LittleGreyCat

Results just in from 16th August draw.

779 EOIs drawn, with 1298 people.
3450 EOIs left in the draw.

So the number in the queue is still increasing, but the rate of increase has slowed down.

If the carry on like this we might just scrape February 2017.

Shorelands

we got picked out in August 2015 and we had our visa by Feb 16, we then flew into NZ April 24th 2016
what a roller coaster ride.

Esme61

We were pulled from the same draw as Shorelands and also got our visa Feb 2016, just took 12 months to get sorted, we fly out to activate ours 24/11 then I will feel it's completed.

Anniebig

Hi, I know this is a while ago from when you submitted your ITA but do you have a rough idea when it was?

We have been picked out from the August 16 draw waited for the ITA to come back, went for medicals, completed the police checks etc and got our paperwork off on the 21st September.

Also how long did you have to wait before an advisor was allocated to you? Did you have a straight forward application or were their any complications?

My problem is I will be taking two little dogs with me and i had their rabies vaccination done in April if we don't get the visa by then they have to go through it all again. I had it done early as their was a slim chance we could of been pulled out in the May draw, now I am a bit worried about how the timings being tight. So I am crossing fingers and toes!

Hope you have settled well and enjoying yourselves

Ann

MrsFychan

Anniebig, processing time in London for parent category looks to be 7months from when you get a Case Officier

Anniebig

I did read that on the website but wasn't sure if that included the waiting time for a case officer. I think I really need to start crossing everything or just send my furry babies out early as I don't want to put them through another rabies vaccination.

MrsFychan

that time line is from the time you get your Case Officer

Esme61

We were in your position last year - our completed ITA submitted early October and our first contact by immigration was 16/12 to clarify some points and passports asked for in February - good luck

Anniebig

Thanks for that, hopefully ours will be quick too. Just hoping the exchange rate goes up a bit not looking very promising at the moment!

LittleGreyCat

Well whoop de do.

We were on track for selection in the February draw.

Now it looks as though we will be lucky if we get pulled in November 2017.

Oh, {*************}, reading the Government announcement:

This means that the quota for the year includes the Parental Category draw in August 2016 which (in theory) will have drawn a quarter of the annual quota of 5,500. Which is 1375. This leaves 625 for the November 2016, February 2017 and May 2017 draws.

My shonky and increasingly inaccurate spread sheet suggest that there were around 3250 people ahead of us in the queue before the August draw and at the new draw rate we may get picked November 2017 or February 2018.

So this seems to have pushed us out by a year.

However spare a thought for anyone who applied after us, or who is just coming up to applying.

Immediately after the August 2016 draw there were 3450 applications left in the queue. At an average of 1.6 people per application that left 5520 in the queue. At the old rate it would have taken a year to clear them through. Now it will take two and a half years. This doesn't include applications submitted and accepted between August and October so the queue is likely to be around 3 years long. Not that surprising that they have closed applications as the queue was growing rapidly even at 5,500 people a year being accepted.

I will leave discussion about the wisdom of this new strategy to other threads.

Edit: looks even worse. Subject to confirmation they won't be drawing ANY Parent Category EOIs until further notice. Cap includes not just Parent Category but also adult children and siblings so presumably they have to work out how many siblings/children qualify before they let any more parents in.

Edit 2: Getting worse the further I read.

https://www.immigration.govt.nz/abou...arent-category

and

A couple of years to clear out those already drawn by which time the rules may well have changed.

Anniebig

Just awful! Feeling gutted

elaineesther1953

But hasn't your EOI already been drawn!! so your application must be okay Anniebig?

Anniebig

Yes it has and I got my application in on the 23rd September BUT from reading the website they have 1100 applications and they will not even start looking at them until July 2017. That is the quota for the whole year until July 2018 so they may take their time processing them as well. If they look at them in queue order I am at the end of the queue! Going by past timescales I was thinking we would of got our visas like you in February. I think now instead of a few months I have another year at least.
On top of that my medicals and police checks will be out of date!
To be fair I feel sorry for everyone that was due to be picked out as they have no idea of what is going to happen and that is just horrible.
So according to the website we should be getting a letter giving us more detail.
Haha and a few weeks ago my only worry was my furry babies rabies vaccination running out!

LittleGreyCat

Yes - sucks {whatever metaphor most suits you}.

We have gone from planning how to migrate to assuming we have no more than a 50/50 chance of ever qualifying, and even if we do it will be 4-5 years before we have visas. Which would mean 10 years to residency without travel conditions.

This is not an insignificant time scale for a retired person.

Esme61

Just had this sent by my daughter
Migrants' parents cost NZ 'tens of millions' | Radio New Zealand News'