places available under the Capped Family categories each year. Demand for these places currently exceeds the number of places available.
Once allocated, the average processing time frame will be four to six months, unless there are complicated health or other issues to determine. Please note that the times given for allocation and decision are indicative only and may be subject to change.
Note: People who are waiting for their application to be allocated to a case officer are strongly advised not to make irreversible plans, such as buying one-way travel tickets or selling their houses, until they have a decision on their application. Applications will not be prioritised for these reasons.
Some family parent applicants may be eligible for a visitor’s visa under Parent and Grandparent Multiple Entry Visitor's Visa instructions. If approved, this visa would allow them to visit New Zealand for up to six months at one time, and up to eighteen months in total over a period of three years.
Note: If an applicant chooses to travel to New Zealand visa-free before a decision is made on their residence application, they will be granted a visitor visa on arrival. They will then be expected to leave New Zealand once their visa expires. If the applicant is a national of the United Kingdom they can travel to New Zealand visa-free for up to six months. An application may be made in New Zealand to extend that to a maximum of nine months. If an applicant chooses to travel visa-free they will be required to hold a return ticket from New Zealand to a country where they have right of entry as well as evidence of funds to support themselves. Applicants are strongly advised not to overstay their visas as this may impact on the time it will take to decide their residence application.
