Immigration New Zealand allows some to apply early – 2021 Resident Visa update

TODD & WALKER Law are pleased to report that some of you who are eligible to apply for the 2021 One-Off Resident Visa from 1 March 2022 may be able to apply earlier.

In a recent announcement, Immigration New Zealand have said that they are making good progress with resident visa processing and have opened up capacity to accept more applications in the lead up to the 1 March date, when a huge flurry of applications is expected.

Many will be aware that applications are currently only open to ‘Phase 1” applicants who had previously submitted residence applications under the Skilled Migrant or Residence from Work categories prior to 29 September 2021, and those applications are still to be decided. In this first batch, INZ had also included people who had submitted a Skilled Migrant Category Expression of Interest prior to 29 September 2021 and had included a dependent child aged 17 years old or older at that time.

This has now been expanded and from 21 February 2022, anyone who is eligible under the category and who has a Skilled Migrant Category Expression of Interest submitted on or before 29 September 2021 will be able to apply.

It is important to note however that applications can only be made by invitation based on the below table and eligible applicants who fall within this group will be emailed on the day they can start their application on INZ’s online platform. INZ have also said that emails will be staggered during any particular day so applicants will have to be patient and effectively wait their turn.

 A risk factor that many are not aware of is that applications submitted before the corresponding opening date must be declined. The way this will be monitored is that you will only be able to proceed further in the online application form if you hold an eligible residence application or Expression of Interest number. If you supply a false number to try and submit an application in advance, you will be deemed to have provided false and misleading information. This is also the case for Phase 2 applicants trying to apply under Phase 1.

INZ’s approach to this highly controlled application process has been the cause of significant frustration among applicants as you cannot even start the application process on the online platform until it’s your turn. Fortunately, we have had the benefit of assisting many clients during Phase 1, the majority of whom have already received their residence visas. This gives us some insight into the type of information/documentation required during the process and our approach has been to work closely with our Phase 2 clients to get things in order now, and avoid potential delays later. We will be doing the same for those eligible to apply after 21 February 2022.

We urge you to remember that the 2021 Resident Visa category is open for applications until 31 July 2022 so you will have plenty of time to apply. Our advice is to take your time and approach the process carefully and with due care so you don’t prejudice or miss out on this great opportunity to make New Zealand your home.

If you are in the process of applying for the 2021 Resident Visa and have any questions or need guidance on the requirements, TODD & WALKER Law’s immigration law specialist Hetish Lochan is available to assist.

Contact Hetish on hetish@toddandwalker.com or 021 075 8147.