About the 2021 Resident Visa

[Kelerei]

I have an Expression of Interest and I work as a teacher (requires registration), but I don't have a child included in my EoI. I suppose this means I will be applying 1rst Match 2022????

Correct. This is covered by S6.5.5 (not yet in the operational manual, but in the Amendment Circular that I linked above):

S6.5.5 Phase 1 and Phase 2 Applicants

1. Phase 1 applicants are those who, on 29 September 2021:
   
   1. had made an application for residence under the Skilled Migrant Category or a Residence from Work category; or
   2. had a Skilled Migrant Category Expression of Interest in the Pool which included a dependent child aged 17 years or older as at 29 September 2021.
2. Phase 2 applicants are all other applicants.
3. Applications made between 1 December 2021 and 28 February 2022 (inclusive) must include the number of the application or Expression of Interest referenced in (a) above.
4. Applications made by a phase 2 applicant before 1 March 2022 must be declined.

[Kelerei]

Phase 2 will be opening early for some Skilled Migrant Category applicants:

• Anyone who submitted an Expression of Interest on or before 29 September 2021 will be able to apply from 21 February onwards.
• Up to 1,500 such applicants will be able to apply per day. Allocations for daily places will be strictly in the order of the date that the EOI was submitted.
• Those who are granted a place for early application will receive an email from INZ on the day they are able to apply from, and will need their EOI reference number in order to apply.
• All others (including Residence from Work applicants) will still be able to start applying when Phase 2 formally opens on March 1.

I suspect that this staggered approach is more due to the Phase 1 applicants crashing the online system when applications opened than anything else.

[Kelerei]

Phase 2 opens in 1 hour (10am NZDT).

There are some changes in the manner of processing these applications:

• Phase 2 applications will only start being processed at the beginning of April.
• Phase 2 applications will not be processed in the order in which they are lodged. Instead, they will be processed in the order of the principal applicant's current visa expiry date (e.g. those whose visas are about to expire will receive priority).

There's therefore no advantage in rushing to get your Phase 2 application in, and the official advise from INZ is to take your time to apply in order to submit a complete application.

[Kelerei]

For those interested in how the Phase 1 applications have been getting on, as of 23:59 on 20 February 2022, the situation is as follows:

• 13,356 applications received
• 6,586 applications approved (49%)
• Around 2,500 applications (19%) approved in principle, pending payment from the applicant (not in the official figures, but stated in this media release)
• 2 applications declined
• Remaining applications are still being processed or awaiting processing (approximately 4,200 applications, 32%)

Full data here.

The majority of approved applications have been since January 10th: 1,172 applications approved before then, 5,414 applications approved after then. Excluding the applications approved in principle from the equation, the increase in processing rates after the Christmas and New Year break makes it reasonable to predict that most of the remaining Phase 1 applications will be decided on by the time Phase 2 processing starts.

[genegeney]

This caught my eye this morning:

If you have a Skilled Migrant Category (SMC), Residence from Work application or an SMC Expression of Interest (EOI) lodged after 29 September 2021 you can apply for the 2021 Resident Visa from early morning 1 March 2021 using the Phase 1 application form.

So I submitted the draft EOI that I'd had ready to go in Feb, but didn't submit as there didn't seem to be any point with the pool being closed, and tried to progress a phase 1 2021 visa form. It's saying my EOI number isn't valid. So trying to speak to INZ to get it added. It seems to me that being able to apply in phase 1 is going to make a fairly big difference to processing time, so hopefully they'll let me do so. We'll see. Otherwise, into the phase 2 I shall go.

[Rocki]

'If you have a Skilled Migrant Category (SMC), Residence from Work application or an SMC Expression of Interest (EOI) lodged after 29 September 2021 you can apply for the 2021 Resident Visa from early morning 1 March 2021 using the Phase 1 application form.' - https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-...cation-process

I am fairly confused too with this wording on immigration website. I had already created my EOI application but just dint submit the application it as I thought there was no point as it was suspended

Now as soon as I read the information on immigration I thought can I just finish the & submit my EOI application today so under the rules I applied after 29th September & I can fall under the phase 1.5?

[genegeney]

'If you have a Skilled Migrant Category (SMC), Residence from Work application or an SMC Expression of Interest (EOI) lodged after 29 September 2021 you can apply for the 2021 Resident Visa from early morning 1 March 2021 using the Phase 1 application form.' - https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-...cation-process

I am fairly confused too with this wording on immigration website. I had already created my EOI application but just dint submit the application it as I thought there was no point as it was suspended

Now as soon as I read the information on immigration I thought can I just finish the & submit my EOI application today so under the rules I applied after 29th September & I can fall under the phase 1.5?

That was certainly my take on things, but the system isn't letting me progress the phase 1 application - it obviously has a list of acceptable EOI numbers and mine isn't within it. It might start working tomorrow, assuming an overnight automated load of EOI numbers, but I'm currently on hold to INZ to get some guidance.

[Rocki]

Please let me know what advice you get from INZ as we are on the same boat & I am trying to get hold them as well. Can't we just submit the EOI application today and get into the Phase 1.5 itself as I guess a draft version of EOI in the system wont work coz it was not submitted?

[genegeney]

Please let me know what advice you get from INZ as we are on the same boat & I am trying to get hold them as well. Can't we just submit the EOI application today and get into the Phase 1.5 itself as I guess a draft version of EOI in the system wont work coz it was not submitted?

I've actually submitted by EOI. It needs to be submitted in order to be eligible for the 2021 Visa phase 1. But, even with submitting it today, the 2021 application form is not accepting it. I get this message:

Your Application Number or EOI is invalid. Re-enter your 7-8 digit number using characters 0-9. If you have entered it correctly, you cannot submit an application for this visa at this time. You may be eligible to submit an application from 1 March 2022.

This makes sense because, until today, INZ have been making only specific EOI numbers eligible for applications each day. I reckon that, if we'd submitted an EOI yesterday, it'd be fine to apply for the 2021 visa today. Just don't know if they're going to continue to load in new EOI numbers over the next week or so. I really hope so. Like you, I didn't see the point of submitting an EOI into a closed pool back in February. Bit harsh to be 'punished' for that now that the goal posts have shifted. We shall see. Either way, we're going to get residency - it's just a matter of timeframes. I have another job offer, that I'll need to change work visas for, so getting residency sooner will make the whole thing much much easier. That's my motivation.

[genegeney]

Very busy day at the call centre. Have had to hang up a couple of times, due to having to make work calls, and on hold for an hour on my latest call.