2017-Sep 01: Residence applications – police certificates previously submitted to Immigration New Zealand

Visa Pak 325 - Advice for staff about the requirements for a police certificate with applications and the need to include clear notes in AMS regarding previously submitted police certificates.

Visa Paks

01 September 2017

Residence applications – police certificates previously submitted to Immigration New Zealand

This advice elaborates on previous advice to staff (5 August 2016 - Original Police Certificates). The information in the previous advice should apply to all applications, not just those submitted through Immigration ONLINE.

Immigration instructions at A13.1 as of 6 July 2015 state that all documents in support of an application must be originals or certified copies unless the exceptions under A13.1.c apply. If the application is for a temporary entry class visa, a legible copy of the original document may be provided. Previously, original or certified copies of documents were required for temporary visa applications.

Prior to 6 July 2015, immigration instruction A5.10 required original or certified copies of police certificates to be provided with an application for a visa. However, this was removed from instructions with the amendment to A13.1. As a result of this, police certificates provided with a temporary visa application may not have been an original or certified copy.

Where a police certificate has been provided with a previous temporary application, this may only be accepted for lodgement purposes for a residence application if the police certificate is less than six months old (A5.10.a) or up to 24 months old (if A5.10.d.iv applies). Only appropriately delegated staff may accept either a legible copy held on the physical paper application or a copy held in the Document Management System (DMS) for Immigration ONLINE by waiving the requirement that the document supplied is an original for lodgement purposes only. The original police certificate will need to be requested in order to process the residence application.

Process

For temporary applications, immigration officers must be clear in AMS notes whether an original/certified copy of a police certificate was provided, or if this was a legible copy as allowed for under A13.1.c.iii.

For residence applications lodgement and immigration officers cannot rely solely on the information provided in the Character tab, unless AMS notes are clear that an original or certified copy of a police certificate was provided with the temporary application. If this is unclear from AMS notes, the physical paper file will need to be requested to check this. If a legible copy under A13.1.c.iii was provided, the original will need to be requested from the client.