Following the impact of Covid-19, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has introduced a temporary suspension of offshore immigration applications until November 10, 2020.
What has changed?
Immigration New Zealand has suspended accepting immigration applications temporarily, in an effort to help combat the spread of Covid-19. No applications will proceed from now through November 10, 2020, unless they fall under one of the limited exceptions to the border closure.
The following categories of visa applications are exempt from the suspension:
Currently, despite the suspension, the online portal still appears to be functioning, and individuals have been able to submit their visa applications and join the queue for processing while they wait for the suspension to be lifted.
Who is affected?
All those wanting to submit visa applications from outside of New Zealand and who do not fall under the exemption requirements noted above will be forced to wait until after November 10 to complete their submission. To avoid any further delays, it is recommended that individuals prepare their application for the INZ so they can progress as soon as the suspension is lifted.
What you need to do
For further information on current immigration restrictions for New Zealand, please contact the Sterling Lexicon immigration team.