After 33 years...INZ gets its act together!

Pathways® recently celebrated 33 years in the “immigration business”. From humble beginnings in 1992, sharing an office with Asset Recruitment in Alexandra Street, then moving to the top floor of the ex-IRD Building in Bryce Street in 1995, which we shared with Coast to Coast TV, and to our present office in the McCaw Lewis building, it has been a challenging but always interesting, and wonderfully rewarding, journey.

During this time, we have assisted some 25,000 visa applicants, from over 125 different countries with their New Zealand visa applications, and in making their New Zealand dreams come true. Dealing with people’s lives, and their family’s futures, requires special people who have the passion, commitment and experience to manage wide-ranging and challenging situations with the necessary care and expertise, and at Pathways® we have been, and continue to be, privileged with the calibre and loyalty of our people.

Over these past 33 years the only thing that has been consistent in our business is the constant changes. Visa policy, application processing and interpretation changes by Immigration NZ (INZ), and Governments of the day, and the inevitable immigration cycle of squeezing and then loosening, and squeezing again, to manage numbers and resources in response to political and public machinations. Almost every day we will see some change, or a completely new situation, and the old adage of “you learn something new every day” is never truer than when working in the immigration space!

There is also little doubt that dealing with a Government Department can be challenging and “head scratching” at times. This time last year we were doing a lot of “scratching”! INZ was taking 2-3 months to process job check and accredited employer work visa applications – whereas a year before, these applications were taking just a few days. INZ had “cycled” from a “let them in” to a “keep them out” regime, even though the underlying policies had not materially changed.

However, there have been marked changes with INZ over the past six months. Visa processing times, generally, have not been better with most employer accreditation, job checks and work visa applications now taking just a few days to 1-2 weeks to process. Online applications for label transfers and permanent resident visa applications take only days. Skilled residence applications are down to 1-3 months while parent retirement residence applications, which were previously taking 18 months to process, are now down to 6 months.

The flagship Active Investor Plus (AIP) policy, which was “re-invigorated” from 1 April with new settings, has seen 53 applications received, representing an investment of NZ$320 million, and with 11 applications approved in principle already (as of 22 April). The AIP is on track to deliver $1 billion of new direct foreign investment into New Zealand by the end of this year and, if this is the case, INZ can take due credit for its role in the AIP’s success.

Behind the scenes Immigration NZ officials are also actively engaging with the private sector regarding policy development and immigration instructions and, to INZ’s credit, they have embraced this challenge. This opportunity for constructive sector collaboration is a “breath of fresh air” and can only lead to better informed, and more pragmatic, policy settings and the smooth transition of policy changes.

In our 33 years of undertaking immigration work, we have experienced 14 different Ministers of Immigration. The current turn-a-round in performance, and approach, of Immigration New Zealand can, to a large extent, be attributed to the present Minister of Immigration, the Hon Erica Stanford. We have not previously experienced a Minister who is so passionate, knowledgeable and proactive about the immigration portfolio.

It has taken 33 years, but Immigration NZ may now have its act together (well at least until the next Minister!).