Can a visa application be prioritised?
9 February 2023
Knowledge base articles
- Travelling to New Zealand on business
- My resident visa application is still in process but my temporary visa will expire soon.
- I hold two passports. Which one should I travel on?
- If I get a resident visa, how long do I have to move to New Zealand?
- Can I travel to New Zealand as a visitor, and apply for residence from there?
- My country is not on the list of working holiday schemes
- What information can the Immigration Contact Centre (ICC) release to an LIA or a lawyer?
- How long will my student visa be valid for, if granted?
- Options for Religious Workers
- Can a visa application be prioritised?
- Will I lose my New Zealand residence status if I travel abroad?
- Skilled Migrant Category - removal of section 49(1) conditions
- Can I enter New Zealand on a one-way ticket?
- What is the visa status of a child born in New Zealand?
- How do I apply online for a Working Holiday?
- Are there any special rules for Australian citizens and residents?
- Do we have to be married to qualify under the partnership instructions?
- Can I look after a child in New Zealand who has a student visa?
- How can I report someone to the immigration authorities?
- Who can apply for a visa using Immigration Online?
- I'm coming to New Zealand to participate in a sports event. What visa do I need?
- How long will my Skilled Migrant Category Expression of Interest remain in the pool after it is submitted?
- How do I obtain a New Zealand passport or citizenship?
- I am visiting New Zealand but would like to do some fruit picking - is this allowed?
- Information for visitors travelling without a visa
- I filled out my working holiday visa application a while ago, but now the form has disappeared. What should I do?
- Can I add my newborn child to my existing visa application?
- I am a Tour Guide coming to New Zealand with a Tour Group
- How do I start an online Expression of Interest and submit it?
- I can't save details into my Expression of Interest
- What Fiji travel documents will Immigration New Zealand Suva Branch Accept?
- What can be used as evidence of residence status?
- Do I need to submit any documents with my Expression of Interest?
- Will I be eligible for a further student visa if I was absent from class due to illness?
- Can I use an old application form?
- What type of work is seasonal work?
- Can I apply for a Working Holiday visa while in New Zealand?
- What is an 'open work visa', and how do I get one?
- What can be used as evidence of work experience?
- Information on DNA testing
- How do I get a New Zealand passport?
- Providing full birth certificates with applications
- Can I come to New Zealand to volunteer or volunteer once I am in New Zealand?
- kb-question-1098
Visa applications are generally processed according to the date they are received. Processing times are available on the Immigration New Zealand website.
How long it takes to process a visa application
Some applications are quicker to process than others as they do not require as much verification. For instance, applicant is offered a role on one of our skill shortage lists and they meets the criteria for the list, the Immigration Officer processing the application will not need to assess the availability of New Zealand citizens or resident to do the work. This should reduce the processing time.
If you have an employer-specific visa application in process, you can request priority allocation through our Employment Visa Escalations (EVE) process. The processing office will then assess if priority should or can be given to the application.
Changes to temporary work visas
Employment Visa Escalations (EVE)
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has updated its process to respond to escalation requests for urgent allocation for employment related visas (and associated family members) for both Temporary Work Visas and Skilled Resident Visas.
This includes all employment related products held at the Manukau, Christchurch and Porirua excluding specific business products processed by the business team in Porirua.
A mailbox will be monitored and actioned by a team of dedicated senior immigration staff who will assess these requests for escalation. A request for escalation will be considered against the following criteria:
- compelling personal circumstances
- humanitarian factors, and
- matters of national interest.
INZ will respond to all requests within five working days to confirm if the application will be prioritised for urgent allocation or not. The EVE Immigration Manager’s determination of any request for escalation is final and they will not respond to further communication about the request and justification around the decision.
All requests for priority allocation of employment related visa applications should be forwarded to the EVE mailbox.