New Zealand leaves immigration hopefuls in the lurch

AHMEDABAD: Hopes of a number of immigration candidates, planning to settle down in New Zealand, were dashed after a wait of one-and-a-half years when the New Zealand Immigration Service (NZIS) indicated that 430 applications, under the old General Skills Category, will be turned down. Consultants say many of them are from Gujarat.
The applications of 646 persons, who have applied after November 20, 2002, when new rules were put in place, have been waiting for a decision from the NZIS since long.Now, the NZIS says that the 430 do not meet the required entry criteria. It proposes to intimate them of the decision within a month.
The applicants have been given a one-time opportunity to withdraw their applications and collect a full refund of the application fee (about Rs 23,500). The applicant or his consultant will have to contact NZIS for a refund within a month of receiving the letter.
NZIS service manager in New Delhi, Simon Smith, who shot a letter to all agents and consultants, stated that the preliminary assessment completed on 646 cases under the GSC showed that 430 applications did not meet the Job Search Visa Policy.
This means that the principal applicants in such cases do not have the qualification required for an occupation in the ''Occupations in Shortage List.''
Therefore, these applicants are not likely to be approved for a ''job search work visa'' which would have enabled them to claim the deficit points so as to qualify under the GSC policy. "Consequently, there''s a high likelihood that these applications will be declined even if they are finalised," the letter adds.
Meanwhile, the decision has left immigration hopefuls and consultants upset. "These people are being asked to withdraw their applications after waiting for the past one-and-a-half years. Even the application fee is refunded, what about the Police Clearance Certification (PCC) and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) charges?" asks consultant Prasanna Acharya.
NZIS had earlier committed to contact all applicants by September 30, 2004 and update them on the status of their application.
"When it became evident that considerable number of applicants were likely to have their General Skills applications declined because they do not meet the requirements of the Job Search Work Visa Policy, NZIS decided to offer them an opportunity to withdraw their applications," the letter states.
Further, the letter states that the timeframe for response will be strictly adhered to and if the applicant or their consultant does not contact the New Delhi branch within the stipulated timeframe, the processing of the application will resume as normal and the application fee will be retained by the NZIS even the application is declined.