After the first phase of applications on 21 February, phase 2 applications for the 2021 Resident Visa will now open on Tuesday 1 March.
Applications will open at 10am, but submitting an application on the first day does not mean it will be processed first and there is no advantage to those applying on 1 March.
“Phase 2 applications will be submitted using our enhanced Immigration Online system and we have been working hard to make sure the system can manage the large volume of applications expected under Phase 2,” says Immigration New Zealand’s Head of Digital and Programmes, Darren Calder.
“Immigration Online has been significantly upgraded to increase the number of people able to apply each day. On top of this, we have also made some operational changes that mean individuals who don’t apply on the first day will not be disadvantaged.”
According to INZ, the changes include all Phase 2 applications will be held in the system until the end of March, and then these applications will be released for processing in order of the principal applicant’s current visa expiry date as at the time of their application.
People applying through enhanced Immigration Online will not need to submit supporting documentation with their application, including medical certificates.
“We know some people have been concerned about getting their medical certificate in time to submit their application. As a result, people applying through enhanced Immigration Online will not need a medical certificate to be able to submit their application. If one is required, they will be asked to provide this, and any other documents, when we begin processing their application,” Calder says.
INZ continues to process applications received under Phase 1 as quickly as possible. More than 13,000 applications have been received under Phase 1 to date. Of those, around 7,000 applications have been approved which equates to more than 15,000 people becoming residents so far. A further 2,500 applications have been approved pending payment from the applicant.
Due to the good progress that has been made in processing Phase 1 applications, last week INZ announced that from 21 February, opening applications early for a group of up to 10,500 individuals who have a Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Expression of Interest (EOI) in the pool that was submitted on or before 29 September 2021. To date INZ have received a further 1,502 applications from those eligible since 21 February.
All applicants have until 31 July 2022 to submit their 2021 Resident Visa application.
People can test their eligibility for the 2021 Resident Visa here.
– from NewsViews
