Originally Posted by
midwesttonz
I'm wondering if you got email approval because you applied online? We applied by paper/sent the passport with the application.
All applications for a Permanent Resident Visa are paper applications.
All approvals will be via email, as INZ now issues eVisas for all visa types (if you want a physical visa label, this is a
separate process that you can only go through once you have received your eVisa letter).
Originally Posted by
midwesttonz
We got an email today with a tracking number which I assume means the passport is on its way back.
This is highly likely to be the case. As INZ is not going to put a physical visa label in your passport (unless you specifically request this after your Permanent Resident Visa is granted), they have little reason to hold on to your passport once they've sighted it and scanned it into their system (unless there are concerns with the validity/genuineness/etc. of the passport itself), and since it's not uncommon for applicants to require their passports for other purposes, INZ will therefore send it back to you while they continue processing your application.