Essential Skill Work Visa Processing Time

[ashbin]

Hi,

I have submitted online application for Essential Skill Work Visa and eagerly waiting for the visa. I have sent my original passport to Visa Application Center in Dubai and they returned back the passport after a couple of days mentioning that "Your online visa application has been received. We are returning your passport and will be in touch with you shortly about your application. If your application is approved, no visa label will be placed inside your passport. Instead an electronic visa will be linked to your passport" Is this message ok? I was expecting a visa label and normally how many working days it will take. It was mentioned that within 23 - 25 days and now just 12 days are over. But I am so much worried about the approval. Hope to receive an email with a positive comment soon.

regards,

Ash Bin

[JandM]

eVisas are a fairly new development, but being increasingly used. See here. https://www.immigration.govt.nz/abou...-online/evisas

[ashbin]

I am still waiting for my visa. Already 25 working days are over. Still no news from INZ. I wanted to get the things faster as my present job is finished and I am in my notice period. When I checked with Immigration New Zealand, they told me that I can upload a cover letter along with my application mentioning about my job and mention that I want to join immediately. And thus request to make the process faster. Any idea whether it will work out? I hope there will not be any other issues. So much worried as after a couple of weeks, I will be jobless.

[rumi79]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you. I hope you get the visa next week!

[mmm]

The processing time now is might be 6 month, they officially say on phone, which is kind rude, to people who is working and getting interim visa....

[mrbrij]

Hi all I have lodged my essential skill work visa on 1st march. Almost 25 working days are about to over. Can anyone say me how much time does it take to process the entire application as my smc job search visa ends in last week of May 2017.

[JandM]

It is unpredictable in any case, but at the moment, INZ seem to have a backlog of work, and some people have been told to expect months of processing.

If your other visa expires before your work visa arrives, INZ can issue an interim visa to keep you legal.

If you have the offer of a skilled job, can you not activate your Residence visa? This can be done very quickly.

[mrbrij]

Hi JandM

Yes I have filed Residency as I received my ITA from london when I filed residency from India but as per my advisor last updates my file went to London and my previous officer said that I need to process in nearest branch in Auckland. I don't know what is going on. I AM confused lodged my residency on 1st march but no updates yet that we have received your file or something like that.

Moreover how much max time are officet takes to process essential skill visa. Also one more thing if in worst case I need to file interim can I allow to work as I have skilled job in any condition?

Last but least can I directly enquire in immigration regardless of my advisor.

[mrbrij]

Hi JandM and other members,

Please do reply me as I am bit worried.

[JandM]

For someone in your situation - holding the SMC JSV who has landed a skilled job - the correct thing to do is to send it to the nearest INZ office, covering the area where you are now living. If in doubt, this http://onlineservices.immigration.go...or.htm?level=1 will help. If you have sent evidence of your new job and your passport, normally they stick in the visa label and return the passport within a short time, normally only 2 - 4 weeks.

The adviser should certainly be able to tell you which office your application to get your Residence went to, and if any replies have come from that office in the meantime. But yes, you can ask INZ, if you aren't getting clear answers from your adviser.

As people have said above on the thread, Essential Skills visas are taking much longer than has been normal - just at the moment there seems to be a backlog. INZ have told some new applicants that it may take 4 - 6 months, but I think (just my guess here) that that is in the hope of making people be patient and not keep asking about progress, because some people on the forum have received their visas in around 2 - 3 months.

But you SHOULD NOT NEED the Essential Skills Visa. Your Residence should be through far more quickly than the end of May. Your original CO has already checked out all the evidence about YOU, and the Residence is waiting for you as soon as they can see you have a skilled job (which is just one thing to check).

Nobody applies for an Interim visa. It is something INZ automatically issue. But if it came to that, you would not get permission to work on it, because you are applying for a different sort of visa from the one you hold at the moment. The details are here. https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-...isa-conditions