# New Zealand: when will it re-open to the world?



## Kingdragonfly

New Zealand: when will it re-open to the world?

As of 9 September 2021, who knows? No time soon.

I realize New Zealand is popular for people looking to immigrate. It's doubly frustrating for people who are highly skilled, on New Zealand critical shortage list.

I know personally, as I have American relatives who are a mechanical engineer, an MD doctor, and another who has a PhD in Nursing, and they don't have a chance of arriving this year, even for a visit, due to lack of room in New Zealand's quarantine facilities.

Broadly, the first countries to be allowed easy entrance are these countries first. They have historical treaties, allowing easy access.

Australia
Cook Islands
Niue
Fiji
Samoa (not America Samoa, that's a different country)
Tonga
Singapore
"Air New Zealand" removed references to these countries as part of the "trans-Tasman bubble", so not a good sign.

Worse is this article today:

Covid 19 Delta outbreak: COVID-19 Response minster Chris Hipkins says outbreak could push back phased reopening to world

"The latest Delta outbreak has forced a rethink about bold plans recently announced to reopen to the world, Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins says.

Rising case numbers across the Tasman and abandonment of any elimination policy at a state level means any reopening of the travel bubble won't be happening anywhere in the 'near future'."...


----------



## negi

New Zealand is still allowing those to travel who have a critical reason to be in NZ for example, one of them are the skilled critical health care workers. I have personally known many nurses who traveled to NZ on a "Critical Purpose Visitor Visa (CPVV)" during this pandemic.


----------



## Kingdragonfly

They must have someone in high places helping them. I see frequently article in the New Zealand newspaper quoting from Ministers, and to New Zealand citizen trapped outside the country. Everything I see and hear says there's no chance for anyone, even New Zealand citizen, getting in the country, due to a lack of "MIQ" managed isolation quarantine facilities.

Never hurts to try, as long as you are not paying a conman, ... I mean ... an "immigration consultant".


----------



## negi

Kingdragonfly said:


> They must have someone in high places helping them. I see frequently article in the New Zealand newspaper quoting from Ministers, and to New Zealand citizen trapped outside the country. Everything I see and hear says there's no chance for anyone, even New Zealand citizen, getting in the country, due to a lack of "MIQ" managed isolation quarantine facilities.
> 
> Never hurts to try, as long as you are not paying a conman, ... I mean ... an "immigration consultant".


Well, I too have been able to secure a job offer as a RN from one of the NZ employers and I will be travelling soon. Since nurses are in huge demand and if the employer gives a letter of support, its easy to get into the country and also get MIQ. I'm aware of shortage of MIQ facilities but critical healthcare workers are getting a preference this time. And FYI, I don't know anyone in high places or anyone from the ministry helping me. It was the same case with many of my RN friends who have entered NZ during the pandemic on a CPVV.


----------



## Kingdragonfly

In the New Zealand news

currently 30,000 people trying to get booked into 3,000 spots

*New Zealand Herald*: NZ diplomats join the queue for MIQ when coming home

New Zealand diplomats posted abroad are having to try their luck in the oversubscribed managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) system when they come home, even though they have been serving their country.

...But most will also have joined the “virtual lobby” to try to get a spot, said MFAT spokeswoman Vanessa Rawson, saying that staff were expected to have “done all they can to seek MIQ” spots as part of their time-sensitive applications.

...Builder Matt Morley knows how tricky getting home from Solomon Islands can be amid the pandemic. He spent 15 months building a medical centre in the island nation, only to find himself in a catch 22 when he tried to return home in April.

International border rules in April meant he could only spend up to 72 hours in Australian transit but, with just one flight out of Honiara per week, there was no available connection he could make to New Zealand.

...He had one piece of advice on Wednesday to any would-be applicants for the Solomon Islands job, which he was considering applying for: “Just be prepared to stay.”
...


----------



## Ms. Madeline

negi said:


> Well, I too have been able to secure a job offer as a RN from one of the NZ employers and I will be travelling soon. Since nurses are in huge demand and if the employer gives a letter of support, its easy to get into the country and also get MIQ. I'm aware of shortage of MIQ facilities but critical healthcare workers are getting a preference this time. And FYI, I don't know anyone in high places or anyone from the ministry helping me. It was the same case with many of my RN friends who have entered NZ during the pandemic on a CPVV.


Hey,
I too have applied for CPVV, can you tell me your timeline since you recieved invitation to apply for visa. Like when were you assigned case officer and when did your docs get verified and finally after how many days/months did you recieve your visa.
Thanks in advance.


----------



## negi

Ms. Madeline said:


> Hey,
> I too have applied for CPVV, can you tell me your timeline since you recieved invitation to apply for visa. Like when were you assigned case officer and when did your docs get verified and finally after how many days/months did you recieve your visa.
> Thanks in advance.


Kia Ora Madeline,
Congrats that you got an ITA and have applied for a visa. In regards to my timeline, I got my visa grant within 6 working days. After lodging my visa, i sent my passport to Visa application centre and once I got back my passport (after 2 days), I got a CO contact soon after that and he asked me to upload my NCNZ registration and even called me. I uploaded it the same day and got my grant within 30 minutes of that. Also got a call from the CO informing me of my visa grant, such nice people 

When have you applied? I guess you must be getting it sooner than you imagine.


----------



## Ms. Madeline

negi said:


> Kia Ora Madeline,
> Congrats that you got an ITA and have applied for a visa. In regards to my timeline, I got my visa grant within 6 working days. After lodging my visa, i sent my passport to Visa application centre and once I got back my passport (after 2 days), I got a CO contact soon after that and he asked me to upload my NCNZ registration and even called me. I uploaded it the same day and got my grant within 30 minutes of that. Also got a call from the CO informing me of my visa grant, such nice people
> 
> When have you applied? I guess you must be getting it sooner than you imagine.


Nope ! My application is still under verification. Infact it's been 4 months since a CO has been assigned tio my case and for past 2 months it's been under verification process. However my case is a bit different probably. We have lodged a group application including me and my husband. I have applied for student visa (for my PhD) and he has applied for partnership based visitor visa. We've been waitibg for 6 months now and are really anxious for the results. We were hoping probably in december we would get it done, but in vein. Do you know anyone else whose critical purpose visa have taken so long?


----------



## negi

Ms. Madeline said:


> Nope ! My application is still under verification. Infact it's been 4 months since a CO has been assigned tio my case and for past 2 months it's been under verification process. However my case is a bit different probably. We have lodged a group application including me and my husband. I have applied for student visa (for my PhD) and he has applied for partnership based visitor visa. We've been waitibg for 6 months now and are really anxious for the results. We were hoping probably in december we would get it done, but in vein. Do you know anyone else whose critical purpose visa have taken so long?


Oh that's unfortunate. I don't really know anyone whose CPVV has taken this long because the ones I know are Registered Nurses and we have got our visa based on our job offer so that we can start working as and when we arrive in NZ. Maybe because we are critical healthcare workers hence ours visa took a short time in order to get finalized.

Yes, your case is a bit different. Have you tried contacting Immigration?


----------



## Ms. Madeline

negi said:


> Oh that's unfortunate. I don't really know anyone whose CPVV has taken this long because the ones I know are Registered Nurses and we have got our visa based on our job offer so that we can start working as and when we arrive in NZ. Maybe because we are critical healthcare workers hence ours visa took a short time in order to get finalized.
> 
> Yes, your case is a bit different. Have you tried contacting Immigration?


Yup! We are in constant touch with our CO. He's the one who informed us that our files are under verification and as soon as the verification team is done with their job he'll get back to us. Unfortunately, now our application will get delayed further as their christmas break has started. Anyway, thanks for info. And if you come across anything that could be helpful to us please let me know.


----------



## negi

Ms. Madeline said:


> Yup! We are in constant touch with our CO. He's the one who informed us that our files are under verification and as soon as the verification team is done with their job he'll get back to us. Unfortunately, now our application will get delayed further as their christmas break has started. Anyway, thanks for info. And if you come across anything that could be helpful to us please let me know.


It's good that you are in touch with your CO. Problem occurs when there is no response on the application. And yes, season's break has started from today, further delay..ahh!
Anyway you cant do anything except waiting. Good Luck!


----------



## Kingdragonfly

As of 6 Jan 2022, don't hold your breath if you want to get into New Zealand. The TV news said waitlist is beyond March.

*Stuff news*: Covid-19: Travellers from Australia shut out of next MIQ room release

The Government’s three-step reopening plan initially would have seen double-vaccinated New Zealand citizens and residents from Australia bypass MIQ from January 17.

Fully vaccinated citizens and residents from all other countries would have been able to skip MIQ from February 14.

The third step would have seen Aotearoa start to open to fully vaccinated foreign nationals from April 13.

*NZ Herald*: Covid-19 Delta variant: Another MIQ lottery kicks off - but not for Kiwis in Australia

Thousands of New Zealanders are set to try again to get rare MIQ spots this afternoon, with the first lottery since December 16 starting at 1pm.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has said roughly 1250 rooms will be released for usage in March and April. The virtual lobby, which can be accessed here, opened at midday.

However, people wishing to return home from Australia are out of luck. They will be excluded from the lottery.

The MIQ room release was previously scheduled for two days before Christmas but it was postponed until today after the Omicron outbreak in many other parts of the world prompted the government to scrap its self-isolation component for new arrivals.
...


----------



## Ms. Madeline

Hey @negi ,
Just wanted to update you that our application has passed the verification process and is now sent for quality assessment of CO's decision. We haven't received any PPI letter and therefore are hopeful for positive results. 
Does anyone know the time it takes from here to the final decision/outcome?
Also has anyone from India got their student visa approved recently? If so, can you outline your timeline?


----------



## Kingdragonfly

New Zealand just entered the highest alert level (again).

I think students are going to be a pretty low priority.

From two weeks ago, before the "red" alert level.

*Stuff*: What does re-engaging with the world mean for immigration?

"...As international borders come down, what’s our plan to reunite families, restore damaged sectors that need visa entries for their survival, and how do we plug our ever-widening skills gaps in the face of intense international competition for people? ..."


----------



## Kingdragonfly

Some bad press for New Zealand government

*The Guardian (UK):* Pregnant New Zealand journalist stranded by quarantine rules says she turned to Taliban

_Charlotte Bellis says group offered her safe haven while quarantine backlog prevented return home_

A pregnant New Zealand journalist says she has had to turn to the Taliban for help after being prevented from returning to her home country due to quarantine rules.

In a column published in the New Zealand Herald on Saturday, Charlotte Bellis said it was “brutally ironic” that she had once questioned the Taliban about their treatment of women and she was now asking the same questions of her own government.

“When the Taliban offers you – a pregnant, unmarried woman – safe haven, you know your situation is messed up,” Bellis wrote in her column.

Taliban must respect rights of women and children, says UN head

New Zealand’s Covid-19 response minister, Chris Hipkins, told the Herald his office had asked officials to check whether they had followed the proper procedures in Bellis’s case, “which appeared at first sight to warrant further explanation”.

New Zealand has managed to keep the spread of the virus to a minimum during the pandemic and has reported just 52 virus deaths among its population of 5 million.

But the country’s requirement that even returning citizens spend 10 days isolating in quarantine hotels run by the military has led to a backlog of thousands of people wanting to return home vying for spots.

Stories of citizens stranded abroad in dire circumstances have caused embarrassment for prime minister Jacinda Ardern and her government.
...


----------

