A record number of applications were received today for the Phase 2 of the 2021 Resident Visa that opened this morning at 10am for more than 110,000 migrants in New Zealand.
As at 4pm today, a total of 8,220 visa applications have been received, with a further 8,588 visa applications currently in the system being completed by users, says Immigration New Zealand General Manager Geoff Scott.
This heavy rush of applications on opening day was in spite of INZ having clarified earlier that 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.
There were some initial hiccups accessing the main INZ website when it went live in the morning, but were soon sorted enabling people to submit their applications.
“That is more than four times the previous record number of applications received in a day, which was 3,526 in a 24-hour period which is a significant achievement,” Geoff Scott says.
“We have been working hard to ensure our system was ready for an unprecedented volume of visa applications in one day and today that hard work has paid off.
“This includes listening to immigration industry professionals, and business and migrant communities who have been instrumental in helping us reach this milestone.
“While the INZ website experienced some initial high demand which resulted in some difficulty accessing the main INZ website this morning, the problem was quickly identified and steps were taken to make sure people were still able to apply.”
Scott has assured that all systems have been stable and fully operational since the website loading issue was identified and rectified.
As at 28 February, nearly 10,000 applications received under Phase 1 have already been approved by INZ which equates to more than 20,000 people becoming residents.
