Skilled Migrant Category processing times
Skilled Migrant Category applicants with job offers
Once your application is accepted for consideration your case will be allocated to a visa officer. If you have supplied all the documentation requested when you were invited to apply for residence, the processing time may take up to nine months.
Processing times may vary depending on whether further documentation is required or if there are any medical conditions or character issues that need assessment.
Skilled Migrant Category applicants without job offers
Once your application is accepted for consideration your case will be allocated to a visa officer within three months. If you have supplied all the documentation requested when you were invited to apply for residence, the processing time may take up to 12 months.
Processing times may vary depending on whether further documentation is required or if there are any medical conditions or character issues that need assessment.
As you are applying for residence without a skilled job offer from a New Zealand employer, it may be necessary to perform a settlement and contribution interview. These can take time to plan and while we endeavour to complete these interviews and follow up assessment within our timeframes, they can take longer to finalise.
Important note for all applicants
If you have been sent an Invitation to Apply (ITA) and you choose to apply, please be sure to send us all the documentation we request on the document check sheet attached to the front of the ITA. We can not fully assess the application until we have all the documentation.
Things that may delay your application
- An existing medical condition (please provide a report from your specialist clarifying the history and prognosis of the condition).
- A criminal conviction listed on your police certificate (please give a written account outlining the circumstances surrounding the offence).
- Work references that do not list your position and the start and end dates of your employment.
- Any custody issues surrounding children that may be included with a residence application.
- Verification work that we may need to carry out from time to time.
- The time needed to get an appointment to see a Panel Doctor – these doctors can be booked up weeks ahead.
Family Stream processing times
Within New Zealand’s Immigration Programme, priority is given to residence applications under certain categories in preference to applications under other categories.
Priority Family Applications – Partnership/Dependent Child applications
We will allocate your application to a visa officer within 14 days of your application being received by our branch and you will receive an acknowledgement letter.
The current processing time frame for partnership and dependent child applications is six to twelve months.
Non-Priority Family Applications – Parent/Adult Sibling applications
You will receive an acknowledgement letter within 14 days of your application being received by us.
The application will normally be allocated to a visa officer within two years of being accepted and the assessment may take six to 18 months.
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 residence visa, we are required to refer your documents to an independent medical assessor for their opinion on your health.
It may take six weeks for certificates referred to an assessor to come back 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 residence visa application until all questions regarding your medical status have been resolved.
Temporary visa applications
We process temporary visa applications as quickly as possible. The times given below should be read as a guideline. Generally we aim to process applications more quickly.
Times given are calendar days unless specified otherwise.
| Visitor visa |
15 days |
30 days |
| Current standard |
86% |
100% |
| Current performance – as at December 2008 |
89% |
99% |
Note:
- All business visitor visas are processed within 10 working days*
- All ADS group visitor visas are processed within three working days*
- All Official Delegations group visas are processed within three to five working days.*
| Student visa |
15 days |
30 days |
| Current standard |
60% |
100% |
| Current performance – as at December 2008 |
77% |
100% |
|
Returning resident's visa |
10 days |
30 days |
| Current standard |
90% |
100% |
| Current performance – as at December 2008 |
90% |
99% |
| Work visa |
15 days |
30 days |
| Current standard |
85% |
100% |
| Current performance – as at December 2008 |
79% |
98% |
Note:
All Working Holiday Scheme (WHS) work visas are processed within 10 working days.*
| Partnership visitor/work visa |
30 days |
45 days |
| Current standard |
50% |
100% |
| Current performance – as at December 2008 |
50% |
100% |
* All processing times depend on you providing full and accurate documentation with your application and are subject to health and character clearance. If verification is required, processing may take longer.