2017-Jul 07: Change in processing office for temporary entry applications in the Middle East South Asia region

Visa Pak 317 - Reminder for staff about changes made in processing office for temporary entry applications submitted in the Middle East South Asia region.

Visa Paks

07 July 2017

Change in processing office for temporary entry applications in the Middle East South Asia region

Immigration New Zealand is consolidating its application processing functions in the three offices that make up the Middle East and South Asia (MESA) region – Mumbai Area Office (MAO), New Delhi Market Office (NDMO) and Dubai Market Office (DMO). All three MESA region offices will become specialised in the visa categories they assess. The specialisation of the offices in MESA region will allow increased consistency and efficiency in all three offices and will ensure more consistent and contemporary advice to key stakeholders.

NDMO and DMO have reached maximum capacity and have no ability to further expand. Therefore, both offices are being reorganised to ensure that they have sufficient resources to appropriately manage the volume of applications it is anticipated they will receive. In contrast, MAO has recently expanded, and now has the capacity for up to 120 staff. Therefore, the office has resources available to accept more applications. As the number of visitor visa applications from India increases, MAO is best placed to evolve with the growing demand, ensuring high-levels of timeliness are maintained and there is suitable slack in the system to appropriately respond to seasonal surges in applications.

Currently each India office specialises in one visa category – partnership applications for NDMO and student visa applications for MAO.

From 1 July 2017 MAO is the processing office for all visitor visa applications from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan. NDMO will become the processing office for all work visa applications from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.

From 1 July 2017 MAO and NDMO are the processing offices for the applications types below from clients within the DMO lodgement areas:

  • Mumbai Area Office – student visa applications and visitor visa applications (excluding partner-based applications)
  • New Delhi Market Office – work visa applications and Partner-based visitor visa applications

DMO will continue to process all applications from clients in Pakistan, applications from high value clients and those who are travelling to New Zealand as a guest of government or need to travel to New Zealand urgently.