Overhaul of New Zealand visa IT system for faster processing

New Zealand, 15th December: The government of New Zealand is spending nearly $75 million for overhauling its IT system.

It is being done to allow faster processing of New Zealand visa applications.

New visa system to attract skilled immigrants—The government says the investment in a new New Zealand visa system is going to help in attracting increased number of skilled immigrants to New Zealand while giving a boost to the integrity and security of the system.

Giving details about the investment on the new IT system, Jonathan Coleman, New Zealand immigration minister said it will speed up the New Zealand visa processing and will also facilitate applicants to get more services online.

This is a step forward in making New Zealand globally competitive for attracting skilled and talented immigrants.

Only an efficient and a modern immigration process can allure skilled immigrants to New Zealand and increase contributions to the nation’s economy, Coleman added. The present system of New Zealand immigration is more than a decade old and hence, nearing its lifespan.

It is not only proving to be costly for maintenance and is proving to be costly while making even simple changes, he stated. Moreover, it is also restricting ability of New Zealand to offer integrity and security as compared to other countries globally, he further maintained.

New IGMS—Main aim of the new IGMS (Immigration Global Management System) is to help make the data accessible by various offices of INZ(Immigration New Zealand) globally in addition to making simple things automated for employers as well as clients.

Its an important step in INZ ability to offer secure, timely and responsive immigration services to the clients the world over, Dr. Coleman claimed. Applicants for New Zealand visas will have their requisite individual online immigration accounts.

This will help applicants provide detailed information online and further help them in tracking regular progress on their New Zealand visa applications. It will also help in providing capability of biometric information, thus providing higher level of security and identity management to Immigration New Zealand.

The new IGMS is slated to become operational next year.