ITA March 2019

[EGoodhue]

Update today from INZ Manukau Immigration Manager: it's taking 213 days (or 7 months & 1 day) for them to allocate SMC applications to a CO from lodgement date (they are allocating applications lodged on 7 December 2018 to Immigration Officers today).

[EGoodhue]

It appears that the allocation of SMC applications to Immigration Officers has come to a grinding halt - upon enquiring about the date that applications were lodged that were being allocated to IO's on Monday this week, I was told by an Immigration Manager at Manukau that applications lodged on 7 December were being allocated. This has not changed since Monday 8 July. When I enquired further as to why it appeared allocations were not happening at all, the IM referred to "staff shortages" but I do not believe he is being honest. I believe it has more to do with the fact that INZ now has more Residence applications on-hand for processing than there are now spaces left for approved Residence under the NZ Residence Programme until 31 December 2019. Unfortunately, no one at INZ is being honest enough to confirm this, but this news article more or less confirms it: https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/07/1...XP6RuTrE5vEZI#.
I will check in with INZ again for an update next Monday and see what the story is then.

[sirius_lost]

It appears that the allocation of SMC applications to Immigration Officers has come to a grinding halt - upon enquiring about the date that applications were lodged that were being allocated to IO's on Monday this week, I was told by an Immigration Manager at Manukau that applications lodged on 7 December were being allocated. This has not changed since Monday 8 July. When I enquired further as to why it appeared allocations were not happening at all, the IM referred to "staff shortages" but I do not believe he is being honest. I believe it has more to do with the fact that INZ now has more Residence applications on-hand for processing than there are now spaces left for approved Residence under the NZ Residence Programme until 31 December 2019. Unfortunately, no one at INZ is being honest enough to confirm this, but this news article more or less confirms it: https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/07/1...XP6RuTrE5vEZI#.
I will check in with INZ again for an update next Monday and see what the story is then.

Thanks Erin for the update. Seems like the process will get even longer than 7 months and 1 day....need more patient

[JandM]

[EGoodhue]

Sorry to have to report that the update from Manukau's Immigration Manager that I contacted this morning was that the front of the queue was still stuck at 7 December (unchanged since 8 July). I have asked for confirmation whether allocations are still taking place of applications that meet INZ's own internally-set criteria (Salary is above the high remuneration threshold, Occupation is one that requires registration through a governing body and applicant holds current registration, Employer is a government department), but I have yet to hear back. Will update when I know.

[EGoodhue]

In response to my further querying of what is happening with the SMC allocation queue (are allocations stopping altogether or going very slowly or only certain applications that meet a set criteria being allocated?), one of the Immigration Managers at Manukau has replied to say that they will send me a "formal response" next week. Will update here as soon as I receive this "formal response"

[EGoodhue]

With regards to allocations of SMC applications currently, an Immigration Manager at Manukau confirmed to me today that they are still allocating SMC applications to Immigration Officers on a weekly basis, but it is no longer the usual system of 'first in, first out' whereby the managed queue is arranged in lodgement date order and the oldest applications at the front of the queue get allocated next. It seems that applications meeting INZ's own internally-determined criteria of who is "highly skilled" (that is, with a remuneration above the high salary threshold, or requiring registration for their occupation, or working for a government department) are now allocated first. And then applicants which are deemed to meet the criteria of having "compelling personal circumstances" and have requested prioritisation via the newly set-up email address EmploymentVisaEscalations@mbie.govt.nz will be allocated. And only after those two categories are applications pulled from the managed queue for allocation.

Unfortunately the manager could not answer my request for details regarding what approximate percentage of all allocations done in the past few weeks met the first 2 criteria, but it would seem that at least 90%+ of applications allocated since at least 8 July have been given to IO's on the basis of the first two criteria, rather than pulled from the managed queue because the manager confirmed today that the front of the queue was still sitting at applications lodged on 7 December (as it has been for the past 3 weeks). So while the queue is not officially 'frozen', it would seem that the majority of allocations are currently being selected on INZ's own internally-set criteria rather than the more fair 'first in, first out' basis. As of today, it is taking 7 months and 26 days (at least) for an SMC application to be allocated to an Immigration Officer after lodgement - but this may well become even longer as the months roll on.

As an aside, in response to an Official Information Act request regarding the number of applicants approved Residence in the current NZ Residence Programme to date and the current applications on-hand, INZ have confirmed that 19,172 people have been granted Residence under SMC between 1 July 2018 and 12 July 2019. This leaves a maximum of 11,428 places on the NZ Residence Programme available to be filled up to 31 December this year. And the on-hand number of SMC applications INZ had in the queue as at 12 July was 7,105. Keeping in mind that each of those applications is more likely than not going to include more than 1 person, it stands to reason that there are more people wanting Residence under the Skilled Migrant Category than the Government currently has approved places for to the end of this calendar year (11,428 places left but likely more than 14,000 people waiting for Residence in that queue).

[benz]

[QUOTE=EGoodhue;583075]With regards to allocations of SMC applications currently, an Immigration Manager at Manukau confirmed to me today that they are still allocating SMC applications to Immigration Officers on a weekly basis, but it is no longer the usual system of 'first in, first out' whereby the managed queue is arranged in lodgement date order and the oldest applications at the front of the queue get allocated next. It seems that applications meeting INZ's own internally-determined criteria of who is "highly skilled" (that is, with a remuneration above the high salary threshold, or requiring registration for their occupation, or working for a government department) are now allocated first. And then applicants which are deemed to meet the criteria of having "compelling personal circumstances" and have requested prioritisation via the newly set-up email address EmploymentVisaEscalations@mbie.govt.nz will be allocated. And only after those two categories are applications pulled from the managed queue for allocation.


So it means every time there is an applicant with high remuneration/working for a government department my application will be moving backwards.. How I wish I have not chosen this country anymore. Now I'm left hanging.

[newarrival]

[QUOTE=benz;583082]

With regards to allocations of SMC applications currently, an Immigration Manager at Manukau confirmed to me today that they are still allocating SMC applications to Immigration Officers on a weekly basis, but it is no longer the usual system of 'first in, first out' whereby the managed queue is arranged in lodgement date order and the oldest applications at the front of the queue get allocated next. It seems that applications meeting INZ's own internally-determined criteria of who is "highly skilled" (that is, with a remuneration above the high salary threshold, or requiring registration for their occupation, or working for a government department) are now allocated first. And then applicants which are deemed to meet the criteria of having "compelling personal circumstances" and have requested prioritisation via the newly set-up email address EmploymentVisaEscalations@mbie.govt.nz will be allocated. And only after those two categories are applications pulled from the managed queue for allocation.


So it means every time there is an applicant with high remuneration/working for a government department my application will be moving backwards.. How I wish I have not chosen this country anymore. Now I'm left hanging.

I feel for you- but I am not convinced that it would be any different in any other country, to be really honest. Governments will always act in a way that they will deem in their own best interest. Unfortunately that is the nature of the beast.

[benz]

[QUOTE=newarrival;583099]

I feel for you- but I am not convinced that it would be any different in any other country, to be really honest. Governments will always act in a way that they will deem in their own best interest. Unfortunately that is the nature of the beast.

I am aware of it. I have applied both canada and nz. And i gave up my application in canada even though I know that it will only take 6 months for them to process it as I was thinking i have been here in nz for 5 years why not just get residency here. really wrong decision.