Here is the recent update on the Parent & Grandparent visitor visa as made available on the public domain:
We will be changing our policy for customers who applied for the Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa between 1 August and 21 September and have not had their application processed through Immigration Online yet.
Because requests for medical information held up progress, we have now put an interim measure in place for these customers so that their applications can be processed more quickly.
If you apply for these visas, they will now be processed as General Visitor Visas with travel conditions similar to the Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa. This is a one-time change that will enable us to process these applications faster. If your application is successful, you will be able to travel to New Zealand soon.
We are in the process of contacting all affected customers. If they log into Immigration Online, their application may show a ‘lapsed’ status, but this is normal and no further action is needed on their part.
Applications made on or after September 22 are not affected by the changes. We have also updated the information available on our website to better educate customers about visa categories.
As Immigration Online beds in, we are continually improving functionality for a better user experience for customers, immigration advisors and employers, and we are committed to ensuring that issues with the platform are resolved as soon as possible.
What does it mean? - Our Opinion
The latest update on the Parent & Grandparent visitor visa affects customers who applied for the said visa between 1 August and 21 September. Because of some requests for medical information, their applications have not been processed yet. However, an interim measure has already been put in place so that these applications can be processed more quickly.
Under the new measure, these applications will now be processed as General Visitor Visas with travel conditions similar to the Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa. Once the application is successful, the customers will be able to travel to New Zealand soon.
The good news is that this is just a one-time change and it will enable the concerned authorities to process the applications faster. If you are one of those affected customers, you book a consultation with us to know more. It is normal for your application to show a ‘lapsed’ status but no further action is needed on your part.
Applications made on or after September 22 are not affected by the changes.