Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is currently receiving high numbers of visa applications. This is likely to continue until March 2019. This is typical for this time of year as visitor and student visa applications experience a peak from November to March due to the summer season and the beginning of a new academic year.
You can find recent processing times on the INZ website, which will help you establish an estimated processing time for a visa.
When applicants are making travel plans they need to take these processing times into account. Submit an application as early as possible to allow enough time for the application to be processed before the date of intended travel.
Visitor, student and work visa applicants are encouraged to apply using the Immigration Online system via the INZ website. It’s faster and easier to apply online. You can upload supporting documents and photographs and pay for an application online.
To ensure applications are processed as quickly as possible, you need to supply all relevant information including translations. If the correct information is not supplied, this could hold up the processing of the visa.
Applicants should wait until their application is completed before they finalise their travel plans. INZ will not prioritise a visa application if an applicant has already purchased travel.
Applicants should wait until the indicated time for visa application processing has passed before contacting INZ, unless your / your employee’s circumstances have changed or INZ have exceeded the indicated timeframes.