I really am beginning to wonder if the staff at MBIE and INZ give actual thought before making these sorts of blanket decisions. If you are not aware, Immigration New Zealand have decided to lapse more than 50,000 offshore visa applications that it can’t process due to the current Covid-19 restrictions. Fortunately for those affected, INZ will be refunding the application fees and this will not count against applicants in the future as the visas have not been declined, the applications have just lapsed.
At face value this seems like a logical approach, no point in having thousands of applications and fees hanging in limbo. However, as usual, it does not appear that INZ have planned the process through very well, nor the cause and effect. If they had one would think that they would have realised that a decent percentage of those applications were based on partnerships with either work visa holders, NZ residents or citizens. As a result of the Covid-19 border restrictions, most of these partners are unable to prove that they have living together in a stable relationship, so they are unable to apply for a partnership work or residency visas. One of the few options open to them is to apply for visitors visas which will give them the opportunity to come to New Zealand and establish their partnership in INZ’s eyes. This has once again been wiped out by the lack of foresight from Immigration New Zealand.
I cannot begin to imagine how frustrating this must be for all those applicants.
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