But My Friend Told Me…?
The Visa process can be a breeding ground for myth, rumour and speculation and most of it comes from the fact that when people publish their good news, Visa approval stories online, they leave out a lot of the mistakes, issues and challenges they faced along the way. Other applicants, who are in the same or similar process or just starting out, pick up on these posts and use them as the benchmark.
All too often, as advisers, we are told by prospective migrants that their application should be processed quicker and with less paperwork because…their friends told them so. You can easily replace the word “friends” with Google, ChatGPT or Facebook. There are plenty of reasons why this isn’t actually the case and some of them might surprise you.
Whilst it might seem like a minor inconvenience, it can actually have significant consequences - particularly when you build your relocation strategy around the online chatter from those who have moved before. Their process, situation and circumstances will be different to yours and as such, you might find your plans unravelling. It can also cause unecessary anxiety and stress, when you think you are the only Visa applicant who hasn’t yet been approved when everyone else online is popping champagne corks.
For those starting out or even part of the way through the migration process, it is really important to understand why, listening to the right sources of information, will save you time, money, frustration and the possible heartbreak of a failed application.
The Visa Grapevine
The birthplace of most of the confusion that surrounds the Visa process is social media, with various groups, pages and “chats” being the cause of an amazing amount of disinformation, rumour and myth - propelled largely by good intentions (migrants wanting to help migrants) but falling very short of the mark. Unfortunately there are also a number of newly anointed (but very inexperienced) advisers who chime in, well out of their depth. I have seen a lot of this first-hand, with people whose only qualifications to understanding thousands of pages of immigration policy, being the one time they successfully applied for a Visitor Visa; going ahead and disseminating specific and very complex advice to other potential migrants.
In the same way that you wouldn’t consult Facebook for a guide to your own open-heart surgery, nor would you, as a prospective Resident Visa applicant, want to rely on the advice of strangers, whose only experience in this process is that one time they travelled to NZ to take a tour of Hobbiton.
Every migrant brings their own unique issues and challenges to the process and even though there is only one set of immigration rules, how each applicant goes through the process and how those rules apply to them, will vary (often greatly). You might have a medical or character issue that means your application requires far more attention and preparation and could potentially take longer, to process - however unless you are sharing all of that information online (and why on earth would you want to), no one is going to be able to warn you of that.
I also find that when people share their self-made visa successes online, they leave out large chunks of information that they potentially dont want anyone to know. I can testify to that, having helped someone out of a very messy visa situation in the past, which was lengthy, drawn out and very complicated - only to see them provide the heavily edited, and largely embellished version to their FB followers. No one wants to admit that perhaps they got it wrong and messed it up…certainly not in public.
The problem is, those stories, paint a picture that other hopeful migrants take to be gospel and proceed to plan their move around, only to discover much later that their journey is going to be very different.
It even goes to the extent of everyday folks telling hopeful migrants that they qualify when they don’t or that they don’t when they do. I often have to explain to people that just because their friend, FB group, Siri or their next-door neighbours, aunties, second cousin-once removed, said something, doesn’t make it so.
Despite the fact there is only one set of Visa rules and one department tasked with administering those rules, the Visa process is an incredibly unique experience. Your plan, your needs and your success will be determined by how INZ assesses you, not everyone else on social media.
My advice is don’t drink the wine off the migrant grapevine , or at least if you do, sip it slowly. Get advice from a source that is qualified, trustworthy and credible and will tell you what you need to know - objectively. Bob from Facebook might have managed to sort that Visa so he could see the life-size statue of Gandalf but I would stake my almost twenty years in this industry that he doesn’t have the foggiest clue as to how you can successfully secure Residence in New Zealand and keep your family here permanently.
INZ Inconsistency
Not all of the blame for this myth and rumour falls at the feet of other migrants however, and INZ has a role to play in at least part of the problem, particularly when it comes to consistency in their decision making.
I mentioned earlier that there is one set of rules for each type of Visa and one department that administers those rules - which you would think leads to consistent decision making with everyone being treated fairly. Well it unfortunately doesn’t always work out that way.
You see, whilst there is just one set of rules and one INZ, within that there are lots and lots of different case officers, all with different degrees of experience, understanding, common sense and of course personalities. Just as every migrant is unique, so too are the officers who make the decisions as to who comes here and who doesn’t.
I have plenty of stories and examples of applications that look the same, feel the same and should be given the same result, ending up with wildly different outcomes. What one officer believes is enough to grant a Visa, is only half-way there (or not at all) for another. That of course adds to the “but my friend told me” conundrum because that friend might have in fact had a very good (or possibly very experienced) officer who moved the application through a good dose of common sense, compared to another officer who might just feel like giving someone the third degree treatment.
In 2009 the Auditor General released a review of the Immigration system, wherein decision making consistency and quality was a key focus. That review revealed that two-thirds of all decisions were good, with the rest (33%) being adequate to poor. That is a scarily big number when you consider that INZ process hundreds of thousands of Visas every year. The review also suggested that KPI’s, targets, poor training and a segregated Visa processing system were big factors to what was significant inconsistency.
Sadly, not much has changed. Even though the 2009 report pushed INZ to do better, more recent backlogs, border re-openings, policy changes, pressure from the Minister and staff turnover have meant that inconsistency is still rife.
Sometimes, whether you are processed quickly or not, with lots of questions or none, or receive an approval or a decline are all determined by who picks up your application. Sort of a Dirty Harry, are you feeling lucky, type scenario.
A big part of what we do is ensuring that no matter which officer you end up with, your application is treated fairly, consistently and in line with the rules and regulations that apply. It’s no small job but I can assure you, we have saved a lot of migrants from inexperienced case officers (and sometimes themselves) over the years.
Don’t Believe Everything You Read Online
Pretty simple advice, but very appropriate for the would-be migrant. I am not suggesting that you need to go back to pen and paper, but just tread carefully through the myriad of resources that are available to you online. Some are really good and even with the FB chat groups, there is some good, pragmatic and genuine advice - however when someone, with no real experience is telling you how to apply for a Visa that will determine the future for you and your family - ask yourself if this is really the best way to go.
I am of course biased and would always suggest you seek out the advice of a professional (and a good one) because this process is not one you want to take chances with, but if you are doing your initial homework, just be wary of what sounds like the easy solution. Your migration journey will be as unique as you are and considering how important it is, it is definitely worth investing some time, energy and possibly some money in to making sure you have the right facts in front of you.
Until next week - and hopefully some more wins for the New Zealand women’s football team!
