INZ have introduced a new email address, which is monitored by Immigration Managers, where applicants can request for their visa application to be prioritised on the basis of
"—compelling personal circumstances,
—humanitarian factors, and
—matters of national interest."
I don't know exactly what INZ's definition of any of these factors is, but if you have an employment-related work or resident visa application (eg. Essential Skills, LTSSL, Talent Accredited Employer or Skilled Migrant Category) in with INZ and feel you have justified reasons for getting your application allocated to an Immigration Officer for assessment as a priority, do try to email
EmploymentVisaEscalations@mbie.govt.nz.
Your request will be assessed by an Immigration Manager within 2 working days and you will get a response telling you whether your request for prioritisation will be granted or not.
In some cases, it may also help to attach a letter of support from your NZ employer if you can (it may strengthen your argument).
Please remember that this escalation process only applies to people who have applied for employment-related work or resident visas.
More info:
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/abou...scalations-eve.
I'm keen to hear how people get on with this new initiative from INZ - post here with your success stories (or not-so-successful stories...).