If only someone could look at the numbers, and prove that they can actually sway the results, the politicians might start noticing the power of SMC applicants.
All the primary applicants would be eligible to vote, if they get the residency. And, remembering all the trouble they have been subjected to by the current govt. I don't think many would vote for them.
And if there are actually significant numbers, the govt might start noticing the SMC applicants again.
Just my thoughts.

Originally Posted by
karoro
This assumes (and I'm aware that my tinfoil hat is showing here) that the Minister is trying to facilitate immigration and not hinder it.
At the last election the Labour party campaigned on reducing immigration, and they formed a government with New Zealand First, an avowedly anti-immigration party. I wouldn't be surprised if the stories of INZ's application backlog play quite well with some parts of the electorate. In that sense, from a political perspective, the Minister may be doing a 'good' job.
Obviously it's an extremely underhand way of going about it, and very, very unfair on us who have applications waiting to be processed. But then we can't vote, so what does the government care?