"New Zealand visa applications ignored for months as immigration struggles with targets"

[Oregonkiwi]

https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/natio...s-with-targets

Immigration New Zealand is not allocating case officers to some visa applications for more than five months as it tries to meet new government targets on which residents it wants....Furthermore, ministers will decide later this year whether to cap certain residence categories....

[Juniper]

[dragstrut]

I'm here with my SMC category visa in limbo, taking too much time to process, though definitely not as much time as some other poor folks on this forum.

My mind started wandering, and I did some research.

Was looking into it,

Though I have no connection to the country, I am eligible for direct award of an Australian visa subclass 189. this is a permanent resident visa. Australian permanent residents are allowed to live in New Zealand indefinitely with full benefits. I'm not aware of the specifics, but i'm sure there is a passport track to get a kiwi passport.

The cost is an extra thousand bucks, roughly. which i've already burned almost ten times over dealing with INZ in financial losses alone, nevermind the stress and headaches.

If I could go back to August when i started this whole process, knowing what I know now, I would have just dealt with Immigration australia rather than immigration NZ.

something to keep in mind for the folks out there considering going down the SMC category resident visa route. $1k extra up front for instant permanent residency to australia, valid in NZ as well.

[JandM]

I'm not aware of the specifics, but i'm sure there is a passport track to get a kiwi passport.

Like any NZ resident, once awarded the visa, the holder of a NZ "Australian resident" visa can qualify for NZ citizenship (and passport) five years later if they meet the criteria. https://www.govt.nz/browse/passports...z-citizenship/

[allune]

How many points could you have gotten @dragstrut under 189?

[dragstrut]

75 points I think for the Aussie visa

I have 180ish points for the kiwi SMC application

[allune]

@dragstrut that’s interesting. If you don’t have a pro rata occupation then you would’ve been selected then immediately otherwise it wouldn’t have been any faster in Aus...