Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has announced a scheduled system upgrade that will take its online visa application portals offline for several hours on May 13. This essential maintenance aims to enhance New Zealand's digital immigration infrastructure, impacting a wide range of services for prospective migrants, students, workers, and investors.
Key Details of the Downtime
The online visa application systems will be inaccessible between 20:00 (8:00 PM) and 23:59 (11:59 PM) New Zealand Standard Time (NZST) on Wednesday, May 13. During this four-hour window, users will not be able to access or submit any applications or related services.
The planned upgrade is part of a broader series of enhancements to INZ's online platforms scheduled for 2026. While the duration is relatively short, it's crucial for applicants to be aware of the impact on various services.
Affected Services Include:
- NZeTA (New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority) applications, including requests for changes and personal information updates.
- Student enrolment termination forms.
- Active Investor Plus Visa application forms.
- Applications for a job change or variation of conditions for work visa holders.
- Applications for a variation of conditions for student visa holders.
- Parent Resident Visa Expression of Interest (EOI) forms.
- Applications for transfer or confirmation of a visa.
- Report a breach forms.
- Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa expressions of interest and applications.
- Applications for a variation of conditions for a Skilled Migrant Category Interim Visa.
- Applications for a transfer of a visa for Skilled Migrant Category Interim Visa holders.
What Applicants Should Do
If you have a time-sensitive application or need to access any of the listed services, it is strongly advised to complete these tasks well before 20:00 NZST on May 13. The systems are expected to be fully operational again by midnight.
Immigration New Zealand has not indicated any impact on applications that have already been submitted or on decisions that are currently in progress. The downtime is solely for system maintenance and upgrades.