After a series of lockdowns and travel restrictions for over two years owing to the global Covid-19 pandemic, New Zealand finally had the final stage of its structured re-opening plan on July 31 July 2022, when the visitor, as well as all student categories, re-opened.
The Indian community in NZ has been waiting for borders to open fully so they can have their families and friends over for a visit or to study. Indian Weekender got in touch with Immigration NZ to get the latest data on the application they have received from Indian nationals so far since July 31 in the visitor and student visa category.
Responding to IWK’s query, Michael Carley, Acting General Manager, Border and Visa Operations, said, "The NZ border re-opened in a staged approach, with the final step of re-opening on July 31 to student and visitor visas as part of our Reconnecting NZ strategy. INZ has received 7,833 visitor visa applications from Indian nationals since July 31. Of these, 402 applications have been approved so far, with a total of 514 people included in these applications.”
This means only around 5 percent of visitor visa applications by Indian nationals have been approved according to the latest data.
As for student visa applications from Indian nationals since July 31, Carley said, “INZ has received 644 student visa applications from Indian nationals since July 31. Of these, 67 applications have been approved so far.”
Considering the increased number of visa applications due to border re-opening, INZ has confirmed that they are well geared to process the increased workload.
According to Carley, INZ is strongly committed to ensuring they play their part in reconnecting New Zealand with the world. “We are confident that the work we have been doing to improve processes and build capability in the system through our people and technology means we are well placed to deliver a good customer experience. This includes building capacity and capability to ensure timely visa decisions for applicants across all visa categories can be delivered,” says Carley.
Interestingly, Carley claims that INZ had been planning since July 2021 to return INZ's workforce to a level appropriate for when the borders re-opened.
“We made system changes that have improved efficiencies in processing and freed up capacity. This included moving more visa categories onto our enhanced Immigration Online platform, which allows for greater efficiency in processing visas through the automation of routine tasks,” signed off Carley.
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