Our entire visa process is based on words…a lot of them, and as with anything based on written rules, it is subject to a lot of interpretation. The difference is that interpretations in the visa space can have huge impacts, not only on their visa status, but their entire lives. One word in the wrong place, or one word taken to mean something different by an INZ officer, can create an entirely different set of rules to those which were intended.

Deciphering visa instructions and being able to understand the original intent and purpose is both an art and a science, but not something we should expect the average migrant (who will hopefully only tackle this process once) to have to Master. So why are they so complicated and do they really need to be that way?

Setting aside the absolute circus that is American politics, it was interesting to see that the former US President, Donald J Trump, who is now attempting another shot at the big chair, has become the first US President (ex or otherwise) to be convicted of a crime and in turn (and more importantly for us), the first President to potentially require a visa and character waiver to travel to New Zealand.

Americans enjoy a visa-waiver agreement with New Zealand allowing them to apply for an NZETA (electronic travel authority) via an app, which then gives them the ability to travel here. However for any visa-waiver traveler convicted of certain criminal wrongdoing, that visa-waiver status is replaced by the need to formally apply for a visa, as well as having their character assessed.

With South African’s anxiously awaiting the outcome of their national elections, which could represent one of the biggest political shifts in the last 30 years, there are a lot of people considering whether now is the right time to make the move.

For any potential migrant, deciding on whether to move at all, is both a process of ‘why’ and ‘when’ - which are often complex puzzles to solve. For some people, the motivations are more obvious and for others, they can take a long time to come to the surface. We take a look at some of the reasons people move country, and whether there really is a better or worse time to migrate.

Twenty years in this business and I have seen plenty of ups and downs, particularly when it comes to the way INZ processes applications. Over that time, I have also seen how easily, good quality applicants can be caught out by INZ simply taking a different approach to all applicants.

These ups and downs also tend to happen as the political winds change direction and right now we are seeing exactly that as the new coalition Government is trying to clean up the mess left by the previous Government.