As at 4pm today, a total of 8,220 visa applications have been received since Phase 2 applications for the 2021 Resident Visa opened, with a further 8,588 visa applications currently in the system being completed by users, says Immigration New Zealand General Manager Geoff Scott.

“That is more than four times the previous record number of applications received in a day, which was 3,526 in a 24-hour period which is a significant achievement,” Geoff Scott says.

“We have been working hard to ensure our system was ready for an unprecedented volume of visa applications in one day and today that hard work has paid off. 

“This includes listening to immigration industry professionals, and business and migrant communities who have been instrumental in helping us reach this milestone.

“While the INZ website experienced some initial high demand which resulted in some difficulty accessing the main INZ website this morning, the problem was quickly identified and steps were taken to make sure people were still able to apply.

“Our enhanced Immigration Online platform has worked as expected since 10am this morning when it went live for 2021 Resident Visa applicants and people have been able to submit applications.

“All systems have been stable and fully operational since the website loading issue was identified and rectified.

“This is a significant day for a lot of migrant families. There is still a lot of work to do but we are confident that we have everything in place to process these applications as quickly as possible.

“Enhanced Immigration Online will enable our customers to keep up to date with the progress of their application during this time,” Geoff Scott says.

INZ continues to process applications received under Phase 1 as quickly as possible. As at 28 February, nearly 10,000 applications have been approved which equates to more than 20,000 people becoming residents.